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Monaco vs SF Mono
Monaco and SF Mono are both mono typefaces sharing a monospace foundation. Where Monaco leans display, retro, SF Mono brings modern. Compare which suits your Code Editors project.
Design DNA
Design overlap:40%
Monaco
Structural
Monospace
Visual
Retro
Purpose
TechDisplay
SF Mono
Structural
Monospace
Visual
Modern
Purpose
Tech
Highlighted traits are shared between both fonts
Visual Comparison
Monaco
Premium
SF Mono
Premium
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Monaco | SF Mono |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Premium | Premium |
| Classification | mono | mono |
| Variable Font | No | No |
| Weights | Multiple | Multiple |
| Italics | Yes | Yes |
| License | Commercial License Required | Commercial License Required |
| Language Support | latin, latin-extended | latin, latin-extended, cyrillic, greek |
| Source | Apple Inc. | Apple Inc. |
Best Use Cases
Code Editors
Monaco SF
Terminal
Typography for command-line interfaces, terminal emulators, and shell environmen...
Monaco SF
Legacy Systems
Monaco SF
Retro Interfaces
Monaco SF
Developer Tools
Monaco SF
Documentation
Typography for technical documentation, user guides, and help content. Documenta...
Monaco SF
Which Should You Choose?
Recommended: Monaco
- display, retro design character
- Suited for Legacy Systems and Retro Interfaces
- From apple
- 6 free alternatives available
Consider: SF Mono
- modern design character
- Suited for Developer Tools and Documentation
- From apple
- 6 free alternatives available
- Broader language support
Browse by Context
Free Alternatives to Consider
Free fonts that can replace both Monaco and SF Mono
JetBrains Mono
85%78% to Monaco · 92% to SF Mono
Google Fonts · OFL-1.1 · Variable
Fira Mono
83%85% to Monaco · 80% to SF Mono
Google Fonts · OFL-1.1 · 3 weights
Source Code Pro
82%82% to Monaco · 82% to SF Mono
Google Fonts · OFL-1.1 · Variable
Not Courier Sans
45%45% to Monaco · 45% to SF Mono
Font Squirrel · GPL-2.0-with-font-exception · 2 weights