Arial vs Helvetica
Arial is Monotype’s 1982 sans serif, drawn to the same widths as Helvetica (1957), so a line of text is the same length in either. The letters differ in the details: Helvetica ends its strokes with flat, horizontal cuts and Arial at an angle, and Helvetica’s G has a spur and its R a more upright leg. Windows has only Arial; Macs and iPhones have both.1,2,3,4
On this deviceArial: looking…Helvetica: looking…
01 / In your words
Arial vs Helvetica, side by side
Arial · looking on this device
Looking for Arial on this device…
Helvetica · looking on this device
Looking for Helvetica on this device…
Free · Arimo · Drawn to Arial’s widths, which are Helvetica’s
Find the font. Find its kind.
02 / Compared
What is the difference between Arial and Helvetica?
| What differs | Arial | Helvetica |
|---|---|---|
| Designed1,2 | Arial1982, by Robin Nicholas and Patricia Saunders at Monotype | Helvetica1957, by Max Miedinger with Eduard Hoffmann at the Haas Type Foundry, as Neue Haas Grotesk |
| Style1,2 | ArialNeo-grotesque sans serif, its details after Monotype Grotesque | HelveticaNeo-grotesque sans serif, with tight spacing and narrow apertures |
| Character widths1 | ArialThe same as Helvetica’s: drawn to match them | HelveticaThe original |
| Stroke ends1,2 | ArialCut at an angle | HelveticaCut horizontal or vertical |
| Comes with1,3,4,5 | ArialWindows since Windows 3.1 (1992), macOS and iOS | HelveticamacOS and iOS, not Windows |
| Licence1,2,6 | ArialComes with the system; its licence bars free redistribution | HelveticaPaid: Monotype sells it style by style, with desktop and web licences apart |
| Free alternative7,1 | ArialArimo, drawn to Arial’s widths | HelveticaArimo too: Arial’s widths are Helvetica’s |
| Measured by FontKind8 | ||
| x-heightHeight of the lowercase x, share of the em | Arial51.9% | HelveticaNot measured. FontKind measures fonts from their own files: the free fonts of the catalogue and the 27 fonts that come with Windows. Helvetica is not among them, so this page measures nothing of it and guesses nothing either. |
| Cap heightHeight of the capitals, share of the em | Arial71.6% | |
| Letter widthThe 26 lowercase letters on average, share of the em | Arial48.9% | |
| Running textWidth of English text a character, share of the em | Arial44.7% | |
| InkHow much of the letter box the lowercase fills | Arial44% | |
| ContrastThe o’s sides against its top and foot | Arial1.25 : 1 | |
03 / Letter by letter
How to tell Arial from Helvetica
Stroke ends1,2
Arial
Looking…Cut at an angle, which gives Arial a less mechanical look
Helvetica
Looking…Cut flat, horizontal or vertical
The G2
Arial
Looking…No spur
Helvetica
Looking…A spur at the bottom right
The R2
Arial
Looking…A slanting leg
Helvetica
Looking…A more upright leg, ending in a rounded square tail
The 1 and the Q1,2
Arial
Looking…Rounder: Arial was drawn with softer, fuller curves
Helvetica
Looking…More angular
The capital i and the small L9
Arial
Looking…Hard to tell apart
Helvetica
Looking…Hard to tell apart too
04 / Which to use
Arial or Helvetica: which should you use?
- A document other people will open
Arial. Windows, macOS and iOS all come with it; Windows has no Helvetica, and Chrome there shows Arial where a page asks for it.3,4,10
- A brand, a poster or print
Helvetica, if you want its flat stroke ends and tight, dense colour: license the styles you use from Monotype.2,6
- A website
Neither file may be served without a web licence.
font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serifshows each visitor their own copy; or serve Arimo, free, with the same widths.7,10 - An app for iPhone or Mac
Neither: Apple’s own system font is SF Pro. See SF Pro vs Helvetica.11
05 / Free instead
Free fonts instead of Arial and Helvetica
Helvetica is not measured here, so our data ranks no font against it: the fonts named for it are picks, for the reasons given.
06 / Questions
Arial vs Helvetica: questions people ask
Is Arial the same as Helvetica?
No. Arial has Helvetica’s widths, so text sets to the same length, but its letters follow Monotype’s own Grotesque: stroke ends cut at an angle, no spur on the G and a slanting leg on the R.1,2
Why was Arial made?
To stand in for Helvetica. Monotype drew it in 1982 for IBM’s laser printers, to Helvetica’s widths, and Microsoft put it in Windows 3.1 in 1992 as an alternative to Helvetica. The type designer Mark Simonson put it more bluntly: it was born of the wish to avoid paying licence fees.1,12
Is Helvetica free?
No. Monotype holds the rights and sells it style by style, with separate licences for desktop and web use. Macs and iPhones come with it, for use on them. Arimo is a free font with the same widths.2,6,7
Does Windows have Helvetica?
No: Windows comes with Arial instead. When a page or document asks for Helvetica on Windows, Chrome and other browsers built on Chromium show Arial in its place, because they treat the two names as one when a font is missing.3,10
Can I use Helvetica in Word, Google Docs or Canva?
In Word on a Mac, yes: macOS comes with Helvetica. Windows doesn’t. Google Docs adds fonts from the Google Fonts library, which has no Helvetica but has Arimo. Canva Pro lets you upload a font file, if your licence allows it.4,3,13,14
Sources
- 1Wikipedia: Arial
- 2Wikipedia: Helvetica
- 3Microsoft: Windows 11 font list
- 4Apple: Fonts included with macOS Sequoia
- 5Apple Developer: System fonts
- 6MyFonts: Helvetica (not linked: the page sells or hands out the font)
- 7Google Fonts: Arimo
- 8FontKind: How we measure
- 9Wikipedia: Calibri
- 10Chromium source: alternate font family names
- 11Apple Developer: Fonts (not linked: the page sells or hands out the font)
- 12Mark Simonson: The Scourge of Arial (2001)
- 13Google Fonts: Adding fonts to Google Docs and Slides
- 14Canva Help: Upload and use Brand Kit fonts
Updated 1 October 2026. Arial and Helvetica are trademarks of their owners, named here only to say which fonts the page compares. FontKind is not affiliated with them: this is an independent comparison.