Lato vs Poppins
Lato and Poppins are both freely available sans-serif fonts often used as alternatives to the same premium typefaces. Lato serves as a replacement for 14 premium fonts while Poppins covers 40. This comparison helps you pick between two strong open-source options.
Design DNA
Design overlap:67%
Lato
Poppins
Highlighted traits are shared between both fonts
Visual Comparison
Lato
FreeAa Bb Cc 123
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
0123456789 !@#$%^&*()
Poppins
FreeAa Bb Cc 123
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
0123456789 !@#$%^&*()
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Lato | Poppins |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Free | Free |
| Classification | sans-serif | sans-serif |
| Variable Font | No | No |
| Weights | 100, 300, 400, 700, 900 | 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700, 800, 900 |
| Italics | Yes | Yes |
| License | OFL-1.1 | OFL-1.1 |
| Language Support | latin, latin-extended | latin, latin-extended, devanagari |
| Source | Google Fonts | Google Fonts |
Best Use Cases
Typography for established businesses, enterprise software, and professional ser...
Fonts that establish strong brand identity with distinctive character and versat...
Typography suited for magazines, newspapers, and long-form content. Editorial fo...
Fonts optimized for mobile interfaces with excellent small-size legibility, clea...
Typography for medical, wellness, and healthcare applications. Healthcare fonts ...
Typography optimized for online retail, marketplaces, and shopping experiences. ...
Typography for startups, tech companies, and venture-backed businesses. Startup ...
Typography for tech companies, software products, and digital innovation. Tech f...
Typography for desktop and web applications, software interfaces, and digital to...
Typography for product packaging, labels, and consumer goods. Packaging fonts mu...
Weight & Style Coverage
Performance Comparison
| Metric | Lato | Poppins |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 60/100 | 59/100 |
| File Size | 85.9 KB | 162.4 KB |
| Weights | 5 | 9 |
| Italics | Yes | Yes |
| Variable Font | No | No |
| Language Groups | 2 | 3 |
| CDN Delivery | Yes | Yes |
| x-Height Ratio | 0.506 | 0.548 |
| Cap Height Ratio | 0.717 | 0.698 |
Lato is 47% lighter for the standard weight set (400, 400i, 700).
Which Should You Choose?
Recommended: Lato
- Replaces 14 premium fonts
- friendly, professional character
- Popular in education-academia and healthcare-medical
- 5 weight options
- Free under OFL-1.1
Consider: Poppins
- Replaces 40 premium fonts
- friendly, modern character
- Popular in education-academia and healthcare-medical
- 9 weight options
- Broader language and script support
Premium Font Coverage
Both replace (2)
Only Lato (12)
Only Poppins (38)
Lato covers 14 premium fonts vs Poppins's 40