What fonts go with Inter? As one of the most meticulously crafted open-source typefaces of the past decade, Inter demands equally thoughtful companions that can match its precision without duplicating its purpose.
Inter began life as a passion project by Rasmus Andersson, originally designed for user interfaces under the name Inter UI. Its development was obsessively refined through countless GitHub commits, resulting in a typeface optimized for legibility on screens at virtually any size. The design features a tall x-height, open apertures, and carefully tuned vertical metrics that prevent letters from colliding in dense text. Perhaps most notably, Inter includes contextual alternates and adjustable letter-spacing that adapt to different sizes, making it one of the most technically sophisticated fonts available.
The difficulty in pairing Inter lies in its very excellence at being neutral and functional. It does its job so well that finding fonts that add visual interest without creating friction requires genuine consideration. Serif pairings can introduce personality and editorial gravitas, while alternative sans-serifs need distinct characteristics to justify their presence alongside such a polished all-rounder. Here are 15 fonts that pair well with Inter, each chosen for what they bring to the typographic conversation.
1. Manrope
Inter and Manrope are like two architects from the same firm who studied under different masters. Both sport open apertures and generous x-heights that practically beg for dashboard interfaces and fintech apps. Manrope brings slightly softer terminals where Inter stays razor-sharp, creating just enough tension to keep the eye engaged. The stroke weights dance together beautifully at 400 and 500, making this pairing a workhorse for SaaS products that need to feel approachable without sacrificing professionalism. Use Manrope for headlines, Inter for body, and watch your admin panels transform.
2. Playfair Display
Here’s typographic alchemy at work: Playfair Display‘s high-contrast strokes and hairline serifs collide with Inter’s geometric neutrality like champagne and hors d’oeuvres at a gallery opening. The magic lives in the tension between Playfair’s 18th-century elegance and Inter’s Silicon Valley pragmatism. Set Playfair at 48px or larger where its delicate serifs can breathe, then let Inter handle the heavy lifting at body sizes. This pairing screams editorial luxury without the pretense, perfect for lifestyle brands and boutique agencies wanting gravitas with a modern spine.
3. Roboto
Pairing Inter with Roboto feels almost like cheating. Both emerged from the geometric sans tradition with nearly identical x-heights and similar aperture philosophies. The difference? Roboto carries Google’s DNA with slightly rounder curves, while Inter maintains that Scandinavian precision in its terminals. Together they create a UI system that reads as cohesive without being monotonous. Deploy Roboto for headlines where its curves add warmth, Inter for body where its legibility optimizations shine. Material Design meets European minimalism.
4. Lora
Lora brings what Inter lacks: soul. This calligraphic serif with its brushed terminals and gentle stress creates the kind of visual friction that makes readers slow down and savor. Against Inter’s almost clinical precision, Lora’s warmth reads like handwritten marginalia in a technical manual. The x-heights align well enough that transitions feel natural, not jarring. This pairing excels in content-heavy applications where you need emotional resonance without sacrificing screen clarity. Think long-form journalism, literary magazines, or any project where humanity matters.
5. Merriweather
Both Inter and Merriweather were explicitly designed for screens, and it shows. Their tall x-heights create a scanning rhythm that accessibility advocates love. Merriweather’s thick serifs provide excellent anchoring for headlines while Inter’s open counters keep body text crisp at small sizes. There’s a comfortable familiarity here, like a well-worn reading chair. This is the pairing you choose when readability isn’t just a feature, it’s the entire product. Legal documents, educational platforms, and accessible government sites all benefit from this no-nonsense duo.
6. Source Serif Pro
Adobe’s Source Serif Pro speaks the same measured language as Inter. Both fonts emerged from systematic design philosophies, sharing proportional DNA that makes them feel like distant cousins at a family reunion. Source Serif Pro brings transitional serif elegance with controlled contrast, while Inter supplies that neutral Swiss-knife utility. The pairing reads as corporate but not cold, authoritative but not stuffy. Annual reports, white papers, and B2B marketing materials find their sweet spot here.
