Best Places to Download Free Fonts in 2026

Best Places to Download Free Fonts in 2026

Free fonts are everywhere in 2026. The real challenge is finding fonts that are (1) genuinely usable for your project, (2) easy to evaluate quickly, and (3) licensed clearly enough that you can ship client work without second-guessing yourself.

Below are the best places to download free fonts right now, starting with the option that makes choosing and comparing fonts dramatically faster.

Quick license checklist (read this before you download)

Even “free” fonts still have licenses, and the license is what decides whether you can use a font commercially.

A fast, practical rule:

• Best for commercial use: Open source licenses like SIL Open Font License (OFL) and Apache 2.0, plus true public domain/CC0.

• Be careful: “Free for personal use” usually does not cover brand logos, ads, product packaging, or client projects.

• Always: Open the license file or the foundry’s terms before using a font in paid work.

1) FindFont.co (best for actually choosing the right font fast)

If you are tired of downloading zip files just to “see how it feels,” start here. FindFont.co is built around decision-making: compare, test, shortlist, then download what you love.

Why it’s great

• Font Comparison Tool. compare up to 10 fonts side by side in one view.

• Upload and preview local fonts (TTF/OTF/WOFF/WOFF2) in-browser, so you can compare a premium font you already own against free alternatives without installing anything.

• Saves hours when you are pairing fonts for brand systems, landing pages, pitch decks, or product UI.

• Best Design

• Free Mockup Generator

Best for

• Brand designers, founders, and marketers who need to move fast

• Choosing font pairings and narrowing down “final 3” options quickly

Pro tip

• Start with 2–3 candidate styles (grotesk, humanist, serif) and compare them with your real headline + body copy, not lorem ipsum.

2) Google Fonts (best all-around open source library)

Google Fonts remains the most convenient “default” for web typography: huge selection, fast filtering, and easy integration.

Why it’s great

• Fonts are released under open source licenses and can be used in commercial projects.

• Clear licensing culture and strong ecosystem support.

Best for

• Websites, apps, UI systems, and content brands

• Teams that want reliable, low-friction font sourcing

License note

• Many families use OFL, some use Apache 2.0 or other licenses, so still check per font.

3) GitHub (google/fonts) (best for developers who want the “source of truth”)

If you want a practical workflow for product teams, the google/fonts repository is extremely useful: license files live alongside font families, and it is designed for clear redistribution practices.

Best for

• Building a design system or bundling fonts into an app repo

• Automated checks, versioning, and consistent licensing review

4) Fontshare by Indian Type Foundry (best “premium-feel” free fonts)

Fontshare is known for modern, professional families that feel like paid typography.

Why it’s great

• A free fonts service from Indian Type Foundry (ITF).

• Positioned around high-quality releases rather than random dumps.

• Fontshare states its fonts are free for personal and commercial use (check the specific license type per family).

Best for

• Startup branding, landing pages, lookbooks, social creatives

• Contemporary grotesks and sharp editorial styles

5) Font Squirrel (best for commercial-use safety)

Font Squirrel is popular for one simple reason: it’s focused on legitimately free fonts, and it repeatedly pushes users to read the license before shipping work.

Why it’s great

• Strong emphasis on commercial-use-friendly finds.

Best for

• Client projects when you want fewer licensing surprises

• Designers who want a curated list, not infinite scrolling

6) Adobe Fonts (Free library) (best if you want polished fonts with simple licensing)

Adobe Fonts is not only for paid Creative Cloud users anymore. Adobe documents a Free access level with a basic library of roughly 5,500 fonts.

Why it’s great

• Adobe positions licensing as simplified and usable for personal and commercial projects.

• Easy workflow if you already live in Adobe apps.

Best for

• Designers who want “ready-to-use” type families quickly

• Brand work, editorial layouts, and marketing design

Note

• Access level and activation can depend on account/subscription tier, so confirm what you can activate and where you can use it.

7) Open Foundry (best curated open source typography)

Open Foundry is a curated showcase of open source typefaces, with a focus on craft and personality.

Why it’s great

• Known as a curated source for open source typefaces.

Best for

• Editorial, cultural, and brand identities that want character

• Designers bored of the same default picks

8) The League of Moveable Type (best “classic” open source foundry)

One of the most respected names in open source type.

Why it’s great

• Fonts are free and open source, and the site notes commercial use under the Open Font License.

Best for

• Designers who want proven open source families with history

9) Velvetyne (best experimental, art-forward libre fonts)

Velvetyne is a Paris-based collective known for libre and open source fonts with a lot of attitude.

Why it’s great

• Focused on libre fonts and open distribution culture.

Best for

• Posters, fashion/editorial graphics, album covers, conceptual branding

10) Font Library (fontlibrary.org) (best for libre webfont embedding)

Font Library is built around libre/open fonts and web usage.

Why it’s great

• Clear “libre/open fonts” philosophy and webfont support.

Best for

• Web projects where you want libre fonts with a clear community-first approach

11) SIL Fonts (best for serious language coverage)

SIL produces highly respected typefaces designed for broad script coverage and readability.

Why it’s great

• SIL’s font library includes well-known families designed for comprehensive character sets.

Best for

• Multi-language products, publishing, accessibility-focused typography

Places you can use, but only with extra caution

Some big “free font” sites mix truly free fonts with personal-use-only demo fonts. If you use these, make “license check” a required step.

1001Fonts

1001Fonts has a clear license type called “Free For Personal Use,” and it explicitly restricts commercial usage without permission.
Use it for inspiration, but do not assume a font is OK for client work unless it is marked free for commercial use and the license confirms it.