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Open Sans vs Public Sans
Open Sans and Public Sans are both freely available sans-serif fonts. Open Sans serves as a replacement for 23 premium fonts while Public Sans covers 3. This comparison helps you pick between two strong open-source options.
Design DNA
Design overlap:75%
Open Sans
Public Sans
Highlighted traits are shared between both fonts
Visual Comparison
Open Sans
FreeAa Bb Cc 123
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
0123456789 !@#$%^&*()
Public Sans
FreeAa Bb Cc 123
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
0123456789 !@#$%^&*()
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Open Sans | Public Sans |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Free | Free |
| Classification | sans-serif | sans-serif |
| Variable Font | Yes | Yes |
| Weights | Variable (100-900) | Variable (100-900) |
| Italics | Yes | Yes |
| License | Apache-2.0 | OFL-1.1 |
| Language Support | latin, latin-extended, cyrillic, cyrillic-extended, greek, greek-extended, vietnamese | latin, latin-extended |
| Source | Google Fonts | Google Fonts |
Best Use Cases
Typography optimized for user interfaces, design systems, and digital products. ...
Typography suited for magazines, newspapers, and long-form content. Editorial fo...
Fonts that establish strong brand identity with distinctive character and versat...
Typography for established businesses, enterprise software, and professional ser...
Typography for wayfinding, environmental graphics, and public signage. Signage f...
Typography for navigation systems, directional signage, and environmental graphi...
Typography for desktop and web applications, software interfaces, and digital to...
Typography for print and digital publishing, book design, and editorial producti...
Weight & Style Coverage
Performance Comparison
| Metric | Open Sans | Public Sans |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 54/100 | 64/100 |
| File Size | 706.8 KB | 134.3 KB |
| Weights | 9 (var) | 9 (var) |
| Italics | Yes | Yes |
| Variable Font | Yes (1 axes) | Yes (1 axes) |
| Language Groups | 7 | 2 |
| CDN Delivery | Yes | Yes |
| x-Height Ratio | 0.535 | 0.517 |
| Cap Height Ratio | 0.714 | 0.723 |
Public Sans is 81% lighter for the standard weight set (400, 400i, 700).
Which Should You Choose?
Recommended: Open Sans
- Replaces 23 premium fonts
- clean, professional character
- Popular in healthcare-medical and enterprise-corporate
- Variable font with continuous weight range
- Broader language and script support
Consider: Public Sans
- Replaces 3 premium fonts
- professional, neutral character
- Popular in government-public-sector and enterprise-corporate
- Variable font with continuous weight range
- Free under OFL-1.1
Premium Font Coverage
Only Open Sans (23)
Only Public Sans (3)
Open Sans covers 23 premium fonts vs Public Sans's 3