7. IBM Plex Serif
There’s something beautifully systematic about pairing Inter with IBM Plex Serif. Both fonts carry institutional weight without bureaucratic stuffiness. Plex Serif’s quirky details, like its subtly angled stress and distinctive lowercase ‘g’, add personality that Inter’s uniformity needs. The proportions harmonize because both were engineered for digital-first environments. This pairing works wonders for enterprise software, developer documentation, and any brand that needs to signal serious technical capability with typographic sophistication.
8. Spectral
Spectral was born for the screen, making it Inter’s natural editorial companion. Its moderate contrast and robust serifs hold up beautifully at body sizes, but it really sings in headlines where its subtle wedge serifs add character without shouting. Against Inter’s geometric calm, Spectral introduces just enough classical tension to elevate long-form content. This is the pairing for serious digital publications, thought leadership platforms, and anyone publishing 2000-word articles that deserve typographic respect.
9. Libre Baskerville
Baskerville never goes out of style, and Libre Baskerville brings that 250-year-old elegance to the web. Against Inter’s modern efficiency, these transitional serifs create the kind of contrast that typography textbooks rhapsodize about. The trick is sizing: Libre Baskerville wants room to breathe at 24px or larger, while Inter handles the dense paragraph work below. This pairing suggests old-money sophistication for luxury brands, law firms, and anyone wanting to communicate trustworthiness through type.
10. Atkinson Hyperlegible
Accessibility meets Inter’s screen-first philosophy in this purposeful pairing. Atkinson Hyperlegible‘s distinctive letterforms, designed specifically to aid readers with low vision, bring exaggerated character differentiation that Inter’s uniformity can lack. The ‘a’ and ‘o’ are unmistakable, the ‘I’ and ‘l’ and ‘1’ finally look different. Pair Atkinson for headlines where its unusual shapes add intrigue, Inter for body where its conventional forms speed fluent readers along. Healthcare, education, and public services should take note.
11. Open Sans
Sometimes the safest choice is safe for good reasons. Inter and Open Sans represent two philosophies of screen readability arriving at similar conclusions through different paths. Open Sans carries more humanist warmth in its curves, while Inter maintains geometric rigor. Together they create an ecosystem of neutrality that works anywhere. This is the pairing for platforms prioritizing pure content delivery over typographic personality. Wikipedia-style utility, the kind that disappears into usefulness.
12. DM Sans
DM Sans shares Inter’s geometric DNA but pushes the minimalism further with its optically-corrected curves and low stroke contrast. The two fonts together create an almost brutalist aesthetic, all clean lines and open space. Where Inter optimizes for legibility, DM Sans optimizes for visual impact at display sizes. This pairing works brilliantly for tech startups, design portfolios, and any brand wanting to signal contemporary sophistication. The shared proportions make switching between them feel seamless.
13. Space Grotesk
Space Grotesk brings mono-inspired quirkiness that Inter’s polish can feel starved for. Those squared terminals and distinctive numerals add technical character that screams developer tools and aerospace aesthetics. Against Inter’s Swiss neutrality, Space Grotesk reads like the difference between mission control and the accounting department. This pairing excels in technical products, gaming platforms, and any interface where personality matters as much as precision. The future, visualized in two fonts.
14. Crimson Text
Old-style serifs meet new-style pragmatism. Crimson Text channels Renaissance printing traditions with its diagonal stress and bracketed serifs, creating organic warmth that Inter’s geometry lacks. The contrast here is fundamental: handcraft versus engineering. Set Crimson at generous sizes where its calligraphic heritage shines, let Inter anchor the utilitarian work below. This pairing brings literary gravitas to digital spaces, perfect for publishers, academic journals, and cultural institutions.
15. Work Sans
Work Sans lives in its name: designed for working contexts where type needs to perform, not preen. Its slightly condensed proportions and generous counters complement Inter’s wider stance, creating variety within consistency. Both fonts share screen-first DNA with similar x-height ratios, making the pair feel intentional rather than accidental. This is the workhorse combination for product interfaces, dashboards, and any application where typography should enhance without distracting.
Conclusion
There are no absolute rules for font pairing, just principles to guide you. The key is contrast—in weight, in style (serif vs. sans-serif), or in personality. Inter is versatile enough to play well with many different typefaces.
Trust your eye, experiment freely, and remember that the best pairing is the one that serves your content and audience. Typography should enhance communication, not complicate it.
