What font does Google use? The Google logo is set in Product Sans, a geometric typeface Google created for its 2015 redesign. For products and branding Google now uses Google Sans, with Google Sans Text for smaller sizes, and Roboto remains the long-time Android default. Open Sans and the Noto family also turn up across Google’s web properties.
That is a lot of similar names, so this guide separates them: which font is for the logo, which is for apps, and which ones you can actually download and use for free.
What font does Google use in its logo? Product Sans
On September 1, 2015, Google replaced its long-running serif logo with a flat, sans-serif wordmark. The old logo was widely identified as using Catull, a serif face, with shadows and bevels added over the years. The new wordmark was drawn with Product Sans, a geometric sans-serif that Google built for the purpose. Its round “o” and “g” echo perfect circles, and the colors stay playful, with green on the “l” breaking the primary-color pattern.
One detail worth knowing: the logo is not just typed in Product Sans. Reports note small differences, most visibly the tilted “e”, so the wordmark is best treated as custom artwork based on the typeface. Product Sans is proprietary and was never released to the public.
Google Sans and Google Sans Text
Product Sans worked great for big brand moments but less well for paragraphs on small screens. Google went on to develop Google Sans, a more versatile brand typeface that you see in Google’s headlines, product names, and Material Design-era interfaces. For smaller body text, Google Sans Text arrived around 2020, with taller, more condensed letters than the rounder display version. A monospaced companion, Google Sans Mono, followed. Google has also introduced Google Sans Flex, a variable-font version, according to its design blog, so expect the lineup to keep evolving.
Roboto and the Android connection
Roboto was created for Android 4.0 in 2011 and became the default system font on most Android phones. It is open source, which means you can download and use it freely. Google’s own apps have used a mix of Roboto and Google Sans, with Google Sans for headings and Roboto (or Google Sans Text) for reading text, though newer Pixel software has shifted further toward Google Sans variants.
Where each Google typeface is used
| Where it is used | Typeface |
|---|---|
| Google logo (since 2015) | Custom wordmark based on Product Sans |
| Product names, headlines, ads | Google Sans |
| Small text in apps and web pages | Google Sans Text |
| Android system interface | Roboto (varies by phone maker) |
| Code and technical text | Google Sans Mono and Roboto Mono |
| Multi-language coverage | Noto family |
| Some web pages and older properties | Open Sans and Arial |
Treat the last row as approximate. Google’s websites change often, and fonts in the page code can differ from one product to another.
Noto and Open Sans
Noto is Google’s open family designed to cover every writing system, with the goal of eliminating the blank “tofu” boxes that show up when a font lacks a character. Open Sans is a friendly humanist sans-serif by Steve Matteson commissioned by Google, and it became one of the most used web fonts. Both are free and open source.
The logo over time
- 1998: a hand-made look, with the exclamation mark borrowed from Yahoo.
- 1999: a serif wordmark in Catull.
- 2010: a lighter version with softened shadow.
- 2013: a flat version of the serif.
- 2015: Product Sans and the new four-color “G” icon.
- 2025: the “G” icon gained a gradient treatment, while the wordmark stayed in the sans-serif style (as widely reported; check Google’s brand pages for current assets).
Free lookalikes for Google fonts
Product Sans and Google Sans are not available to download, but nearby choices are easy:
- For a Product Sans look, scan rounded fonts and modern fonts for geometric designs with circular bowls.
- For headline use, see headline fonts.
- For Roboto-like text, look to modern fonts again, or just grab Roboto itself from Google Fonts.
- For code, try monospaced fonts.
Browse the free fonts directory, and verify the license for commercial work. More brand guides: what font Apple uses and what font Twitter uses.
Using Google style type in your own work
Google’s design language, Material Design, relies on a handful of simple ideas: generous white space, a rounded geometric sans for headings, a readable text face for paragraphs, and sparing use of color. You can reproduce that with free fonts. Choose a geometric sans with round bowls for titles, set body text in a neutral sans such as Roboto or Open Sans, and keep line height comfortable, about 1.4 to 1.6 times the type size.
Avoid copying the Google logo letterforms directly for a commercial project. The wordmark is a trademark, and a lookalike that is too close can cause trouble. Using a similar style for your own brand, in your own colors, is fine and common.
If you are designing a logo of your own, the 2015 redesign offers a useful lesson: Google simplified the mark so it would work equally well as a tiny favicon and a huge sign, and it designed a typeface that could be reused across every product name. Even a small business can borrow the idea by choosing one flexible typeface and sticking with it.
Frequently asked questions
Is Google Sans free?
Not for general use. Google Sans and Product Sans are proprietary, though Roboto, Open Sans and Noto are open source.
What font was the Google logo before 2015?
A serif face widely identified as Catull, modified with effects over the years.
What font does Gmail use?
Gmail has used Google Sans for its branding and headings, and Roboto or similar for body text, though the exact font depends on version and device.
Is Roboto the same as Google Sans?
No. Roboto is an open-source system font for Android, while Google Sans is a proprietary brand typeface with rounder geometry.
