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Proxima Nova Font

The friendly geometric-grotesque that took over the web

Mark Simonson · Geometric grotesque sans serif · 2005 · × Paid license (also in Adobe Fonts)

Download Free Alternative

Montserrat · closest free match to Proxima Nova

Proxima Nova font poster: bold Proxima Nova headline on a coral and white modern layoutProxima Nova style type on a laptop analytics dashboard and a phone app screenProxima Nova style character set: uppercase and lowercase alphabet, numbers and symbols

Illustrations of the Proxima Nova style made for DaFontFonts. Letterforms are approximate; check the official specimen before you buy.

Download Proxima Nova

License:
Paid license (also in Adobe Fonts)
Font Type:
Paid
Download:
Free alternative: Montserrat (OFL-1.1)
Format:
TTF
Total Files:
18 styles + licence
Download Free Alternative

Proxima Nova itself is not free to download. This button gives you Montserrat, the closest free match, licensed for commercial use. Buy Proxima Nova from Mark Simonson

About Proxima Nova

Proxima Nova is Mark Simonson's 2005 expansion of Proxima Sans, a typeface he first drew in 1994. It combines the clean shapes of a geometric sans like Futura with the more practical proportions of a grotesque, giving it a large x-height, open apertures and a friendly but businesslike tone. The full family covers eight weights in three widths, each with italics.

When web fonts took off around 2010, Proxima Nova became one of the most used typefaces on the internet, showing up on startup homepages, news sites and app interfaces. Its clarity at small sizes and confident bold weights make it equally good for body text, buttons and headlines, which is why so many brand systems were built around it.

Where Proxima Nova works best

  • Websites and web apps
  • Startup and tech branding
  • UI and product design
  • Marketing and presentations

Free alternatives to Proxima Nova

Open-licence fonts with a comparable feel, every one verified free for commercial use and downloadable from DaFontFonts.

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog
Montserrat Sans Serif · 18 styles · variable ✓ OFL

Montserrat is the standard free stand-in: similar x-height, similar geometric-grotesque blend, and a huge weight range. It is slightly wider and more geometric, so headlines feel a little rounder than Proxima Nova's.

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog
Mulish Sans Serif · 16 styles · variable ✓ OFL

Mulish (formerly Muli) matches Proxima Nova's minimalist skeleton and open apertures at text sizes, with a softer, slightly narrower body. It is one of the better swaps for paragraph copy rather than display.

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog
Figtree Sans Serif · 14 styles · variable ✓ OFL

Figtree hits the same friendly-professional register with a tall x-height, short descenders, and clean geometric curves. Its terminals are a touch more clipped, giving it a slightly more contemporary look.

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog
Hanken Grotesk Sans Serif · 18 styles · variable ✓ OFL

Hanken Grotesk shares the rounded grotesque warmth and evenly balanced weights, and it holds up well in long text where Proxima Nova is often used. Its lowercase g and tighter spacing are the main visible departures.

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog
Lato Sans Serif · 10 styles ✓ OFL

Lato covers the same corporate-but-warm territory with semi-rounded details and a large family of weights. It has more humanist stroke modulation than Proxima Nova, so it reads as slightly softer and more traditional.

Compare all Proxima Nova alternatives

Proxima Nova is a trademark of its owner. DaFontFonts does not host or distribute the Proxima Nova font files; download and licence links go to the official source.

Questions

Is Proxima Nova free?

No. Proxima Nova is a paid font from Mark Simonson Studio. Creative Cloud subscribers can use it through Adobe Fonts, but there is no free version to download or self-host.

What is the closest free font to Proxima Nova?

Montserrat and Figtree are the closest free alternatives, with similar geometric shapes and a large x-height. Mulish works well for body text.

Can I use Proxima Nova from Adobe Fonts commercially?

Yes, while your Creative Cloud subscription is active, Adobe Fonts allows commercial use in designs and on websites through Adobe's web projects. You cannot download and self-host the files.

Who designed Proxima Nova?

Mark Simonson designed Proxima Nova, released in 2005 as an expanded version of his 1994 Proxima Sans.

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