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Source Sans Pro vs Verdana
Verdana is a common reference point; Source Sans Pro is one of the closest free families to reach for. With 75% similarity, Source Sans Pro shares Verdana's emphasis on screen legibility with similar open apertures and clear letterforms. Source Sans Pro also ships as a variable font, so you can dial in weights instead of being stuck with fixed steps.
75% Similarity
Visual Comparison
Source Sans Pro
FreeAa Bb Cc 123
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
0123456789 !@#$%^&*()
Verdana
Premium
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Source Sans Pro | Verdana |
|---|---|---|
| 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, cyrillic, greek |
| Source | Google Fonts | Microsoft |
Performance Comparison
| Metric | Source Sans Pro | Verdana |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 69/100 | N/A |
| File Size | 181.1 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 |
Where You'll See These Fonts
Verdana
- IKEA (historical)
- Early web design
- Email signatures
- Microsoft applications
- Corporate intranets
Which Should You Choose?
Recommended: Source Sans Pro
- Particularly suited for user interfaces and government websites
- Variable font with continuous weight adjustment
- Supports 7 scripts including cyrillic and cyrillic-extended
- Delivers a professional, clean, minimal aesthetic
- Popular in enterprise-corporate and financial-services design
Consider: Verdana
- Original design with refined typographic details
- Designed specifically for web and ui
- Used by IKEA (historical), Early web design
- Commercial license with professional support
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Free Alternatives to Consider
Other free alternatives to Verdana