![](https://chord-public.s3.amazonaws.com/python-blobs/4f0997bf815c6ac3a26f3dd959e15ade0e939f2dae2d46a2965f3a178d7e6b6a.jpeg)
February 25, 2023
best fonts for coding
Words
795
Time
1m 23s
Contributors
601
Words read
27.9k
Have an opinion? Send us proposed edits/additions and we may incorporate them into this article with credit.
Fira Code
Source Code Pro
JetBrains Mono
Iosevka
Cascadia Code
All answers
Monospaced vs Proportional
Character Coverage
Distribution
Character Variants and Default Options
Character Size and Weight
Jump to top
Research
Source: "Coding Font – A game to find your favorite codi..." (from reddit, r/programming)
-
Fira Code
- Has ligatures to help distinguish between multi-character operators
- Combines two characters into one symbol which can help with readability
- It is a single character visually, but it still takes up two character spaces
-
Fira Mono
- Does not have ligatures
- Uses the same font as Fira Code but without ligatures
-
ASCII
- Uses plain, non-fancy, mono spaced font
- Simple and not as flexible as other fonts
- Good enough for programming language perspective
Source: "What font for programming do you use and why?" (from reddit, r/emacs)
-
Menlo
- macOS default
-
Source Code Pro
- Adobe free
-
Monaco
- Former macOS default
-
Fira Code
- Ligatures
- Formerly lacked italics or bold, but now multiple fonts can be used conditionally
-
Dejavu Sans Mono
- Old but good
-
Hack
- Improved version of Dejavu Sans Mono
- Amazing UTF space coverage
-
Iosevka
- Looks awesome
- CJK variant, Sarasa Gothic
- Inconsolata
- IBM Plex Mono
- Terminus
-
Latin Modern Mono
- Capable of display almost every latin script
- Tall font
- Roman for constancy
- Source Code Pro
- DejaVu Sans Mono
- Consolas
- Courier New
-
Monoid
- Optimized for screen space saving and programming
- Roboto Mono
- Fantasque Sans Mono
-
Victor Mono
- Reasons listed on the website
-
Lucinda Console
- Equal spacing of characters for better column alignment
- Droid Sans Mono (w/ dotted zero)
- Operator Mono
- Fantasque Sans Mono ss01
- Nerd fonts - Hack
- Liberation (improved fedora project version)
Source: "11 Best Programming Fonts" (from reddit, r/programming)
-
Fira Code
- Supports ligatures
- No italic variant
- No configurable ligatures
- People are either going to love or hate ligatures
-
InputMono
- Easy to read
- Very configurable
- No configurable ligatures
-
Hack
- Clearly distinguishes the letter O and the number zero
- Prevents multiple consecutive underscores from blending together
- Pretty big x-height
- Has a Hack with ligatures version
Source: "The Inter font family now has extra weights and..." (from reddit, r/typography)
-
Inter font family
- Extra weights and a variable version (free/open source)
- Stylistic set 2 allows one to avoid problems of l and I being indistinguishable in isolation
-
Other geometric sans-serif typefaces (Helvetica and the like)
- I’s and l’s look alike but that’s part of their design DNA
- Option to make them different if needed
-
Monospace version of Inter font
- Interesting project for a type designer in need of practice
-
Other fonts
- Flip clock-style font
Source: "Comparing Popular Monospace Fonts: Consolas, Ro..." (from reddit, r/programming)
-
IBM Plex Mono
- Old and nostalgic
-
FixedSys Excelsior
- Up to 1080p
-
Consolas
- Above 1080p
-
Inconsolata
- Above 1080p
-
Roboto Mono
- Above 1080p
-
Cascadia Code PL
- Preferred for ligatures and power line
-
Monaco
- Font nerd favorite
-
Input
- Choose unambiguous glyphs
💭 Looking into
What are the most popular coding fonts?
💭 Looking into
What technical features are important for coding fonts?
💭 Looking into
Does Fira Code support Multiple Weights?
💭 Looking into
What is the character width of Inter?
💭 Looking into
What type of font is Cascadia?
💭 Looking into
What platforms does Consolas support?
💭 Looking into
What technical specifications are supported by Menlo?
