10 Free Fonts That Will Transform Your Website
They say you get what you pay for but that’s not always true–especially when it comes to fonts. Some of my favorite fonts in the world are free. In fact, two out of the three fonts I use on my website are free. So before you go running off to throw your money at the priciest font foundry you can find, take a look at these quality freebies.
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Cormorant
Cormorant is my favorite font of all time. It’s a delicate serif that evokes a sense of timeless elegance. It’s perfect for adding a classic touch to modern website design. To me, it brings to mind images of an English country estate or old lace. Fun fact: it’s named after an aquatic bird.
Cormorant is best used as a header font paired with an equally delicate sans-serif. (It’s not so easy on the eyes when used as a body font.) Plus, using it as a body font would be a waste because, at a smaller size, you would lose the ability to perceive the fine detailing that makes it so compelling.
Cormorant Light Italic (header) paired with Quasimoda Light.
Similar fonts: Cormorant Garamond, Cormorant Infant, Cormorant SC, Cormorant Upright, Cormorant Unicase, Nanum Myeongjo
Pairs well with: Quasimoda*, Quicksand, Lato
You can see how I pair Cormorant with Quasimoda for a Squarespace design here.
Nanum Myeongjo
Nanum Myeongjo is another delicate serif font that’s somewhat similar to Cormorant, though it has a bit more of a modern edge. It was originally designed for Hangul (the Korean alphabet) but also supports Latin text. Like Cormorant, Nanu Myeongjo is best used as a header font. It pairs well with delicate sans-serif fonts.
Nanum Myeongjo Regular (header) paired with Nanum Gothic Regular.
Similar fonts: Cormorant, Cormorant Garamond, Cormorant Infant, Cormorant Upright
Pairs well with: Nanum Gothic, Roboto, Open Sans, Gothic A1, Quasimoda*, Quicksand
Montserrat
Montserrat is a bold, modern sans-serif font that was inspired by “the old posters and signs in the traditional Montserrat neighborhood of Buenos Aires.” One of the reasons why I love this font so much (and why you’ve probably seen it on every “best fonts” list ever) is because it’s so versatile. It goes with practically everything, even other sans-serif fonts.
Montserrat can be used in any part of your design but I think it works best as a pre-header in all caps. It also works well as a body font.
Montserrat Regular (pre-header) paired with Playfair Display Regular (header) and Raleway Extra Light.
Similar fonts: Proxima Nova, Armitage*
Pairs well with: Oswald, Bebas Neue, Playfair Display, Abril Fatface
Libre Baskerville
Libre Baskerville is a sturdy serif with a hint of old-world charm. It brings to mind images of a dusty library or the foggy streets of Victorian London.
It was designed specifically to be used as a body font. In general, Serif fonts are easier on the eyes than sans-serif fonts and thus make better body fonts (though, of course, there are many exceptions). There are a few serifs that stand above the rest and this is one of them. Eminently readable, Libre Baskerville is ideal for blogs and others with text-heavy websites.
Libre Baskerville used as both header and body font.
Similar fonts: Adobe Devanagari (the body font on this website), Baskerville URW
Pairs well with: Montserrat, Roboto, Lato, Raleway
Tajawal
Tajawal is a really unique sans-serif font. It has a rounded appearance with sharp geometric points on the stems of certain letters. It was designed for Arabic and Latin use. Tajawal is versatile and can be used in any way you can imagine. It’s lovely and quite readable as a body font and it has enough interesting details to be used as a header font.
Bebas Neue Bold (header) paired with Tajawal Regular.
Similar fonts: Texta Narrow*, Brandon Grotesque*, NuOrder
Pairs well with: Oswald, Bebas Neue, Montserrat, Open Sans, Roboto, Lato
EB Garamond
Closely based on Claude Garamond’s famous humanist typefaces of the mid-16th century, EB Garamond evokes the time in which its namesake lived. It can work as a body font but I think a larger size shows it off better and prefer using it in headers.
EB Garamond 08 Regular (header) paired with Lato Regular.
Similar fonts: Garamond Oldstyle FS, Libre Baskerville
Pairs well with: Montserrat, Roboto, Lato
Tenor Sans
Tenor Sans was designed to be used as a body font but I think it works much better for headers and pre-headers. I particularly like using it in all caps with the letters spaced out a bit for pre-headers. It has a lovely fluidity that sets it apart from other sans-serif fonts.
Tenor Sans Regular (pre-header) paired with Cormorant Regular Italic (header) and Quasimoda Light.
Similar fonts: Contax Sans, Versailles*
Pairs well with: Libre Baskerville, Cormorant, EB Garamond
Geometria Light*
Geometria Light is a classy sans-serif that elevates any modern website design. The Geometria font family costs a bundle but Geometria Light is free! And that’s great because Light is my favorite weight to use as a body font.
Source Serif Pro Extra Light Italic (header) paired with Geometria Light.
Similar fonts: General*, Gentleman*
Pairs well with: Source Serif Pro, Cormorant, Nanum Myeongjo
You can see how I pair Geometria Light with Source Serif Pro for a Squarespace design here.
Playfair Display
Playfair Display adds flair and style to any header. It’s loud and feminine with a bold elegance that always makes it stand out. It pairs well with most sans-serif fonts.
Playfair Display Regular Italic (header) paired with Montserrat Regular.
Similar fonts: Acta Display*, Frutiger Serif*
Pairs well with: Montserrat, Roboto, Lato, Raleway
Abril Fatface
Abril Fatface is an extra bold typeface that grabs attention like few other fonts when used as a header. It looks gorgeous when overlaid on top of images and won’t get drowned out by background noise because it’s so bold.
Abril Fatface (header) paired with Raleway Regular.
Similar fonts: Mastadoni*, URW Antiqua*
Pairs well with: Roboto, Raleway, Open Sans
Which font on the list is your favorite?
