Key takeaways >- Short answer: choose Inter for product interfaces and dense UI, where its 18 styles, optical-size axis and tabular numbers earn their keep. Choose Satoshi for marketing sites and brands that want to look less like everyone else.- In our dataset of 33 production Framer templates, Inter appears in all 33 and Satoshi in none. Inter is the default; Satoshi is a way out of it.- Inter is under the SIL Open Font License, so you can self-host, modify and redistribute it. Satoshi is under the ITF Free Font License, which allows commercial use but not redistributing or modifying the files.- Test both at 12, 14 and 16 px in your own interface before deciding. Specimens at display sizes hide the differences that matter in UI.
Satoshi vs Inter comes down to what you're designing and how much you care about standing out. Both are free, both are modern sans-serifs, and both look good in a hero headline. They differ in licence terms, feature depth and how common they already are. Our Geist vs Inter vs Satoshi comparison covers a third option.
How often each font appears in real templates
We parsed the fonts declared by 33 production Framer templates for our template font usage study. Inter was present in every one of them. Satoshi didn't appear at all.
That isn't a quality judgement. Inter is a default in the tools designers use, so it arrives in templates whether anyone chose it or not. If your goal is a site that looks like a careful product, Inter matches the ecosystem. If your goal is a site that doesn't look like its competitors, the data says Inter is the font most likely to make it look the same.
Side-by-side comparison
| Inter | Satoshi |
|---|---|---|
Designer or publisher | Rasmus Andersson | Indian Type Foundry (ITF), via Fontshare |
Licence | SIL Open Font License 1.1 | ITF Free Font License |
Commercial use | Yes | Yes |
Modify or redistribute the files | Yes | No |
Styles | 18 (9 weights, 100 to 900, each with italic) | 5 weights with italics |
Variable font | Yes: weight and optical size axes | Yes: weight axis |
Tabular numbers ( | Yes | Check the current release |
Slashed zero, stylistic sets | Yes ( | Limited |
Usage in our 33-template dataset | 33 of 33 | 0 of 33 |
Where Inter wins
Inter was designed for screens and for the whole range of interface work. Its own site describes it as “carefully crafted & designed for a wide range of applications, from detailed user interfaces to marketing & signage.” Three features matter most in product UI:
- Optical size axis: Inter 4 includes an
opszaxis, so text sizes get more open letterforms and display sizes get tighter, refined shapes from one family - Tabular numbers: the
tnumfeature gives every digit the same width, so numbers in tables, prices and dashboards line up in columns - Disambiguation features: slashed zero and stylistic sets help in data-heavy screens where
0andOor1andlmust never be confused
The open licence is the other advantage. You can subset Inter, self-host it, bundle it in an app and ship it in a design system without checking terms for each use.
Where Satoshi wins
Satoshi's advantage is character. It sits between a grotesque and a geometric sans, and it gives a marketing site a distinct look while staying readable. For a landing page, a brand site or a portfolio, that difference is worth more than a deep OpenType feature set.
Its main limits are practical. The licence allows commercial use but not modifying or redistributing the font files, which matters if you want to subset it for an app or include it in an open-source project. Read the current terms on Fontshare before shipping, and see our Fontshare review and font licensing guide for how the ITF licence compares.
How to decide in ten minutes
Run the same test with both fonts in your own design, not on a specimen page:
- Set a real screen from your product or site in each font
- Check body text at 14 and 16 px and labels at 12 px
- Put a table of numbers in each and see whether columns align
- Look at a line of mixed characters:
0O 1lI rn m - Compare the headline at your real hero size
If the product has dashboards, tables or dense forms, Inter usually wins steps 3 and 4. If the site is mostly marketing pages, Satoshi usually wins step 5, and steps 3 and 4 matter less.
Can you pair them?
You can, though it's rarely needed. A common pattern is Satoshi for headings and Inter for body text and UI. Keep the pairing to two families and give each a clear role, as we describe in our guide to Google Font pairings. The median template in our dataset used two families.
Frequently asked questions
Is Satoshi better than Inter? Neither is better in general. Inter has more styles, an optical-size axis and tabular numbers, which suit product UI. Satoshi has a more distinctive look, which suits marketing sites.
Is Satoshi free for commercial use? Yes, under the ITF Free Font License from Fontshare. It doesn't allow modifying or redistributing the font files. Check the current licence text before shipping.
Is there a Google Font similar to Satoshi? Several geometric-leaning grotesques on Google Fonts are close in tone. Compare them at your real sizes, since similarity at display sizes can disappear at 14 px.
Why is Inter so common? It's free under an open licence, it's built for screens, and it's a default in widely used design tools. In our dataset it appeared in all 33 templates.
Last updated: 13 September 2026.
Sources: Inter, rsms.me, accessed 13 September 2026 · Satoshi on Fontshare, accessed 13 September 2026 · DiverseKit, What fonts do real Framer templates use?
