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Johnston vs Open Sans
Open Sans is a popular open-source alternative to Johnston's humanist design. At 78% similarity, Open Sans delivers a clean, professional aesthetic. Compare which works better for transit and signage projects.
Design DNA
Design overlap:0%
Johnston
Open Sans
Visual Comparison
Johnston
Premium
Open Sans
FreeAa Bb Cc 123
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
0123456789 !@#$%^&*()
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Johnston | Open Sans |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Premium | Free |
| Classification | sans-serif | sans-serif |
| Variable Font | No | Yes |
| Weights | Multiple | Variable (100-900) |
| Italics | Yes | Yes |
| License | Commercial License Required | Apache-2.0 |
| Language Support | latin, latin-extended | latin, latin-extended, cyrillic, cyrillic-extended, greek, greek-extended, vietnamese |
| Source | ITC | Google Fonts |
Best Use Cases
Typography for wayfinding, environmental graphics, and public signage. Signage f...
Fonts that establish strong brand identity with distinctive character and versat...
Typography for navigation systems, directional signage, and environmental graphi...
Typography optimized for user interfaces, design systems, and digital products. ...
Typography suited for magazines, newspapers, and long-form content. Editorial fo...
Typography for established businesses, enterprise software, and professional ser...
Typography for desktop and web applications, software interfaces, and digital to...
Performance Comparison
| Metric | Johnston | Open Sans |
|---|---|---|
| Score | N/A | 54/100 |
| File Size | N/A | 706.8 KB |
| Weights | N/A | 9 (var) |
| Italics | N/A | Yes |
| Variable Font | N/A | Yes (1 axes) |
| Language Groups | N/A | 7 |
| CDN Delivery | N/A | Yes |
| x-Height Ratio | N/A | 0.535 |
| Cap Height Ratio | N/A | 0.714 |
Which Should You Choose?
Consider: Johnston
- Variable font with continuous weight adjustment
- Supports 7 scripts including cyrillic and cyrillic-extended
- Delivers a clean, professional, friendly aesthetic
- Popular in healthcare-medical and enterprise-corporate design
- Versatile enough to replace 23+ premium fonts
Recommended: Open Sans
- Original design with refined typographic details
- Designed specifically for transit and signage
- Commercial license with professional support
Free Alternatives to Consider
Other free alternatives to Johnston