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SF Mono vs Fira Code
Choosing between SF Mono and Fira Code comes down to whether you want the original tone or a practical open-source substitute. With 88% similarity, Fira Code captures SF Mono's clean aesthetic while adding one of the most comprehensive programming ligature sets available. One practical difference: Fira Code supports ligatures, which changes the feel in code-heavy UIs.
Design DNA
Design overlap:20%
SF Mono
Fira Code
Highlighted traits are shared between both fonts
Visual Comparison
SF Mono
Premium
Fira Code
FreeAa Bb Cc 123
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
0123456789 !@#$%^&*()
Feature Comparison
| Feature | SF Mono | Fira Code |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Premium | Free |
| Classification | mono | mono |
| Variable Font | No | Yes |
| Weights | Multiple | Variable (100-900) |
| Italics | Yes | No |
| License | Commercial License Required | OFL-1.1 |
| Language Support | latin, latin-extended, cyrillic, greek | latin, latin-extended, cyrillic, cyrillic-extended, greek, greek-extended |
| Source | Apple | Google Fonts |
Best Use Cases
Typography for command-line interfaces, terminal emulators, and shell environmen...
Typography for technical documentation, user guides, and help content. Documenta...
Typography for code editors, terminals, and developer documentation. Code fonts ...
Typography suited for magazines, newspapers, and long-form content. Editorial fo...
Typography for tech companies, software products, and digital innovation. Tech f...
Fonts that establish strong brand identity with distinctive character and versat...
Performance Comparison
| Metric | SF Mono | Fira Code |
|---|---|---|
| Score | N/A | 64/100 |
| File Size | N/A | 215.2 KB |
| Weights | N/A | 9 (var) |
| Italics | N/A | No |
| Variable Font | N/A | Yes (1 axes) |
| Language Groups | N/A | 6 |
| CDN Delivery | N/A | Yes |
| x-Height Ratio | N/A | 0.527 |
| Cap Height Ratio | N/A | 0.689 |
Where You'll See These Fonts
SF Mono
- Xcode
- macOS Terminal
- Apple developer documentation
- iOS development
- Swift Playgrounds
Which Should You Choose?
Consider: SF Mono
- Shares SF Mono's modern character
- Particularly suited for web development and any code editor
- Variable font with continuous weight adjustment
- Supports 6 scripts including cyrillic and cyrillic-extended
- Delivers a clean, modern, simple aesthetic
Recommended: Fira Code
- Original design with refined typographic details
- Designed specifically for code-editors and terminal
- Used by Xcode, macOS Terminal
- Commercial license with professional support
Browse by Context
Free Alternatives to Consider
Other free alternatives to SF Mono