Roboto
The Android system face
Type specimen
The specimen uses the official Google Fonts subset when available, otherwise a font installed on this device. If neither exists the browser falls back to a system font, so treat the official download page as authoritative.
About this font
Android's system face and arguably the most-installed open Latin typeface on earth. Robertson drew it as a neo-grotesque skeleton on friendly geometric legs: rounded curves, moderate apertures, restraint with a mechanical warmth. Twelve weights plus italics, variable build, Latin-Cyrillic-Greek coverage, and the whole Material Design language rides on it. Its CSS name is a web developer reflex. The only complaint is ubiquity; for interface text and multi-weight systems, its metrics stability remains class-leading.
Note: Android 12+ ships Roboto Flex, but classic Roboto is still delivered on Google Fonts under the same Apache 2.0 terms. Because many devices carry it natively, referencing 'Roboto' in CSS often costs zero download.
Where it works best
Right for Android and Material products, cross-platform web apps, design systems needing a long weight ladder. Picks: 400 body, 500 labels, 700 emphasis. Brand work wanting novelty should reach for Space Grotesk or Manrope; work wanting zero risk reaches for Roboto.
| Weights | 12 |
|---|---|
| First release | 2011 |
| Designed by | Christian Robertson |
| Rights holder | Google (Christian Robertson) |
| Scripts | Latin |
| Licence | Apache-2.0 Apache License 2.0 |
| Variable font | Supported |
Licence and commercial boundaries
Licence：Apache License 2.0
A software-style open licence, more permissive than OFL: commercial use, modification and closed-source embedding with redistribution, requiring only that copyright and licence notices are kept, with an explicit patent grant. Roboto ships under it.
Apache 2.0 - broader even than OFL: commercial use, modification, distribution and closed embedding, with only copyright and licence notices to retain. The legal reason it is the embedded default across commercial software.
Hard restrictions
- Keep Apache notices when distributing or embedding.
Official channels
- Go to official download → https://fonts.google.com/specimen/Roboto
- Official alternative download → https://github.com/googlefonts/roboto-2
- Read the original licence → https://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
Last verified：2026-09-07
This site is an index of publicly available information. It does not host, mirror or distribute any font file and does not warrant any licence. Rights holders may change terms, split free and paid editions, or withdraw a permission at any time. Before commercial use, verify the licence on the official page and keep a dated screenshot as evidence. For trademarks, overseas publication and large-scale embedding, consult an IP professional.