Fonts similar to Playfair
The fonts most like Playfair are Bacasime Antique (100 out of 100), Bentham (82) and Baskervville (77), then 97 more free fonts, compared letter by letter. Measured, the twelve closest have x-heights of 39–47% of the em (Playfair’s is 41%) and lowercase letters 43–52% of the em wide (64%), and all twelve are serifs too. Where they differ, all twelve are narrower.
Matched by the letters themselves · early version
The original · Playfair
Find the font. Find its kind.Playfair's own familyPlayfair DisplayPlayfair Display SC
Like Playfair, but…
100match · #1
Bacasime Antique
Based on PlayfairFind the font. Find its kind.more stroke contrast · 32% narrower · 13% lighter
82match · #2
Bentham
Find the font. Find its kind.more stroke contrast · 25% narrower · x-height 7% shorter
Differs most from Playfair in 7 and j
77match · #3
Baskervville
Find the font. Find its kind.more stroke contrast · 22% narrower · 12% lighter
Differs most from Playfair in j, 7, and Z
74match · #4
Cormorant Garamond
Find the font. Find its kind.more stroke contrast · 31% narrower · 20% lighter
Differs most from Playfair in 7, 6, and 5
74match · #5
Suranna
Find the font. Find its kind.more stroke contrast · 33% narrower
Differs most from Playfair in 5, 1, and 2
73match · #6
Cormorant
Find the font. Find its kind.more stroke contrast · 31% narrower · 20% lighter
Differs most from Playfair in 7, 6, and 5
73match · #7
Cormorant SC
Find the font. Find its kind.more stroke contrast · 42% lighter · 20% narrower
Differs most from Playfair in 7, 6, and 5
73match · #8
Cormorant Unicase
Find the font. Find its kind.more stroke contrast · 40% lighter · 19% narrower
Differs most from Playfair in 7, 6, and 5
73match · #9
Baskervville SC
Find the font. Find its kind.more stroke contrast · 22% narrower · 12% lighter
Differs most from Playfair in 4, 5, and Z
73match · #10
Gilda Display
Find the font. Find its kind.more stroke contrast · 21% narrower · x-height 14% taller
Differs most from Playfair in 5, Z, and 4
71match · #11
Radley
Find the font. Find its kind.22% narrower · more stroke contrast · x-height 6% taller
Differs most from Playfair in t, 8, and e
71match · #12
CMU Serif
Find the font. Find its kind.more stroke contrast · 24% narrower · 17% lighter
Differs most from Playfair in 1, 0, and j
The 100 fonts like Playfair, measured
Playfair has less stroke contrast than almost all the fonts like it: 99 of the 100 have more stroke contrast and none less. What they keep most is Playfair’s weight on the page: 39 are within 6% of it, Suranna the closest of them. 98 are serifs like Playfair, and 2 display faces come close too, Shafarik the closest of them. They part from Playfair most often in 5 (33 of the 100), 1 (33) and 7 (24).
WidthPlayfair: 64% of the em
- 0 wider
- None
x-heightPlayfair: 41% of the em
InkPlayfair: 41% ink
ContrastPlayfair: 1.48 : 1
- 0 less contrast
- None
- 1 within 12%
- Cantique 48
StylesPlayfair: 7 weights with italics
LettersWhere they differ most
- 533 of 100
- 133 of 100
- 724 of 100
Questions about fonts like Playfair
What is the closest font to Playfair?
Bacasime Antique, at 100 out of 100 in our letter-by-letter match: next to Playfair, it is 32% narrower and 13% lighter, with more stroke contrast. After it come Bentham (82) and Baskervville (77).
Is there a free alternative to Playfair?
Playfair is free itself, under the SIL Open Font License. For another font with its feel, every font on this page is free too, and Bacasime Antique, Bentham and Baskervville come closest.