Free open-source alternative to Tahoma

Matthew Carter's 1994 screen sans, Verdana's narrower sibling and a long-time Windows interface font.

Recommended replacement

DejaVu Sans

Sans-serifBitstream Vera Licensefree for commercial use

DejaVu Sans shares Tahoma's large x-height and open shapes; it is wider, so text runs longer.

Tahoma proprietary

Not installed on this device

Tahoma is a commercial sans-serif font by Microsoft, so we can't load it here. The sample only renders when the font is installed locally.

DejaVu Sans open source

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789

More open-source alternatives to Tahoma

Ranked by visual and metric similarity.

#1
66% match
Poor match Perfect match
Metrics: 69% Visual: 64% SIL Open Font License
Tahoma

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789

Noto Sans Elbasan

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789

#2

Noto Sans Old Hungarian

63% match
Poor match Perfect match
Metrics: 62% Visual: 64% SIL Open Font License
Tahoma

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789

Noto Sans Old Hungarian

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789

#3
63% match
Poor match Perfect match
Metrics: 62% Visual: 64% SIL Open Font License
Tahoma

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789

Noto Sans Mandaic

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789

#4

Noto Sans Syriac Western

62% match
Poor match Perfect match
Metrics: 65% Visual: 60% SIL Open Font License
Tahoma

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789

Noto Sans Syriac Western

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789

#5

Noto Sans Syriac Eastern

61% match
Poor match Perfect match
Metrics: 63% Visual: 60% SIL Open Font License
Tahoma

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789

Noto Sans Syriac Eastern

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789

Poor match Perfect match
Metrics: 67% Visual: 57% SIL Open Font License
Tahoma

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789

Varela

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789

#7

Noto Sans Warang Citi

60% match
Poor match Perfect match
Metrics: 59% Visual: 61% SIL Open Font License
Tahoma

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789

Noto Sans Warang Citi

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789

#8
60% match
Poor match Perfect match
Metrics: 56% Visual: 63% SIL Open Font License
Tahoma

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789

Noto Sans Takri

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789

#9
60% match
Poor match Perfect match
Metrics: 54% Visual: 64% SIL Open Font License
Tahoma

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789

Noto Sans Mahajani

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789

#10
60% match
Poor match Perfect match
Metrics: 54% Visual: 64% SIL Open Font License
Tahoma

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789

Noto Sans Modi

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a free alternative to Tahoma?

DejaVu Sans is the best free, open-source alternative to Tahoma. It is released under the Bitstream Vera License, so you can use it in personal and commercial projects without paying a license fee.

Is Tahoma free to use?

No. Tahoma is a proprietary sans-serif font by Microsoft that requires a commercial license. You can use DejaVu Sans instead at no cost.

Can I use DejaVu Sans instead of Tahoma?

Yes, for most uses. DejaVu Sans has a similar look, but its character widths differ from Tahoma, so text can reflow slightly. Check line breaks and spacing after switching.