Is Sharp Grotesk free?

No. Sharp Grotesk is a commercial typeface from Sharp Type. Commercial; licensed from Sharp Type. The fonts listed here are free, open-licensed alternatives you can download, self-host and use commercially.

What is the closest free alternative to Sharp Grotesk?

Archivo scores 87% against Sharp Grotesk on our published formula — Same class: grotesque. x-height 0.53 vs 0.52 for Sharp Grotesk (near-identical); cap height 0.69 vs 0.70 for Sharp Grotesk (near-identical); both normal width; both low stroke contrast. It is licensed OFL-1.1, so it is free to self-host.

How are these alternatives ranked?

By a fixed, published score — 0.35 classification, 0.25 measured proportions (x-height, cap height, width, stroke contrast), 0.20 traits, 0.10 role, 0.05 language coverage, 0.05 variable support — after a family gate: specialist families (blackletter, script, glyphic, stencil, monospace) only list same-family fonts, and any cross-family match is capped at 0.2. No model or vote; the same inputs always give the same ranking. Hand-curated picks are labelled and listed first.

Free font alternatives

Free alternatives to Sharp Grotesk

Sharp Grotesk is a commercial grotesque sans from Sharp Type. Commercial; licensed from Sharp Type. Below are the 8 closest free, open-licensed families in the BrandSweets library, ranked by our published, deterministic score — classification, measured proportions, traits, role, language and variable support. Each one is shown in its own face and is free to self-host.

Sharp Grotesk is a trademark of its owner, named here only to identify the typeface. We do not host, embed or distribute it; “similar” means similar classification and proportions, nothing more.

