Google Fonts make it easier for developers and designers to use web fonts. Typography is a key element of website design, and the choice of font can significantly impact how your content is received. Here are the best Google Serif Fonts for 2026 that every designer should know. Also check out the top Sans-Serif Fonts used by web designers.
Merriweather
Merriweather, designed by Sorkin Type, was created to be a text face that is pleasant to read on screens. It features a very large x-height, slightly condensed letterforms, mild diagonal stress, sturdy serifs, and open forms. Merriweather Sans is a sans-serif version that closely harmonizes with this serif family. Merriweather is featured on more than 2,900,000 websites.
Popular Pairings with Merriweather:
- Open Sans
- Oswald
- Montserrat
- Lato
- Roboto
Playfair Display
Playfair Display is designed by Claus Eggers Sørensen, a type designer based in Amsterdam. Playfair is a transitional design featured on more than 3,700,000 websites. Being a Display (large size) design in the transitional genre, it can accompany Georgia for body text.
Popular Pairings with Playfair Display:
- Lato
- Roboto
- Raleway
- Oswald
- Open Sans Condensed
Lora
Lora is a contemporary serif with roots in calligraphy designed by Cyreal. Technically optimized for screen appearance, it works equally well in print. Lora is a text typeface with moderate contrast appropriate for body text. A paragraph set in Lora makes a great appearance because of its brushed curves. Lora is featured on more than 1,500,000 websites.
Popular Pairings with Lora:
- Open Sans
- Lato
- Raleway
- Montserrat
- Roboto
PT Serif
PT Serif is designed by ParaType. The fonts include standard Western, Central European, and Cyrillic code pages. It is designed to work with PT Sans and harmonized across metrics, proportions, weights, and design. The family consists of six styles: regular and bold weights with italics, plus two caption styles. PT Serif is featured on more than 1,000,000 websites.
Popular Pairings with PT Serif:
- Open Sans
- PT Sans
- Roboto
- Source Sans Pro
- Oswald
Noto Serif
Noto Serif, designed by Google, is featured on more than 550,000 websites. Noto helps make the web more beautiful across platforms for all languages. Currently covering over 30 scripts, this is the Serif Latin, Greek, and Cyrillic family with Regular, Bold, Italic, and Bold Italic styles. Noto fonts are designed to be visually harmonious across multiple languages.
Popular Pairings with Noto Serif:
- Noto Sans
- Inconsolata
- Open Sans
- Lato
- Roboto
Bitter
Bitter is designed by Sol Matas Huerta for Huerta Tipográfica from Argentina. Designed specifically for comfortable screen reading, it has little variation in stroke weight, with the Regular being thicker than typical print designs. This creates intense color in paragraphs, accentuated by thick serifs with square terminals. Bitter is featured on more than 710,000 websites.
Popular Pairings with Bitter:
- Open Sans
- Source Sans Pro
- Roboto
- Lato
- Oswald
Arvo
Arvo is designed by Anton Koovit. In Finnish, “Arvo” means “number, value, worth.” Arvo is a geometric slab-serif typeface family suitable for screen and print. The font style is rather mixed, being nearly monolinear to increase legibility. Arvo is featured on more than 700,000 websites and is particularly popular in the USA.
Popular Pairings with Arvo:
- Open Sans
- Lato
- Roboto
- Oswald
- Raleway
Crimson Text
Crimson Text is designed by Sebastian Kosch. This font family was created specifically for book production in the tradition of beautiful old-style typefaces. Crimson Text is featured on more than 450,000 websites and is popular in the USA.
Popular Pairings with Crimson Text:
- Open Sans
- Lato
- Raleway
- Roboto
- Lora
Libre Baskerville
Libre Baskerville is designed by Impallari Type. This web font is optimized for body text (typically 16px). Based on the American Type Founder’s Baskerville from 1941, it has a taller x-height, wider counters, and less contrast for excellent screen reading. Libre Baskerville is featured on more than 3,000,000 websites.
Popular Pairings with Libre Baskerville:
- Poppins
- Lato
- Roboto
- Oswald
- Playfair Display
Cormorant Garamond
Cormorant Garamond is developed by Christian Thalmann. Featured on more than 2,000,000 websites, this free display type family contains 45 font files spanning 9 visual styles (Roman, Italic, Infant, Infant Italic, Garamond, Garamond Italic, Upright Cursive, Small Caps, and Unicase) and 5 weights (Light, Regular, Medium, SemiBold, and Bold).
Popular Pairings with Cormorant Garamond:
- Lato
- Roboto
- Playfair Display
- Oswald
- Raleway
Related Font Collections
- Top Sans-Serif Fonts – Clean, modern typefaces
- Handwritten Fonts – Personal, artistic typefaces
- Design Resources Guide – Complete toolkit for designers
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a serif font?
A serif font has small decorative strokes (called serifs) at the ends of the main strokes of letters. These fonts are often considered more traditional and are popular for body text in print because the serifs help guide the eye along lines of text.
When should I use serif fonts?
Serif fonts work well for body text in long-form content, formal documents, and designs that need a classic or elegant feel. They pair well with sans-serif fonts for headings to create visual contrast.
Are Google Fonts free to use?
Yes, all Google Fonts are free to use for personal and commercial projects. They are open source and can be self-hosted or loaded directly from Google’s servers.