Trade Gothic vs Barlow
If you like what Trade Gothic does but need a license-friendly option, Barlow is the obvious place to start. With 78% similarity, Barlow captures Trade Gothic's condensed, space-efficient character with California infrastructure-inspired design. Both are comfortable in signage and wayfinding contexts, where clarity beats personality.
78% Similarity
Visual Comparison
Trade Gothic
PremiumPremium font preview not available
Visit the foundry website to see samples
Barlow
FreeAa Bb Cc 123
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
0123456789 !@#$%^&*()
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Trade Gothic | Barlow |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Premium | Free |
| Classification | sans-serif | sans-serif |
| Variable Font | No | No |
| Weights | Multiple | 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700, 800, 900 |
| Italics | Yes | Yes |
| License | Commercial License Required | OFL-1.1 |
| Language Support | latin, latin-extended | latin, latin-extended, vietnamese |
| Source | Linotype | Google Fonts |
Which Should You Choose?
Recommended: Barlow
- Free to use with open-source license
- Broader language support
- No licensing costs for commercial projects
- Can be self-hosted or loaded from Google Fonts