Fonts similar to Times New Roman
5 free Google Fonts that share Times New Roman’s structure, compared side by side. Type your own text to test them.
About Times New Roman
A condensed, economical newspaper serif. Default in Word for years, and still the standard for many academic submissions.
How to spot it
- Narrow letters with fairly short ascenders
- Sharp, bracketed serifs with high contrast
- Pointed apex on A and W
- Ball terminals on a, c, r
Not sure it’s really Times New Roman? Upload a screenshot and let the identifier check. Looking for a different font? Use the similar font finder.
Free alternatives to Times New Roman
Times New Roman Quartz 1234
Metric-compatible with Times New Roman.
View on Google Fonts ↗Times New Roman Quartz 1234
Close transitional cousin, roomier on screen.
View on Google Fonts ↗Times New Roman Quartz 1234
Similar colour and contrast, with optical sizes.
View on Google Fonts ↗Times New Roman Quartz 1234
Transitional serif with a similar newspaper economy.
View on Google Fonts ↗Times New Roman Quartz 1234
Book-like serif at a similar width.
View on Google Fonts ↗Choosing between them
Start with Tinos if you need the most faithful substitute. Metric-compatible with Times New Roman. If you want the same feeling with a little more personality, try Crimson Text. For body text, check the specimen at 16–18px: some display-leaning alternatives look closest in headlines but tire the eye in paragraphs.
Pairing one of these with a contrasting serif or sans? Open it in the font pairing generator.
Questions people ask
What is the closest free font to Times New Roman?
Tinos is the closest free alternative in our list: metric-compatible with Times New Roman. Other good options are Libre Baskerville and Source Serif 4.
What kind of font is Times New Roman?
Times New Roman is a transitional serif. Near-vertical stress, sharper contrast than old-style, bracketed serifs, wider and more regular letters.
How can I tell Times New Roman apart from lookalikes?
Check these details: narrow letters with fairly short ascenders; sharp, bracketed serifs with high contrast; pointed apex on a and w; ball terminals on a, c, r.
Are these Times New Roman alternatives free for commercial use?
Yes. All alternatives listed are Google Fonts released under open licences (SIL Open Font License or Apache 2.0) that allow commercial use.