Arimo Font: History, Pairings and How to Use It

Arimo is a free sans serif designed by Steve Matteson that matches the widths of Arial character for character. It came to Google Fonts in 2010 as one of the Chrome OS core fonts and covers weights 400 to 700 with italics. It is best known as the free stand-in for Arial and Helvetica in documents and on the web.

Where Arimo Came From

Steve Matteson drew Arimo at Ascender Corporation, where the design began life as Ascender Sans. Google added it to Google Fonts in November 2010 as one of the Chrome OS core fonts, a set of three families known as Croscore: Arimo for sans serif text, Tinos for serif text and Cousine for code.

The goal was practical. Arimo is metrically compatible with Arial, so every character takes up exactly the same width. A document written in Arial can open on a computer that lacks it, switch to Arimo, and keep the same line breaks and page count. Liberation Sans, the Arial substitute found on many Linux systems, is a variation of the same design.

Arimo was first published under the Apache License. Google Fonts updated the family in April 2026 and re-released it under the SIL Open Font License, so anyone can use it on websites, in apps and in print without paying.

What Arimo Looks Like

Because it has to fit Arial’s widths, Arimo looks familiar at first glance: a neutral sans serif with even strokes and very little contrast between thick and thin parts of letters. It was drawn with on-screen reading in mind, so the shapes stay clear at the small sizes used for body text, menus and form labels.

The mood is quiet and businesslike. Arimo does not try to be noticed, which is exactly what you want from a font whose job is to stand in for another one. It also covers Latin, Greek, Cyrillic and Hebrew, so one font can handle multilingual documents and sites.

Weights and Styles

Arimo comes in the four classic document styles: Regular 400 and Bold 700, each with an italic. On Google Fonts it is now a variable font with a weight axis from 400 to 700, so you can also use Medium 500, SemiBold 600 or any value in between.

There are no light or black weights, so Arimo is not the font for thin, airy headlines or heavy poster type. For most sites, 400 for body text and 700 for headings is all you need, with 500 or 600 for buttons and labels.

Where Arimo Works Best

Arimo is at its best when text needs to look and measure like Arial: shared documents, reports, forms, templates and web apps that replace an Arial layout. It suits business sites, intranets, help centres, schools and public bodies, anywhere clarity matters more than character. It is less suited to brands that want personality, since its whole purpose is to feel familiar.

Fonts That Pair Well with Arimo

None of the pairing pages on this site uses Arimo yet, but the partners that work are easy to name. Its closest match is Tinos, the serif from the same Chrome OS set, which is metrically compatible with Times New Roman. A readable text serif such as Source Serif 4 or PT Serif also works well under Arimo headings. These pages show the fonts and similar combinations:

• Tinos, Arimo’s serif sibling from the same set
• Inter and Tinos, a neutral sans over Tinos, close to an Arimo and Tinos setup
• Inter and Source Serif 4, neutral sans headings over a modern serif
• PT Serif, a sturdy text serif for long reading

Arimo as an Arial and Helvetica Alternative

Arimo is the safest free replacement for Arial. It matches Arial’s character widths exactly, so text reflows the same way and swapping one for the other will not change a layout. Arial itself was designed for Monotype in 1982 to match the widths of Helvetica, which makes Arimo a width-compatible stand-in for Helvetica too. The letter shapes differ in small details, but body text sets to the same length. For the other free options, see Fonts like Helvetica.

How to Use Arimo on Your Site

Load Arimo from Google Fonts with the CSS in the Use This Font panel, then set it as the font for the whole page. List Arial, Helvetica and sans-serif after it: since Arimo shares Arial’s widths, the page barely shifts while the font loads, or if it fails to load. Request only 400 and 700, plus italics if your text uses them, to keep the download small.

Frequently Asked Questions

Quick answers about Arimo.

Is Arimo Free for Commercial Use?

Yes. Arimo on Google Fonts is released under the SIL Open Font License, so you can use it on commercial websites, in apps, in logos and in print without paying or asking permission. Older copies were published under the Apache License 2.0, which also allows commercial use.

Is Arimo the Same as Arial?

No. Arimo is a separate design by Steve Matteson. It shares Arial’s character widths, so it can replace Arial without changing a layout, but the letter shapes are its own.

What Is the Difference Between Arimo and Liberation Sans?

Liberation Sans is a variation of the same design, distributed for Linux and other systems. Both match Arial’s widths, and Arimo is the version you can load from Google Fonts.