# Free alternatives to Px Grotesk

Px Grotesk is a commercial grotesque sans from Optimo (https://www.optimo.ch/typefaces/pxgrotesk). Commercial; licensed from Optimo. The name is used only to identify the typeface; BrandSweets does not host or embed it. Below: the 8 closest free, open-licensed families, ranked by a published deterministic score (https://brandsweets.com/fonts/alternatives/methodology).

## Reference profile

- Slug: `px-grotesk`
- Category: sans · Class: grotesque
- Traits: modern, quirky, technical, monoline
- Roles: heading, display, ui
- Metrics: x-height 0.52, cap height 0.70, normal width, low contrast (approximate, publicly documented)
- Languages: latin, latin-ext · Variable: no
- Page: https://brandsweets.com/fonts/alternatives/px-grotesk

## Score

`score = 0.35·classification + 0.25·metrics + 0.20·traits + 0.10·useCase + 0.05·language + 0.05·variable`; every axis in [0, 1]. A family gate runs first: specialist families (blackletter, script, glyphic, stencil, monospace, pixel) only list same-family fonts; elsewhere a cross-family mismatch is capped at 0.2. Curated picks are listed first, then pure formula; ties break on popularity, then slug.

## Ranked alternatives

### 1. Space Grotesk — 85%

- Slug: `space-grotesk` · sans · OFL-1.1 · Florian Karsten · static
- Page: https://brandsweets.com/fonts/space-grotesk · font.md: https://brandsweets.com/fonts/space-grotesk/font.md
- Classification (×0.35): 1.00 — Same class: grotesque.
- Metrics (×0.25): 0.93 — x-height 0.49 vs 0.52 for Px Grotesk (close); cap height 0.70 vs 0.70 for Px Grotesk (near-identical); both normal width; both low stroke contrast.
- Traits (×0.20): 0.50 — Shares modern, monoline, quirky (3 of 6 traits).
- Role (×0.10): 0.67 — Both suit display, heading; Space Grotesk is not tagged for ui.
- Language (×0.05): 1.00 — Covers all of Px Grotesk's subsets (latin, latin-ext).
- Variable (×0.05): 1.00 — Static instances, like Px Grotesk.
- Family gate: pass — Same family: sans.

### 2. IBM Plex Sans — 85%

- Slug: `ibm-plex-sans` · sans · OFL-1.1 · Mike Abbink, Bold Monday · static
- Page: https://brandsweets.com/fonts/ibm-plex-sans · font.md: https://brandsweets.com/fonts/ibm-plex-sans/font.md
- Classification (×0.35): 1.00 — Same class: grotesque.
- Metrics (×0.25): 0.99 — x-height 0.52 vs 0.52 for Px Grotesk (near-identical); cap height 0.70 vs 0.70 for Px Grotesk (near-identical); both normal width; both low stroke contrast.
- Traits (×0.20): 0.50 — Shares modern, monoline, technical (3 of 6 traits).
- Role (×0.10): 0.50 — Both suit heading, ui; IBM Plex Sans is not tagged for display.
- Language (×0.05): 1.00 — Covers all of Px Grotesk's subsets (latin, latin-ext).
- Variable (×0.05): 1.00 — Static instances, like Px Grotesk.
- Family gate: pass — Same family: sans.

### 3. Barlow — 84%

- Slug: `barlow` · sans · OFL-1.1 · Jeremy Tribby · static
- Page: https://brandsweets.com/fonts/barlow · font.md: https://brandsweets.com/fonts/barlow/font.md
- Classification (×0.35): 1.00 — Same class: grotesque.
- Metrics (×0.25): 0.97 — x-height 0.51 vs 0.52 for Px Grotesk (near-identical); cap height 0.70 vs 0.70 for Px Grotesk (near-identical); both normal width; both low stroke contrast.
- Traits (×0.20): 0.50 — Shares modern, monoline, technical (3 of 6 traits).
- Role (×0.10): 0.50 — Both suit heading, ui; Barlow is not tagged for display.
- Language (×0.05): 1.00 — Covers all of Px Grotesk's subsets (latin, latin-ext).
- Variable (×0.05): 1.00 — Static instances, like Px Grotesk.
- Family gate: pass — Same family: sans.

### 4. Overpass — 83%

- Slug: `overpass` · sans · OFL-1.1 · Delve Withrington, Dave Bailey, Thomas Jockin · static
- Page: https://brandsweets.com/fonts/overpass · font.md: https://brandsweets.com/fonts/overpass/font.md
- Classification (×0.35): 1.00 — Same class: grotesque.
- Metrics (×0.25): 0.98 — x-height 0.51 vs 0.52 for Px Grotesk (near-identical); cap height 0.70 vs 0.70 for Px Grotesk (near-identical); both normal width; both low stroke contrast.
- Traits (×0.20): 0.40 — Shares monoline, technical (2 of 5 traits).
- Role (×0.10): 0.50 — Both suit heading, ui; Overpass is not tagged for display.
- Language (×0.05): 1.00 — Covers all of Px Grotesk's subsets (latin, latin-ext).
- Variable (×0.05): 1.00 — Static instances, like Px Grotesk.
- Family gate: pass — Same family: sans.