#187% matchsansOFL-1.1 · Omnibus-Type
Archivo
Sphinx of black quartz, judge my vow
Show score breakdownScore breakdown
Classification×0.35
100%
Same class: grotesque.
Metrics×0.25
95%
x-height 0.53 vs 0.52 for Sharp Grotesk (near-identical); cap height 0.69 vs 0.70 for Sharp Grotesk (near-identical); both normal width; both low stroke contrast.
Traits×0.20
80%
Shares bold, industrial, modern, monoline (4 of 5 traits).
Role×0.10
25%
Both suit heading; Archivo is not tagged for display, body.
Language×0.05
100%
Covers all of Sharp Grotesk's subsets (latin, latin-ext).
Variable×0.05
100%
Static instances, like Sharp Grotesk.
Family gate
Same family: sans.
View Archivo specimen →Pairings →100 · 200 · 300 · 400 · 500 · 600 · 700 · 800 · 900
#283% matchsansOFL-1.1 · Florian Karsten
Space Grotesk
Sphinx of black quartz, judge my vow
Show score breakdownScore breakdown
Classification×0.35
100%
Same class: grotesque.
Metrics×0.25
93%
x-height 0.49 vs 0.52 for Sharp Grotesk (close); cap height 0.70 vs 0.70 for Sharp Grotesk (near-identical); both normal width; both low stroke contrast.
Traits×0.20
43%
Shares industrial, modern, monoline (3 of 7 traits).
Role×0.10
67%
Both suit display, heading; Space Grotesk is not tagged for body.
Language×0.05
100%
Covers all of Sharp Grotesk's subsets (latin, latin-ext).
Variable×0.05
100%
Static instances, like Sharp Grotesk.
Family gate
Same family: sans.
View Space Grotesk specimen →Pairings →300 · 400 · 500 · 600 · 700
#383% matchsansOFL-1.1 · Mike Abbink, Bold Monday
IBM Plex Sans
Sphinx of black quartz, judge my vow
Show score breakdownScore breakdown
Classification×0.35
100%
Same class: grotesque.
Metrics×0.25
99%
x-height 0.52 vs 0.52 for Sharp Grotesk (near-identical); cap height 0.70 vs 0.70 for Sharp Grotesk (near-identical); both normal width; both low stroke contrast.
Traits×0.20
43%
Shares industrial, modern, monoline (3 of 7 traits).
Role×0.10
50%
Both suit body, heading; IBM Plex Sans is not tagged for display.
Language×0.05
100%
Covers all of Sharp Grotesk's subsets (latin, latin-ext).
Variable×0.05
100%
Static instances, like Sharp Grotesk.
Family gate
Same family: sans.
View IBM Plex Sans specimen →Pairings →100 · 200 · 300 · 400 · 500 · 600 · 700
#483% matchsansOFL-1.1
Hedvig Letters Sans
Sphinx of black quartz, judge my vow
Show score breakdownScore breakdown
Classification×0.35
100%
Same class: grotesque.
Metrics×0.25
100%
x-height 0.52 vs 0.52 for Sharp Grotesk (near-identical); cap height 0.70 vs 0.70 for Sharp Grotesk (near-identical); both normal width; both low stroke contrast.
Traits×0.20
40%
Shares industrial, monoline (2 of 5 traits).
Role×0.10
50%
Both suit body, heading; Hedvig Letters Sans is not tagged for display.
Language×0.05
100%
Covers all of Sharp Grotesk's subsets (latin, latin-ext).
Variable×0.05
100%
Static instances, like Sharp Grotesk.
Family gate
Same family: sans.
View Hedvig Letters Sans specimen →Pairings →400
#583% matchsansOFL-1.1 · Omnibus-Type
Asap
