Compare Fonts → Sans Serif → Roboto vs Open Sans

Roboto vs Open Sans

Both are sans serif faces on Google Fonts. Open Sans has the larger x-height, so it looks bigger at the same size. Open Sans takes more horizontal space.

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Roboto

Handgloves & Quartz Jockeys

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. Pack my box with five dozen liquor jugs, then ship it to 1,842 Grove Street by 9:30 AM.

Open Sans

Handgloves & Quartz Jockeys

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. Pack my box with five dozen liquor jugs, then ship it to 1,842 Grove Street by 9:30 AM.

Measured differences

Measured from the font files. Heights and widths are shown as a share of the font size, so they compare directly at any point size.
Measurement	Roboto	Open Sans	Difference
x-heightHeight of lowercase letters, as a share of the font size. Higher reads larger at the same point size.	52.8%	53.5%	0.7%
Cap heightHeight of capitals, as a share of the font size.	71.1%	71.4%	0.3%
x-height to cap ratioProportion of lowercase to uppercase. Higher feels more modern and open.	0.74	0.75	0.01
Stroke weightMeasured thickness of a vertical stroke. Higher is heavier on the page.	9.1%	8.4%	0.7%
Stroke contrastHorizontal stroke divided by vertical. 1.0 is even; below 0.5 means strong thick-thin modulation.	0.82	0.81	0.01
Average character widthMean lowercase advance. Higher takes more horizontal space.	49.9%	52.2%	2.3%

Where they diverge most

Average character width: Roboto measures 49.9%, Open Sans measures 52.2%. Mean lowercase advance. Higher takes more horizontal space.
Stroke weight: Roboto measures 9.1%, Open Sans measures 8.4%. Measured thickness of a vertical stroke. Higher is heavier on the page.
x-height: Roboto measures 52.8%, Open Sans measures 53.5%. Height of lowercase letters, as a share of the font size. Higher reads larger at the same point size.

At a glance

	Roboto	Open Sans
Category	Sans Serif	Sans Serif
Weights	9	6
Variable axes	2	2
Language subsets	9	10
Designer	Christian Robertson	Steve Matteson