Vollkorn

Vollkorn font preview
Replaces: Bookmania (82%) | OFL-1.1 | Updated: Jan 2026

About Vollkorn

Classification
serif
Weights
Variable (100-900)
Features
Variable, Italics
SIL Open Font License 1.1

Free to use, modify, and distribute. Can be used commercially without attribution.

What's allowed?
  • ✓ Client work
  • ✓ SaaS / Web apps
  • ✓ YouTube / Video
  • ✓ Sell products
  • ✓ Print materials

Note: Derivative fonts must use the same license.

Full license guide →
Get Vollkorn Free ↗

Vollkorn is a robust serif typeface designed by Friedrich Althausen, first released in 2005 and continuously refined since. The name means "wholegrain" in German, reflecting its substantial, nourishing character suited for everyday reading.

History and Design

Friedrich Althausen began designing Vollkorn in 2005 with the goal of creating a free typeface for everyday text use. The design features sturdy serifs, comfortable proportions, and clear letterforms optimized for long-form reading. Regular updates have expanded the family to include small caps, multiple figure styles, and extensive language support.

Why Vollkorn is Popular

Vollkorn has earned its reputation as a reliable workhorse serif, serving as a free alternative to premium text faces like Plantin and Bookmania. Its robust design handles a wide range of uses from books to websites, while comprehensive language support makes it valuable for international projects. The ongoing development by Althausen ensures continued improvements.

Technical Features

  • Variable font: Weight axis from Regular (400) to Black (900)
  • True italics: Carefully designed cursive forms
  • Small caps: Available through OpenType features
  • Multiple figure styles: Lining, old-style, tabular, and proportional
  • Extensive language support: Latin, Cyrillic, Greek, and Vietnamese

Best Use Cases

Vollkorn excels in:

  • Book typography: Reliable for long-form reading
  • Academic publishing: Professional appearance for scholarly work
  • Newspaper and editorial: Robust enough for dense text
  • Web content: Excellent screen readability
  • Multilingual projects: Comprehensive character coverage

Usage Tips

For body text, use weight 400 at 16-18px with line height of 1.5-1.6. Enable old-style figures for a more classical appearance. Use weight 600-700 for subheadings and 800-900 for dramatic headlines. The robust design handles smaller sizes well, suitable down to 14px on screen. Pairs well with geometric sans-serifs for a traditional editorial feel.

Alternative For (2)

Vollkorn is a free alternative to the following premium fonts:

#1 Bookmania 82%
[Mark Simonson Studio] · serif

Similar warm book character

View all alternatives →
#2 Recoleta 75%
[Latinotype] · serif

Comparable friendly serif

View all alternatives →

How to Use Vollkorn

Copy these code snippets to quickly add Vollkorn to your project.

CSS Import

@import url('https://fonts.googleapis.com/css2?family=Vollkorn:wght@100..900&display=swap');

HTML Link Tags

<link rel="preconnect" href="https://fonts.googleapis.com">
<link rel="preconnect" href="https://fonts.gstatic.com" crossorigin>
<link href="https://fonts.googleapis.com/css2?family=Vollkorn:wght@100..900&display=swap" rel="stylesheet">

Tailwind CSS

// tailwind.config.js
module.exports = {
  theme: {
    extend: {
      fontFamily: {
        'vollkorn': ['Vollkorn', 'sans-serif'],
      },
    },
  },
}

// Usage in HTML:
// <p class="font-vollkorn">Your text here</p>

React / Next.js

// Using next/font (Next.js 13+)
import { Vollkorn } from 'next/font/google';

const vollkorn = Vollkorn({
  subsets: ['latin'],
  weight: ['100', '200', '300', '400', '500', '600', '700', '800', '900'],
});

export default function Component() {
  return (
    <p className={vollkorn.className}>
      Your text here
    </p>
  );
}

// Or using inline styles with Google Fonts link:
// <p style={{ fontFamily: "'Vollkorn'" }}>Your text</p>