Beautiful Font Alternatives to TheSans

Creative Market Last updated: June 3, 2024 · 4 min read

TheSans, sometimes written as The Sans, has been in use since 1994. It was created by Lucas de Groot as part of a project called Thesis. Thesis comprises three fonts: TheSans, The Serif, and The Mix. The project was aimed at providing fonts acceptable for corporate use while being different from the limited options available.

Thesis is an important point in the history of fonts and typography because it was the first “superfamily” of font styles. In other words, it collected several different yet similar font types under one umbrella. Fonts similar to each other are useful in graphic design, print design, web design, and other applications to create interest while maintaining a cohesive look.

TheSans is a popular sans serif font for body text and headers because it’s easy to read yet echoes the styling of writing with a ballpoint pen. The designers wanted it to have a forward flow, which helps pull the eye and keeps the reader engaged. It has a friendly appearance that provides more warmth than some alternatives while maintaining excellent legibility.

TheSans is also one of many “Low Contrast” typefaces. This means that there is very little difference between the thin strokes and the thick strokes in each letter. There are eight different weights to TheSans, and there have been a few different versions over the years. Most have the same look and only differ in weight and boldness.

What does Sans mean? Sans is short for “sans serif font” and means each letter is smooth, without the serifs: the tiny decorative strokes at the end of letters. Other fonts that are sans serif include Open Sans, Futura, and Helvetica. Using an Open Sans-style font increases the accessibility and readability of documents and web pages. Overly decorative characters can be tricky for some people to read, so a sans serif font is a great alternative to ensure a larger readership.

10 Sans Serif Fonts Similar to The Sans

There are many other fonts similar to TheSans, allowing writers, those in graphic design, and other creative types plenty of choice. These fonts are similar to TheSans and Open Sans, ideal for pairing fonts and other techniques employed by the graphic designer. See which of these TheSans alternatives you like best.

Ways

Ways is another sans serif font like TheSans or Open Sans that’s warm and easy to read while retaining a touch of smart elegance. The font creator promises versatility via 690 individual glyphs, Latin and Cyrillic alphabet support, plus 5 weights and styles. There’s also a range of Ways icons. The Ways creators have added additional white space to make the text more readable than similar fonts, for example, Proxima Nova. Ways is ideal for text that appears on digital screens or in print, and comes in Light, Regular, Regular Bold, Italic, and more. Why is it called Ways? Because it’s designed for navigation signage that’s easy to read in an instant.

Starting at$19

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Kita

Kita is inspired by typefaces like Helvetica and is designed to be legible either at a distance or close up. Its humanist stylings make it slightly playful while never detracting from the message the words intend to convey. Similar to Frutiger in feel, Kita has a nice balance and is perfect for both headlines and main body typing, making it another versatile TheSans or Open Sans alternative. There are six versions of Kita available to purchase, each with around 620 characters. Kita supports 90 languages, making it ideal for multinational, modern organizations.

Starting at$13

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Bluto

Remember Bluto from Popeye? He was always bold and never minimalist, and the font that takes his name is just the same. This typeface is packed with personality, ideal for websites that want to attract attention and do it in style. There are 10 style sets altogether, including medium and heavy, which not all sans serif font types include. Bluto combines geometric-gothic elements with humanist styling for a unique font family. The creator refers to the heaviest versions as “Beefy,” giving a sense of the impact possible with this font.

Starting at$12

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Agile Sans

Described as “Humanist sans with geometric roots,” Agile Sans is a font that combines modern and classic vibes effortlessly. This font comes in nine different weights, from thin to medium to bold, allowing typesetters and designers to adapt their style according to their needs. Agile Sans also has true italics, meaning italics that maintain readability without distorting the letters, even in digital formats. Agile also offers small caps, aka uppercase letters, the same height as a standard lowercase letter. In conclusion, this is a versatile font whether you’re creating Adobe PDFs, websites, or similar projects.

