Cabin, designed by Pablo Impallari, is a humanist sans serif available through Google Fonts. It blends modern proportions with subtle old-style touches, making it approachable yet professional. With its versatility across weights and italics, Cabin works well for web content, branding, editorial design, and UI.
You might look for alternatives if you need a wider range of optical sizes, slightly different character detailing, or premium options for large-scale branding.
Here’s our curated list of 7 typefaces similar to Cabin, including both premium and free choices.
Visual Comparison
Sample Text: The Quick Brown Fox Jumps Over The Lazy Dog
| Font | Preview |
|---|---|
| Cabin | Image preview here |
| FF Meta | Image preview here |
| Myriad Pro | Image preview here |
| Frutiger | Image preview here |
| Source Sans 3 | Image preview here |
| Lato | Image preview here |
| Open Sans | Image preview here |
| Work Sans | Image preview here |
Premium Alternatives
1. FF Meta (Erik Spiekermann)
- Style: Humanist Sans-serif
- Why It’s Similar: Shares Cabin’s humanist curves and friendly openness.
- Key Difference: More distinctive stroke modulation and angled terminals.
- Price & Availability: Paid — FontFont.
2. Myriad Pro (Robert Slimbach & Carol Twombly)
- Style: Humanist Sans-serif
- Why It’s Similar: Neutral yet warm letterforms, similar proportions to Cabin.
- Key Difference: Slightly more refined details, widely recognized corporate use.
- Price & Availability: Paid — Adobe Fonts.
3. Frutiger (Adrian Frutiger)
- Style: Humanist Sans-serif
- Why It’s Similar: Strong legibility and humanist structure similar to Cabin’s readability goals.
- Key Difference: More signage-optimized proportions.
- Price & Availability: Paid — Linotype.
4. Source Sans 3 (Frank Grießhammer)
- Style: Humanist Sans-serif
- Why It’s Similar: Shares Cabin’s approachable proportions with a professional edge.
- Key Difference: Offers optical sizes and variable font versions.
- Price & Availability: Paid (Adobe Fonts) & Free via open-source license.
Free Alternatives
5. Lato (Łukasz Dziedzic)
- Style: Humanist Sans-serif
- Why It’s Similar: Similar openness and humanist curves to Cabin.
- Key Difference: Slightly rounder letter shapes and softer terminals.
- Price & Availability: Free — Google Fonts.
6. Open Sans (Steve Matteson)
- Style: Humanist Sans-serif
- Why It’s Similar: Neutral and web-optimized like Cabin.
- Key Difference: Wider apertures and more generous letter spacing.
- Price & Availability: Free — Google Fonts.
7. Work Sans (Wei Huang)
- Style: Grotesque Sans-serif with Humanist Influence
- Why It’s Similar: Combines clean grotesque structure with approachable curves.
- Key Difference: Taller x-height and optimized for screen legibility.
- Price & Availability: Free — Google Fonts.
Recommendation Summary Table
| Font Name | Similarity Score (1–5) | Free/Paid | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| FF Meta | ★★★★★ | Paid | Branding and corporate identity |
| Myriad Pro | ★★★★★ | Paid | Professional and editorial use |
| Frutiger | ★★★★☆ | Paid | Signage and wayfinding |
| Source Sans 3 | ★★★★☆ | Paid/Free | UI and multi-platform projects |
| Lato | ★★★★☆ | Free | Web and digital interfaces |
| Open Sans | ★★★★☆ | Free | Neutral UI text |
| Work Sans | ★★★☆☆ | Free | Digital-first projects |
Conclusion
For premium replacements, FF Meta and Myriad Pro provide excellent humanist warmth with professional polish.
For free and web-friendly options, Lato and Work Sans deliver clean, accessible typography.
Typeface Similar to Font 