Sphinx of black quartz, judge my vow
Show score breakdownScore breakdown
Classification×0.35
100%
Same class: grotesque.
Metrics×0.25
99%
x-height 0.52 vs 0.52 for Sharp Grotesk (near-identical); cap height 0.70 vs 0.70 for Sharp Grotesk (near-identical); both normal width; both low stroke contrast.
Traits×0.20
40%
Shares industrial, monoline (2 of 5 traits).
Role×0.10
50%
Both suit body, heading; Asap is not tagged for display.
Language×0.05
100%
Covers all of Sharp Grotesk's subsets (latin, latin-ext).
Variable×0.05
100%
Static instances, like Sharp Grotesk.
Family gate
Same family: sans.
View Asap specimen →Pairings →100 · 200 · 300 · 400 · 500 · 600 · 700 · 800 · 900
#683% matchsansOFL-1.1 · Jeremy Tribby
Barlow
Sphinx of black quartz, judge my vow
Show score breakdownScore breakdown
Classification×0.35
100%
Same class: grotesque.
Metrics×0.25
97%
x-height 0.51 vs 0.52 for Sharp Grotesk (near-identical); cap height 0.70 vs 0.70 for Sharp Grotesk (near-identical); both normal width; both low stroke contrast.
Traits×0.20
43%
Shares industrial, modern, monoline (3 of 7 traits).
Role×0.10
50%
Both suit body, heading; Barlow is not tagged for display.
Language×0.05
100%
Covers all of Sharp Grotesk's subsets (latin, latin-ext).
Variable×0.05
100%
Static instances, like Sharp Grotesk.
Family gate
Same family: sans.
View Barlow specimen →Pairings →100 · 200 · 300 · 400 · 500 · 600 · 700 · 800 · 900
#783% matchsansOFL-1.1 · Mike Abbink, Bold Monday, Khajag Apelian, Wael Morcos
IBM Plex Sans Arabic
Sphinx of black quartz, judge my vow
Show score breakdownScore breakdown
Classification×0.35
100%
Same class: grotesque.
Metrics×0.25
99%
x-height 0.52 vs 0.52 for Sharp Grotesk (near-identical); cap height 0.70 vs 0.70 for Sharp Grotesk (near-identical); both normal width; both low stroke contrast.
Traits×0.20
40%
Shares industrial, monoline (2 of 5 traits).
Role×0.10
50%
Both suit body, heading; IBM Plex Sans Arabic is not tagged for display.
Language×0.05
100%
Covers all of Sharp Grotesk's subsets (latin, latin-ext).
Variable×0.05
100%
Static instances, like Sharp Grotesk.
Family gate
Same family: sans.
View IBM Plex Sans Arabic specimen →Pairings →100 · 200 · 300 · 400 · 500 · 600 · 700
#882% matchsansOFL-1.1 · Bakken & Bæck, Henrik Kongsvoll
Schibsted Grotesk
Sphinx of black quartz, judge my vow
Show score breakdownScore breakdown
Classification×0.35
100%
Same class: grotesque.
Metrics×0.25
98%
x-height 0.53 vs 0.52 for Sharp Grotesk (near-identical); cap height 0.70 vs 0.70 for Sharp Grotesk (near-identical); both normal width; both low stroke contrast.
Traits×0.20
40%
Shares industrial, monoline (2 of 5 traits).
Role×0.10
50%
Both suit body, heading; Schibsted Grotesk is not tagged for display.
Language×0.05
100%
Covers all of Sharp Grotesk's subsets (latin, latin-ext).
Variable×0.05
100%
Static instances, like Sharp Grotesk.
Family gate
Same family: sans.
View Schibsted Grotesk specimen →Pairings →400 · 500 · 600 · 700 · 800 · 900

