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Lato vs Optima
Choosing between Optima and Lato comes down to whether you want the original tone or a practical open-source substitute. With 70% similarity, Lato offers humanist warmth approaching Optima's elegance in a more contemporary form. If you want the same structure with a friendlier vibe, Lato usually gets you there.
70% Similarity
Visual Comparison
Lato
FreeAa Bb Cc 123
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
0123456789 !@#$%^&*()
Optima
Premium
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Lato | Optima |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Free | Premium |
| Classification | sans-serif | sans-serif |
| Variable Font | No | No |
| Weights | 100, 300, 400, 700, 900 | Multiple |
| Italics | Yes | Yes |
| License | OFL-1.1 | Commercial License Required |
| Language Support | latin, latin-extended | latin, latin-extended, greek |
| Source | Google Fonts | Linotype |
Performance Comparison
| Metric | Lato | Optima |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 60/100 | N/A |
| File Size | 85.9 KB | N/A |
| Weights | 5 | N/A |
| Italics | Yes | N/A |
| Variable Font | No | N/A |
| Language Groups | 2 | N/A |
| CDN Delivery | Yes | N/A |
| x-Height Ratio | 0.506 | N/A |
| Cap Height Ratio | 0.717 | N/A |
Where You'll See These Fonts
Optima
- Vietnam Veterans Memorial
- Estée Lauder
- Aston Martin
- Yahoo! (historical)
- High-end cosmetics
Which Should You Choose?
Recommended: Lato
- Particularly suited for corporate branding and body text
- Delivers a friendly, professional, clean aesthetic
- Popular in education-academia and healthcare-medical design
- Versatile enough to replace 13+ premium fonts
- Free under OFL-1.1 license
Consider: Optima
- Original design with refined typographic details
- Designed specifically for fashion and luxury
- Used by Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Estée Lauder
- Commercial license with professional support
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Free Alternatives to Consider
Other free alternatives to Optima