It's the most hated font on the planet.
Yes, the ubiquitous Comic Sans. The font that makes designers cringe, but that's plastered on everything from school newsletters to blogs because it screams casual and friendly.
Well, there are PLENTY of “casual and friendly” fonts out there besides Comic Sans. So thought I'd start an every-so-often series where I take a much-loathed or overly used font and offer some suggestions that won't make readers silently judge your font choice.
The suggestions include five free fonts and five paid ones. And the point isn't to give you Comic Sans lookalikes, but rather to give you the same vibe… without the cringing.
Note: This post contains some affiliate links to the paid fonts.
FREE:
Bubblegum Sans
Font Squirrel describes Bubblegum Sans “upbeat” and “flavor-loaded.” Mmmmm, flavor. Seriously though, it's a cute little font with pointer edges than Comic Sans but just as friendly.
Cartoonist Hand
Cartoonist Hand has the hand-drawn feel of Comic Sans, but cleaner and taller.
Babiole
Babiole is another hand-drawn font. Straight up letters but still casual.
Suplexmentary Comic
Suplexmentary Comic is wider than Comic Sans with more deliberate strokes.
Comic Neue
If you have a secret love affair with Comic Sans but are afraid to use it (and face the wrath of the Internet), then Comic Neue is for you. It's a Comic Sans makeover to give the font a more modern look.
PAID:
Why would you pay for a font when so many are free? Better character options, extra glyphs or ornaments, and fewer people using them (aka better to help you stand out). I explain more in my Blog Design for Dummies book if you're really curious.
This fonts range in price from $5 – $29.
Paper Daisy
For a more feminine alternative to Comic Sans, try Paper Daisy.
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Sketchnote
Sketchnote is more rugged than Comic Sans, but is otherwise pretty similar (in a good way).
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Albus & Friends
Albus & Friends is a bubbly alternative to Comic Sans. Comes with fun ornaments like talk bubbles and clouds.
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Haakke
If you're looking for a scribbly, messy font, try Haakke.
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Simple Hand
Simple Hand is a casual handwritten font that comes in both thin and regular.
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Hey- I'm Melissa! I'm a mom, side hustler, online course instructor, and brand marketer. I run a 6-figure blog helping online biz owners find their a-ha moments with can-do tips, tutorials, and online courses. I also work at Burt's Bees as the assistant manager of Brand Engagement (yep, it's as cool as it sounds). Jump start your biz productivity with my free worksheet!
Maybe I’m just cranky, but I’ve always kind of liked Comic Sans. I don’t use it on my blog, but it does seem friendly and casual. I see nothing to loathe about it. Sure, there are MANY fun fonts to choose from, so go out there and chose WHATEVER font makes you happy!
Hi Dee- If you like Comic Sans, that’s totally fine! Part of the reason people dislike it so much is that it’s used EVERYWHERE. Fonts choices are so subjective because one person’s favorite font might be another person’s favorite. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
I do like Comic Sans. I’m a 1st grade teacher so do use it quite a bit for school. I don’t think I’ve ever used it on my blog for my jewelry biz though! I love all of these free alternatives & downloaded a few! Thanks so much!!
You’re welcome! I understand using it for school– in fact, I hear it’s easy to read for kids. Glad you love the alternatives though!
Okay, so I have a question…
I’m still using a blogger hosted site (I’m working on being self-hosted! Working on! but for the meantime..) and I have NO IDEA how to upload different fonts to it. Is there a way? And can you detail the Way for us? Maybe?
I’d love to use the Bubblegum one as post titles for ye ole blog…
I don’t know much about blogger but you probably have to just do Google Webfonts as an option. You can try googling “@font-face and blogger” to see if you can do it. If you can, you’d go to the Bubblegum font link above on Fontsquirrel and create a @font-face kit from their Webfont Generator. It sounds a little complicated with the license they have on the Bubblegum font though, so you’d have to download the font, THEN upload it to the Webfont Generator to create the file. Then you’d have to find a @font-face tutorial to see how to implement on Blogger. Sorry- I know that’s complicated! Try Google Webfonts and see if you can find a decent alternative. I think that will be easier to set up.
Thank you!
Thanks, I can always use font suggestions. Is there a way to find out what font another site is using other than asking? I’d love to know what the new font twitter uses is.
The new Twitter font is Gotham! We use it at Burt’s too. If you want to know in the future, use Firebug (for FireFox) and inspect the font. It’ll show you in the CSS.
Thanks! I have firebug but didn’t think of using it for fonts.
For anyone who uses PicMonkey to design graphics for their blog, they (Picmonkey) have just made it possible to use ANY font you have on your computer in your designs! So now, of course, I’m going on a font-finding expedition – I love the option of using something different, and not being tied to the same things everyone else is using.
Isn’t it great? Such an awesome new feature!
This made me laugh! I used to use Comic Sans on my kids’ preschool newsletter!
What font do you use on your blog? It’s so easy to read!
Thanks!