### 5. Archivo — 82%

- Slug: `archivo` · sans · OFL-1.1 · Omnibus-Type · static
- Page: https://brandsweets.com/fonts/archivo · font.md: https://brandsweets.com/fonts/archivo/font.md
- Classification (×0.35): 1.00 — Same class: grotesque.
- Metrics (×0.25): 0.95 — x-height 0.53 vs 0.52 for Px Grotesk (near-identical); cap height 0.69 vs 0.70 for Px Grotesk (near-identical); both normal width; both low stroke contrast.
- Traits (×0.20): 0.33 — Shares modern, monoline (2 of 6 traits).
- Role (×0.10): 0.67 — Both suit heading, ui; Archivo is not tagged for display.
- Language (×0.05): 1.00 — Covers all of Px Grotesk's subsets (latin, latin-ext).
- Variable (×0.05): 1.00 — Static instances, like Px Grotesk.
- Family gate: pass — Same family: sans.

### 6. Saira — 82%

- Slug: `saira` · sans · OFL-1.1 · Omnibus-Type · static
- Page: https://brandsweets.com/fonts/saira · font.md: https://brandsweets.com/fonts/saira/font.md
- Classification (×0.35): 1.00 — Same class: grotesque.
- Metrics (×0.25): 0.95 — x-height 0.51 vs 0.52 for Px Grotesk (near-identical); cap height 0.69 vs 0.70 for Px Grotesk (near-identical); both normal width; both low stroke contrast.
- Traits (×0.20): 0.40 — Shares monoline, technical (2 of 5 traits).
- Role (×0.10): 0.50 — Both suit heading, ui; Saira is not tagged for display.
- Language (×0.05): 1.00 — Covers all of Px Grotesk's subsets (latin, latin-ext).
- Variable (×0.05): 1.00 — Static instances, like Px Grotesk.
- Family gate: pass — Same family: sans.

### 7. Hedvig Letters Sans — 79%

- Slug: `hedvig-letters-sans` · sans · OFL-1.1 · static
- Page: https://brandsweets.com/fonts/hedvig-letters-sans · font.md: https://brandsweets.com/fonts/hedvig-letters-sans/font.md
- Classification (×0.35): 1.00 — Same class: grotesque.
- Metrics (×0.25): 1.00 — x-height 0.52 vs 0.52 for Px Grotesk (near-identical); cap height 0.70 vs 0.70 for Px Grotesk (near-identical); both normal width; both low stroke contrast.
- Traits (×0.20): 0.20 — Shares monoline (1 of 5 traits).
- Role (×0.10): 0.50 — Both suit heading, ui; Hedvig Letters Sans is not tagged for display.
- Language (×0.05): 1.00 — Covers all of Px Grotesk's subsets (latin, latin-ext).
- Variable (×0.05): 1.00 — Static instances, like Px Grotesk.
- Family gate: pass — Same family: sans.

### 8. Asap — 79%

- Slug: `asap` · sans · OFL-1.1 · Omnibus-Type · static
- Page: https://brandsweets.com/fonts/asap · font.md: https://brandsweets.com/fonts/asap/font.md
- Classification (×0.35): 1.00 — Same class: grotesque.
- Metrics (×0.25): 0.99 — x-height 0.52 vs 0.52 for Px Grotesk (near-identical); cap height 0.70 vs 0.70 for Px Grotesk (near-identical); both normal width; both low stroke contrast.
- Traits (×0.20): 0.20 — Shares monoline (1 of 5 traits).
- Role (×0.10): 0.50 — Both suit heading, ui; Asap is not tagged for display.
- Language (×0.05): 1.00 — Covers all of Px Grotesk's subsets (latin, latin-ext).
- Variable (×0.05): 1.00 — Static instances, like Px Grotesk.
- Family gate: pass — Same family: sans.

## Self-host Space Grotesk (woff2)

- 300 normal: https://fonts.brandsweets.com/space-grotesk/space-grotesk-300.woff2
- 400 normal: https://fonts.brandsweets.com/space-grotesk/space-grotesk-400.woff2
- 500 normal: https://fonts.brandsweets.com/space-grotesk/space-grotesk-500.woff2
- 600 normal: https://fonts.brandsweets.com/space-grotesk/space-grotesk-600.woff2
- 700 normal: https://fonts.brandsweets.com/space-grotesk/space-grotesk-700.woff2

## Connect an agent

Point any MCP client at the BrandSweets fonts endpoint to get this list with scores, or search the catalog:

- Endpoint: https://mcp.brandsweets.com/fonts/mcp
- Tools: `find_alternatives` (e.g. `find_alternatives({ commercialFont: "px-grotesk", limit: 8 })`), `list_commercial_fonts`, `list_fonts`, `suggest_fonts`.