Monaco vs JetBrains Mono
Choosing between Monaco and JetBrains Mono comes down to whether you want the original tone or a practical open-source substitute. With 78% similarity, JetBrains Mono offers Monaco's practical approach to code display with modern enhancements including programming ligatures. One practical difference: JetBrains Mono supports ligatures, which changes the feel in code-heavy UIs.
78% Similarity
Visual Comparison
Monaco
PremiumPremium font preview not available
Visit the foundry website to see samples
JetBrains Mono
FreeAa Bb Cc 123
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
0123456789 !@#$%^&*()
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Monaco | JetBrains Mono |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Premium | Free |
| Classification | mono | mono |
| Variable Font | No | Yes |
| Weights | Multiple | Variable (100-900) |
| Italics | Yes | Yes |
| License | Commercial License Required | OFL-1.1 |
| Language Support | latin, latin-extended | latin, latin-extended, cyrillic, cyrillic-extended, greek, vietnamese |
| Source | Apple | Google Fonts |
Which Should You Choose?
Recommended: JetBrains Mono
- Free to use with open-source license
- Variable font offers flexible weight adjustment
- Broader language support
- No licensing costs for commercial projects
- Can be self-hosted or loaded from Google Fonts