Starting at$25

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Genius

Clean lines and a geometric look make Genius a great sans serif font for a variety of uses. It’s very easy to read, and those with sharp eyes will notice clever details like the simple curve on the “u” and the “n” glyphs. This removal of the extra “pegs” on these letters makes this font almost more sans than any others. There are numerous weights ranging from ultra-thin through medium/regular to black, a heavy-set version of the font. The creator states that it’s a modern font for design geniuses, and with the inherent simplicity, it’s hard to argue with that.

Starting at$19

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Unita

Unita harks back to the sans serif text of the 19th century, originally called Grotesk fonts. This modern font family offers 12 fonts in total, with the creator providing a handy discount for anyone wanting them all. You can download Unita light, medium, bold, or extra bold as separate fonts or as a family. The designer notes that the extra bold fonts have oblique italics rather than true italics due to design constraints. The diversity in weights makes this font excellent for brand design and striking web pages.

Starting at$39.50

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Hedley New

Hedley New is a contemporary font similar to Unita in some respects but with more white space and pronounced gaps in characters. The designer offers the font as an OFT download including small capitals and old-style numerals. Available in medium, regular, italic, and more, this font is a reworking of the original Hedley. It’s very similar in many ways but the designer has taken care to increase space and remake the kerning more balanced for enhanced readability.

Starting at$25

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Taxon

Taxon is a great example of how a font can be similar to another yet have its own unique personality. Slightly compressed “a” characters and uneven “x” characters emphasize the humanist qualities of this font, making it somewhat similar to TheSans. Yet the overall look of the typeface is fresh and modern, with an elegance that’s similar to Antiqua and Grotesk styles. Taxon is a family of 12 fonts overall, each arriving in the OpenType (OTF) format.

Starting at$49

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PT Sans Pro

If you’re looking for a font similar to TheSans or Open Sans, PT Sans Pro is a great option. It’s highly humanist, expressing warmth and clarity from the page or screen. There are an impressive 32 different versions of this font, making it ideal for designers who want variety combined with consistency. PT Sans Pro boasts true italics, small caps, condensed style options, and a staggering 1,400 characters per font. Similar to TheSans in that it’s highly readable and friendly, it still retains its own personality and a slightly more conservative feel. Designers should know that they get both Latin and Cyrillic characters when they invest in this font.

Starting at$50

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Transat Text

Transat Text is a “sibling” to the slightly art deco-styled Transat, but with some somewhat taller characters to increase readability. It’s similar to TheSans in that it’s a well-balanced, sans serif font. However, it carries a lot more space within the glyphs and has a more geometric look. The Transat Text font family has five weights, optically corrected obliques (not true italics), and several extras such as fractions and old-style figures.

Starting at$29

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use TheSans font alternatives from Creative Market in Word?

Yes, downloading a font from Creative Market makes it available on your desired platform, whether that’s Word, Google Docs, or another tool. To check if the font type will work on your browser, look for the font file type. Generally, .OTF files offer the best compatibility with desktop software.

Are all sans serif font typefaces the same?

No, there are many different sans serif font types for various applications. Open Sans from Google Fonts is totally different from Helvetica, for example. The J character in Open Sans falls under the baseline and it does not in the Helvetica font. Likewise, the tails of the Qs look different. You’ll find that “humanist” fonts like Open Sans, TheSans, and fonts similar to those will have more similarities than those that are more formal. Humanist means the text has influences of hand-written text.

Is TheSans a new font type?

No, TheSans is part of the Thesis project conceived by Lucas de Groot in 1994. This was an important step forward in typography because it heralded the creation of the superfamily of fonts.

Why is TheSans so useful?

TheSans is a font focused on legibility and readability while maintaining a professional air for corporate documents and web design. Other fonts in the same family follow a similar ethos with slight differences, making the whole family adaptable for different purposes.

Is a sans serif font suitable for official documents?

Yes, in fact, sans serif text can be easier to read for some people, making it ideal for documents that must be clearly understood. Using modern fonts similar to TheSans, Helvetica, Open Sans, etc., can help improve the readability of print and web pages.

What are sans serif font types useful for?

These fonts have a range of design applications and are ideal for branding and promoting simplicity. Look for fonts similar to TheSans if you want to make your work more accessible.