Fonts Similar to Times New Roman: Free Google Font Alternatives
Of the fonts similar to Times New Roman, the closest free Google Font is Tinos, which matches its character widths exactly. STIX Two Text, Source Serif 4, Newsreader and PT Serif are good alternatives with a similar classic look that read better on screens. Compare them at a glance below, then read about each one, set in its own font.
Times New RomanThe original
Aa
Good type disappears into the reading.
Rag 0123 &?! cesg
Paid, shown if installed
Tinos›
Aa
Good type disappears into the reading.
Rag 0123 &?! cesg
Documents
STIX Two Text›
Aa
Good type disappears into the reading.
Rag 0123 &?! cesg
Academic
Source Serif 4›
Aa
Good type disappears into the reading.
Rag 0123 &?! cesg
Websites
Newsreader›
Aa
Good type disappears into the reading.
Rag 0123 &?! cesg
News
PT Serif›
Aa
Good type disappears into the reading.
Rag 0123 &?! cesg
Body text
The Times New Roman card uses the copy on your device. Almost every computer has it; on some phones you will see a similar serif in its place.
About Times New Roman
Times New Roman was commissioned by the British newspaper The Times and introduced in 1932. Stanley Morison supervised the project and Victor Lardent drew the letters. The brief was a typeface that fit more text into narrow newspaper columns while staying readable, and the result is compact, with short ascenders and descenders, moderate contrast and sharp, bracketed serifs.
Because Microsoft shipped Times New Roman with Windows for decades, it became the default serif of offices, schools and academic papers. On the web it has a different reputation: it often signals a page with no styling at all, since many browsers fall back to it when a font is missing. That is one reason designers look for alternatives that keep its classic feel but look intentional.
The Best Free Fonts Similar to Times New Roman
These five fonts are free on Google Fonts. Each section below is set in the font it describes, so you can judge it at reading length.
Tinos
Set in Tinos 700 and 400 See the Tinos profile ›
Best for templates, forms and anything with a strict page limit. Tinos, designed by Steve Matteson, is metrically compatible with Times New Roman: every character has the same width, so documents keep the same line breaks and page count. It looks very close to the original, with slightly crisper details on screen.
STIX Two Text
Set in STIX Two Text 700 and 400 See the STIX Two Text profile ›
Best for academic sites, journals and research. STIX Two Text comes from the Scientific and Technical Information Exchange project, a group of scientific publishers who needed a Times-style typeface with extensive support for mathematics and technical writing. It keeps the familiar proportions of Times, with refined details and true bold and italic styles.
Source Serif 4
Set in Source Serif 4 700 and 400 See the Source Serif 4 profile ›
Best when you want the authority of Times with better readability on the web. Source Serif 4, by Frank Grießhammer at Adobe, is a transitional serif in the same broad tradition, but with more open letters and a calmer texture suited to screens. Its optical sizes keep small text sturdy and large headings elegant.
Newsreader
Set in Newsreader 600 and 400 See the Newsreader profile ›
Best for news sites, magazines and long-form blogs. Newsreader, from Production Type, was designed for reading news on screens, so it shares the editorial purpose of Times New Roman. It is a little wider and softer, with optical sizes from small text to large headlines.
PT Serif
Set in PT Serif 700 and 400 See the PT Serif profile ›
Best for body text in interfaces, documentation and long articles. PT Serif, from ParaType, is a transitional serif with sturdy serifs and a slightly humanist feel, designed as a companion to PT Sans. It holds up better than Times New Roman at small sizes.
Times New Roman Alternatives Compared
How the five free alternatives compare with Times New Roman, with the weights each one offers on Google Fonts.
| Font | Compared with Times New Roman | Weights | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tinos | Same character widths, nearly identical look | 400 and 700 | Documents, forms, page-limited work |
| STIX Two Text | Times-style proportions, refined details | 400 to 700 | Academic, scientific, journals |
| Source Serif 4 | More open and calm, built for screens | 200 to 900 | Websites, documentation, reports |
| Newsreader | Wider, softer, editorial | 200 to 800 | News, magazines, blogs |
| PT Serif | Sturdier at small sizes, slightly humanist | 400 and 700 | Body text, interfaces, articles |
What to Pair with Times New Roman
Times New Roman and its alternatives work best as the body font under a clean sans serif, or as a heading font over a neutral sans. A Times-style serif with Inter or Source Sans 3 gives an editorial look, while Montserrat headings over Tinos body text give a modern contrast. Each link below opens the pair, so you can see it on a full page.
These follow the same rule the tool uses for every pair: contrast in style, similar proportions. Because Times-style serifs are compact, pair them with sans serifs that are not too wide, or set the sans one size smaller.
Using a Times New Roman Alternative on Your Site
For academic or document work where the layout must not change, use Tinos and list Times New Roman after it in your font stack. For a website, choose the alternative whose tone fits your content, load it from Google Fonts, and add Times New Roman and the generic serif as fallbacks. The Use This Font button on each font’s profile page writes that CSS for you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers about Times New Roman and its free alternatives.
What Is the Closest Font to Times New Roman?
Tinos. It was designed to match Times New Roman’s character widths, so text keeps the same line breaks and page count, and its letters look very similar.
Is Times New Roman on Google Fonts?
No. Times New Roman is a commercial typeface licensed through Monotype. Tinos is the closest free equivalent on Google Fonts.
What Font Is Similar to Times New Roman in Google Docs?
Google Docs includes Times New Roman itself. For an alternative, open More fonts in the font menu and search for Tinos, STIX Two Text or Source Serif 4.
Is Georgia Similar to Times New Roman?
Georgia, designed by Matthew Carter for Microsoft in the 1990s, has a similar classic feel but a larger x-height and wider letters, so it reads better on screens and takes up more space. Gelasio is a free Google Font that matches Georgia’s widths.