So, what font does Netflix use? Since 2018, it’s Netflix Sans — a typeface Netflix built entirely for itself, replacing the Gotham it had licensed for years across every piece of its branding.
Netflix Sans was developed with Dalton Maag, the London type foundry also behind Airbnb’s custom typeface (more on that below). Netflix’s own brand design lead has been candid about the motivation: licensing Gotham at Netflix’s scale — the streaming interface, subtitles, marketing, billboards, in every market Netflix operates in — got expensive fast. Owning a typeface outright made more financial sense than renewing a license indefinitely.
What Makes Netflix Sans Different From Gotham
Netflix Sans is a geometric grotesque — it shares some structural DNA with Helvetica, but with more open apertures (the gaps inside letters like ‘c’ and ‘e’) tuned specifically for legibility on screens, where Gotham’s tighter geometric curves could blur at small sizes. It’s now used across literally everything Netflix ships: the app interface, subtitles, marketing campaigns, and billboards alike.
Can You Buy Netflix Sans?
No. Netflix Sans was commissioned exclusively for Netflix and was never released for public license — that was rather the point of building it. If you want that same geometric-with-humanist-warmth quality for your own brand, Gotham, the typeface Netflix Sans was built to replace, is still very much for sale.
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That’s Gotham by Hoefler&Co. — individual styles from $10, or the full family from $200. It’s the exact typeface Netflix spent years licensing before building its own replacement.
Curious what else Gotham can do? We cover it in Best Premium Fonts for Logo Design (Worth Paying For).
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Netflix Sans free to use?
No. Netflix Sans is a proprietary typeface built exclusively for Netflix’s own branding and was never released for public license or download.
Why did Netflix stop using Gotham?
Primarily cost. Licensing Gotham across every Netflix touchpoint globally — app, subtitles, marketing, billboards — got expensive at scale, and building an owned replacement was cheaper long-term than an indefinite license.
What foundry made Netflix Sans?
Dalton Maag, a London-based type foundry, developed Netflix Sans with Netflix’s in-house design team. The same foundry later built Airbnb’s custom typeface, Airbnb Cereal.
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