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Source Sans 3 vs Franklin Gothic
Franklin Gothic is a common reference point; Source Sans Pro is one of the closest free families to reach for. With 70% similarity, Source Sans Pro shares Franklin Gothic's professional utility and comprehensive weight coverage. If you need more weights than Franklin Gothic offers, Source Sans Pro is usually the more flexible family.
Design DNA
Design overlap:0%
Source Sans 3
Franklin Gothic
Visual Comparison
Source Sans 3
FreeAa Bb Cc 123
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
0123456789 !@#$%^&*()
Franklin Gothic
Premium
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Source Sans 3 | Franklin Gothic |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Free | Premium |
| Classification | sans-serif | sans-serif |
| Variable Font | Yes | No |
| Weights | Variable (100-900) | Multiple |
| Italics | Yes | Yes |
| License | OFL-1.1 | Commercial License Required |
| Language Support | latin, latin-extended, cyrillic, cyrillic-extended, greek, greek-extended, vietnamese | latin, latin-extended |
| Source | Google Fonts | URW Type Foundry |
Best Use Cases
Typography designed specifically for titles, headers, and attention-grabbing tex...
Typography suited for magazines, newspapers, and long-form content. Editorial fo...
Typography for advertising, marketing campaigns, and promotional materials. Adve...
Typography for sports brands, athletic apparel, and team identities. Sports font...
Fonts that establish strong brand identity with distinctive character and versat...
Typography for wayfinding, environmental graphics, and public signage. Signage f...
Typography for established businesses, enterprise software, and professional ser...
Typography for medical, wellness, and healthcare applications. Healthcare fonts ...
Typography optimized for user interfaces, design systems, and digital products. ...
Typography for tech companies, software products, and digital innovation. Tech f...
Performance Comparison
| Metric | Source Sans 3 | Franklin Gothic |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 59/100 | N/A |
| File Size | 380.1 KB | N/A |
| Weights | 9 (var) | N/A |
| Italics | Yes | N/A |
| Variable Font | Yes (1 axes) | N/A |
| Language Groups | 7 | N/A |
| CDN Delivery | Yes | N/A |
| x-Height Ratio | 0.486 | N/A |
| Cap Height Ratio | 0.66 | N/A |
Which Should You Choose?
Recommended: Source Sans 3
- Particularly suited for corporate communications and documentation
- Variable font with continuous weight adjustment
- Supports 7 scripts including cyrillic and cyrillic-extended
- Delivers a professional, clean, neutral aesthetic
- Popular in enterprise-corporate and government-public-sector design
Consider: Franklin Gothic
- Original design with refined typographic details
- Designed specifically for headlines and editorial
- Commercial license with professional support
Browse by Context
Franklin Gothic
Free Alternatives to Consider
Other free alternatives to Franklin Gothic