Source: "15 Best Programming Fonts for Better Coding - K..." (from web, kinsta.com)
-
Fira Code
- Combines frequently used multi-symbol sequences into one
- Character variants available to fine-tune
- Supported by most browsers
-
Proggy Fonts
- Simple but effective look
- Optimized symbols and characters
- Several variations available
-
DejaVu Sans Mono
- Designed to cover the Unicode character set in its entirety
- Readable and distinguished characters
- Bundled with many operating systems
-
Source Code Pro
- Optimized symbols, dotted zero, modified “i”, “j”, and “l”
- Multiple weights available
- Proportional font with monospaced version available
-
Dina
- Clear and cleanly-designed font
- Bold version available
-
Terminus
- Designed for long days in programming terminal
- Bitmap font and TTF version available
-
Input
- 168 styles available
- Versatile font with character defaults customizable
-
Hack
- Bold, italic, and both combined available
- Powerline support
- Carefully designed characters
-
Cascadia Code
- Default font for Windows Terminal and Visual Studio
- Ligatures, both functional and stylistic
-
JetBrains Mono
- Optimized for reading large volumes of code
- 140 code ligatures
- Support for 145 languages
-
Anonymous Pro
- Remastered from original
- 4 fixed-width typefaces
- Open Font License
-
Monolisa
- Optimized to reduce fatigue
- Powerline symbols, 200+ language support, and several ligatures
-
Gintronic
- Readable and beautiful
- 6 styles with an italic set for each
-
Dank Mono
- Designed for high-resolution displays
-
PragmataPro
- Optimized for small screen sizes
- No interline spacing
- Ligatures for any programming language
Source: "Best Coding Fonts - ActiveState" (from web, www.activestate.com)
-
DejaVu Sans Mono
- Renders consistently on Linux
- Makes editor feel slightly “playful”
- Part of the DejaVu Fonts project
-
Source Code Pro
- Works better on OSX
- Makes editor feel slightly “playful”
- Created specifically for programmers
-
Monaco
- Used to be the default Monospace font for OSX
- “Too” playful for some users
-
Droid Sans Mono
- Walks the line between playful and professional
- Part of the Droid Fonts project
-
Ubuntu Sans Mono
- Feels more condensed
- Feels more appropriate for logo’s than code
-
M+
- Several variations that slightly alter the font
- Clean and stylish, but a little too condensed for some
Source: "6 Best Fonts for Programming and Coding: Top Mo..." (from web, crocoblock.com)
-
Fira Code
- Contains ligatures that combine certain characters to save space
- Allows users to customize how it is displayed
-
Consolas
- Default font in Notepad since Windows 8
- Has proportions closer to normal text than traditional monospaced fonts
-
Input
- Flexible system of fonts intended for programmers
- Offers up to 168 individual styles
-
DejaVu Sans Mono
- Intended to cover entire Unicode character set
- Provides greater character coverage than many other fonts
- Comes bundled with many operating systems, including Linux
-
JetBrains Mono
- Comes with many space-saving ligatures
- Has 8 different weights and is available in 145 languages
- Increased letter height to reduce length of lines of code
- Oval shapes are slightly more rectangular in appearance
-
MonoLisa
- Wider font than most other monospaced fonts
- Not free, starting at $59.50 for Basic version
Source: "What font do you use and why?" (from reddit, r/vscode)
-
Fira Code
- specifically designed to be “readable and compact”
- works on Windows, Linux, and Mac
-
Source Code Pro
- available on Google Fonts
-
JetBrains Mono
- specifically designed for coding
- Light and ExtraLight weights available
-
Iosevka
- “strikes the perfect balance between readability and compactness”
-
Ubuntu Mono
- same width as Iosevka
-
Cascadia Code
- opensource font by Microsoft
-
JetBrains Mono
- looks taller and thicker in VSCode
-
Panic Sans
- came with Coda
-
Consolas
- specifically designed for coding
-
Atkinson Hyperlegible
- designed for people with dyslexia
-
Dharma Type
- designed for coding
- “user just likes it”
Source: "Best fonts for Coding, Terminal, Reading, Inter..." (from reddit, r/fonts)
-
Menlo and Consolas
- Good for coding in VS Code on Mac and Windows
- Not a good font for reading
-
Cascadia
- Good for anything monospace on Windows
-
Inter
- Good for interfaces and reading
💭 Looking into
What are the best fonts for coding?