mcpConnect your agent — find Sharp Grotesk alternatives live

live endpoint

Point any MCP client at the shared fonts endpoint and your agent gets the same ranked list with every axis score — find_alternatives, list_commercial_fonts, list_fonts and suggest_fonts, read-only, no key.

endpointhttps://mcp.brandsweets.com/fonts/mcp

claude mcp add --transport http brandsweets-fonts https://mcp.brandsweets.com/fonts/mcp

try this prompt

›find a free alternative to Sharp Grotesk for a bold brand

Want the agent to remember your picks and write them into a living brand? Create a free BrandSweets workspace.

Use Archivo instead

Archivo is the top-ranked alternative to Sharp Grotesk (87%) and is free to self-host under OFL-1.1. Drop these @font-face rules into your CSS — the .woff2 files are served straight from BrandSweets.

css

@font-face {
  font-family: "Archivo";
  font-style: normal;
  font-weight: 100;
  font-display: swap;
  src: url("https://fonts.brandsweets.com/archivo/archivo-100.woff2") format("woff2");
}
@font-face {
  font-family: "Archivo";
  font-style: normal;
  font-weight: 200;
  font-display: swap;
  src: url("https://fonts.brandsweets.com/archivo/archivo-200.woff2") format("woff2");
}
@font-face {
  font-family: "Archivo";
  font-style: normal;
  font-weight: 300;
  font-display: swap;
  src: url("https://fonts.brandsweets.com/archivo/archivo-300.woff2") format("woff2");
}
@font-face {
  font-family: "Archivo";
  font-style: normal;
  font-weight: 400;
  font-display: swap;
  src: url("https://fonts.brandsweets.com/archivo/archivo-400.woff2") format("woff2");
}
@font-face {
  font-family: "Archivo";
  font-style: normal;
  font-weight: 500;
  font-display: swap;
  src: url("https://fonts.brandsweets.com/archivo/archivo-500.woff2") format("woff2");
}
@font-face {
  font-family: "Archivo";
  font-style: normal;
  font-weight: 600;
  font-display: swap;
  src: url("https://fonts.brandsweets.com/archivo/archivo-600.woff2") format("woff2");
}
@font-face {
  font-family: "Archivo";
  font-style: normal;
  font-weight: 700;
  font-display: swap;
  src: url("https://fonts.brandsweets.com/archivo/archivo-700.woff2") format("woff2");
}
@font-face {
  font-family: "Archivo";
  font-style: normal;
  font-weight: 800;
  font-display: swap;
  src: url("https://fonts.brandsweets.com/archivo/archivo-800.woff2") format("woff2");
}
@font-face {
  font-family: "Archivo";
  font-style: normal;
  font-weight: 900;
  font-display: swap;
  src: url("https://fonts.brandsweets.com/archivo/archivo-900.woff2") format("woff2");
}
@font-face {
  font-family: "Archivo";
  font-style: italic;
  font-weight: 100;
  font-display: swap;
  src: url("https://fonts.brandsweets.com/archivo/archivo-100i.woff2") format("woff2");
}
@font-face {
  font-family: "Archivo";
  font-style: italic;
  font-weight: 200;
  font-display: swap;
  src: url("https://fonts.brandsweets.com/archivo/archivo-200i.woff2") format("woff2");
}
@font-face {
  font-family: "Archivo";
  font-style: italic;
  font-weight: 300;
  font-display: swap;
  src: url("https://fonts.brandsweets.com/archivo/archivo-300i.woff2") format("woff2");
}
@font-face {
  font-family: "Archivo";
  font-style: italic;
  font-weight: 400;
  font-display: swap;
  src: url("https://fonts.brandsweets.com/archivo/archivo-400i.woff2") format("woff2");
}
@font-face {
  font-family: "Archivo";
  font-style: italic;
  font-weight: 500;
  font-display: swap;
  src: url("https://fonts.brandsweets.com/archivo/archivo-500i.woff2") format("woff2");
}
@font-face {
  font-family: "Archivo";
  font-style: italic;
  font-weight: 600;
  font-display: swap;
  src: url("https://fonts.brandsweets.com/archivo/archivo-600i.woff2") format("woff2");
}
@font-face {
  font-family: "Archivo";
  font-style: italic;
  font-weight: 700;
  font-display: swap;
  src: url("https://fonts.brandsweets.com/archivo/archivo-700i.woff2") format("woff2");
}
@font-face {
  font-family: "Archivo";
  font-style: italic;
  font-weight: 800;
  font-display: swap;
  src: url("https://fonts.brandsweets.com/archivo/archivo-800i.woff2") format("woff2");
}
@font-face {
  font-family: "Archivo";
  font-style: italic;
  font-weight: 900;
  font-display: swap;
  src: url("https://fonts.brandsweets.com/archivo/archivo-900i.woff2") format("woff2");
}

/* Usage */
.heading { font-family: "Archivo", sans-serif; }

What we compare Sharp Grotesk on

Class: grotesque
x-height: 0.52 ≈
Cap height: 0.70 ≈
Width · contrast: normal · low
Traits: bold, modern, industrial, editorial, monoline
Roles: display, heading, body
Languages · variable: latin, latin-ext · no

≈ proportions are publicly documented approximations of the regular cut, not measured by us. Open-font metrics are measured from the files. Full formula and thresholds: methodology. Machine-readable: alternatives.md

Questions

Is Sharp Grotesk free?: No. Sharp Grotesk is a commercial typeface from Sharp Type. Commercial; licensed from Sharp Type. The fonts listed here are free, open-licensed alternatives you can download, self-host and use commercially.
What is the closest free alternative to Sharp Grotesk?: Archivo scores 87% against Sharp Grotesk on our published formula — Same class: grotesque. x-height 0.53 vs 0.52 for Sharp Grotesk (near-identical); cap height 0.69 vs 0.70 for Sharp Grotesk (near-identical); both normal width; both low stroke contrast. It is licensed OFL-1.1, so it is free to self-host.
How are these alternatives ranked?: By a fixed, published score — 0.35 classification, 0.25 measured proportions (x-height, cap height, width, stroke contrast), 0.20 traits, 0.10 role, 0.05 language coverage, 0.05 variable support — after a family gate: specialist families (blackletter, script, glyphic, stencil, monospace) only list same-family fonts, and any cross-family match is capped at 0.2. No model or vote; the same inputs always give the same ranking. Hand-curated picks are labelled and listed first.

Build a brand around Archivo

Turn the pick into a full identity — colors, type roles, logo, and agent-readable tokens your future sessions already know.

Extract a brand Design one on a canvas