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Arial® font

Arial is a neo-grotesque sans serif by Robin Nicholas and Patricia Saunders, first issued by Monotype in 1982. It comes with Windows and macOS: use it on that computer, in documents and pictures, but its licence doesn’t let you put the font file on a website or pass it on. These 24 free sans serifs come closest to it, measured letter by letter, closest first. Arimo is drawn to its exact widths and heights: it replaces Arial without moving a line.

Arial itself comes from your device, if it is installed

ComparedArial vs Helvetica Calibri vs Arial 

ArialSphinx of black quartz, judge my vow, in Arial
Arial BlackSphinx of black quartz, judge my vow, in Arial Black
Rendered by FontKind from the fonts installed with Windows, 1 October 2026 and 2 October 2026: pictures of words, as Microsoft’s font FAQ allows. The font files themselves are never sent.

01 / Free alternatives to Arial® — compared by measurements

65 px
Default
0 em

  1. The original · Arial, from your device

  2. 74match · #1

    Arimo

    Same widths and heights as Arial

    Find the font. Find its kind.

    more stroke contrast

    Differs most from Arial in d, J, and b

    Fonts like Arimo

  3. 87match · #2

    Rag

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    12% wider

    Differs most from Arial in M, Q, and d

    Fonts like Rag

  4. 84match · #3

    Kecal

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    Nearly identical proportions

    Differs most from Arial in Q and t

    Fonts like Kecal

  5. 82match · #4

    Miedinger

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    Nearly identical proportions

    Differs most from Arial in d, j, and 7

    Fonts like Miedinger

  6. 80match · #5

    BDO Grotesk

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    13% wider · x-height 9% taller

    Differs most from Arial in d, O, and t

    Fonts like BDO Grotesk

  7. 80match · #6

    Ronzino

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    Nearly identical proportions

    Differs most from Arial in Q, d, and 0

    Fonts like Ronzino

  8. 79match · #7

    Almarai

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    Nearly identical proportions

    Differs most from Arial in 7, 3, and 2

    Fonts like Almarai

  9. 78match · #8

    Opening Hours Sans

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    Nearly identical proportions

    Differs most from Arial in 1, l, and d

    Fonts like Opening Hours Sans

  10. 78match · #9

    Aspekta

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    5% wider

    Differs most from Arial in l, d, and t

    Fonts like Aspekta

  11. 78match · #10

    Liter

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    Nearly identical proportions

    Differs most from Arial in a, t, and 7

    Fonts like Liter

  12. 77match · #11

    Gothic A1

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    15% lighter

    Differs most from Arial in c, t, and D

    Fonts like Gothic A1

  13. 77match · #12

    Scoutie Sans

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    7% wider

    Differs most from Arial in g, I, and d

    Fonts like Scoutie Sans

  14. 77match · #13

    Geist

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    9% wider · 9% lighter

    Differs most from Arial in d, l, and 0

    Fonts like Geist

  15. 77match · #14

    Switzer

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    4% wider

    Differs most from Arial in 1, d, and G

    Fonts like Switzer

  16. 77match · #15

    Rag Narrow

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    4% narrower · 6% heavier

    Differs most from Arial in O, d, and Q

    Fonts like Rag Narrow

  17. 76match · #16

    Glide

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    6% wider · 10% heavier

    Differs most from Arial in d, i, and c

    Fonts like Glide

  18. 76match · #17

    Zalando Sans

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    7% wider

    Differs most from Arial in 1, J, and Q

    Fonts like Zalando Sans

  19. 75match · #18

    Special Gothic

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    3% narrower

    Differs most from Arial in g, G, and d

    Fonts like Special Gothic

  20. 75match · #19

    Inter

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    10% wider · x-height 5% taller · 8% lighter

    Differs most from Arial in i, j, and 7

    Fonts like Inter

  21. 75match · #20

    Instrument Sans

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    7% wider · 12% lighter

    Differs most from Arial in Q, o, and 0

    Fonts like Instrument Sans

  22. 75match · #21

    Radio Canada Big

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    11% heavier · 3% wider

    Differs most from Arial in 3, j, and i

    Fonts like Radio Canada Big

  23. 75match · #22

    Pliant

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    10% wider

    Differs most from Arial in a, 0, and d

    Fonts like Pliant

  24. 74match · #23

    Plainsound

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    3% wider

    Differs most from Arial in Q, G, and d

    Fonts like Plainsound

  25. 74match · #24

    Hedvig Letters Sans

    Find the font. Find its kind.

    6% wider

    Differs most from Arial in Q, d, and i

    Fonts like Hedvig Letters Sans

About Arial

Designed by
Robin Nicholas and Patricia SaundersSource: Wikipedia: Arial , Microsoft: font list
First issued
Monotype, 1982Source: Wikipedia: Arial , Microsoft: font list
Class
Neo-grotesque sans serifSource: Wikipedia: Arial , Microsoft: font list
Comes with
Windows 11: Arial, Arial BlackWindows 11, as an optional font: Arial NovaMicrosoft 365, as a cloud font: Arial, Arial BlackmacOS Tahoe: ArialSource: Microsoft: Windows 11 font list , Microsoft: cloud fonts in Office , Apple: fonts included with macOS Tahoe
Sold by
Monotype
Trademark
Arial is a trademark of The Monotype Corporation registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office and may be registered in certain other jurisdictions.Source: Monotype: trademarks

Read by hand on 1 October 2026 from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA), Microsoft’s and Apple’s lists of their fonts, Monotype’s list of its trademarks and the foundries’ and shops’ own pages. The references are linked beside each fact; a page that sells or hands out the font is not, so a fact read only there shows no link.

Arial® is a trademark of The Monotype Corporation. FontKind is not affiliated with The Monotype Corporation, and this page is an independent reference.

Hold rights in Arial? Write to rights@fontkind.com: we answer within two working days, and take down what is disputed while we look into it.

Questions about Arial

Is Arial free?

Free to use where it is installed, not to pass on: Arial comes with Windows, and its licence doesn’t let you put it on a website or pass the file on. Arimo is the free font made to stand in for it, with Arial’s exact widths and heights, under the SIL Open Font License. The 24 fonts on this page are free to use, commercially and on websites too: 23 under the SIL Open Font License and 1 under the ITF Free Font License.

Which free font has the same metrics as Arial?

Arimo. Its letters take Arial’s widths and its heights match, so a document set in Arial keeps its line breaks and page count in Arimo. Up close, Arimo has more stroke contrast.

Which free font is closest to Arial?

Rag, at 87 out of 100 in our letter-by-letter match, then Kecal (84) and Miedinger (82). Next to Arial, Rag is 12% wider.

Can I use a free Arial alternative in Word or Google Docs?

In Google Docs, most likely: Almarai, Liter, Gothic A1 and seven more of them can be added from the font menu, under More fonts.

Who designed Arial?

Arial was designed by Robin Nicholas and Patricia Saunders, and first issued by Monotype in 1982.