What Font Does Netflix Use?

Short answer: Netflix uses Netflix Sans, a custom typeface created with the type studio Dalton Maag and unveiled in March 2018. You can’t download or buy it, because it’s made only for Netflix. The red NETFLIX logo is custom lettering, not a font you can type with.

Below: where Netflix Sans came from, why Netflix made its own font, and the free fonts that come closest to the look.

Why Netflix made its own font

Before 2018, Netflix set much of its branding in Gotham, the hugely popular sans-serif from Hoefler&Co. According to Engadget’s 2018 report, licensing Gotham had become expensive for a company Netflix’s size. A font of its own was expected to save millions of dollars a year, as type foundries moved towards pricing based on how many people see the text.

A custom font also solves a design problem. Netflix puts type on everything from billboards to tiny subtitles, in dozens of languages. Owning the typeface lets Netflix shape it for all of those uses at once.

What Netflix Sans looks like

Netflix Sans is a clean, modern sans-serif built to read clearly on screens, from phones to TVs. According to Dalton Maag, the family has since grown to include:

• widths from Ultra Condensed to Extended,
• weights from Thin to Black, with matching italics,
• support for more than 800 languages, including Latin, Cyrillic and Greek scripts.

The tall, narrow styles suit posters and title cards. The regular widths handle menus, descriptions and subtitles.

Is the Netflix logo written in Netflix Sans?

No. The red NETFLIX wordmark is a logo: custom lettering with its own tall, condensed letters. Logos like this are artwork rather than fonts, which is why no font identifier will find an exact match for them. We explain why in Why Logo Fonts Are So Hard to Identify.

Free fonts with a Netflix feel

Netflix Sans isn’t available to the public, but these free Google Fonts get you close to the look:

• Bebas Neue, for the logo style. Tall, condensed capital letters that echo the NETFLIX wordmark. Great for thumbnails and posters.
• Anton, for headlines with punch. A heavy, condensed sans-serif that holds up at large sizes.
• Inter or DM Sans, for body text and apps. Clean, modern sans-serifs that read well on screens, similar in spirit to Netflix Sans.

None of these is an exact copy, and that’s a good thing. Netflix’s branding is trademarked, so aim for a similar mood rather than a replica.

The Gotham connection

If you liked Netflix’s older look, you were looking at Gotham. It’s still sold by Hoefler&Co, but there are excellent free alternatives. See The 4 Best Free Alternatives to Gotham.

Spotted a font in a show’s title?

Title cards, posters and thumbnails often use fonts you can actually get. Take a screenshot and upload it to Whatsdafont. You’ll get the closest fonts in seconds, including free alternatives.

Sources: Dalton Maag: Netflix Sans · Engadget, March 2018