Helvetica
Shares rank 20 of 26 typefaces by recommenders
A classic sans-serif that people pick for signage and as a default choice; critics say it works poorly for longer body text.
A classic sans-serif that people pick for signage and as a default choice; critics say it works poorly for longer body text.
8 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 6
- criticize it
- 2
- approval share
- 75%
Recommended in 3 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 6 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 3 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 3 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Classic proper sans-serif choice
“Sans-serifs include Helvetica, Frutiger, Futura, Myriad, Johnston, Optima, Transport, DIN”
Comment from 26 Aug 2026 in “Nebula Sans” “you'd need a serif font, or at least a proper sans serif like Helvetica or SF Pro”
Comment from 11 Dec 2025 in “Rubio stages font coup: Times New Roman ousts Calibri” “I prefer Arial or Helvetica for sans-serif”
Comment from 11 Dec 2025 in “Rubio stages font coup: Times New Roman ousts Calibri”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Poor for longer texts
“Helvetica is great for signage, but in my opinion it isn't great for longer texts.”
Comment from 11 Dec 2025 in “Rubio stages font coup: Times New Roman ousts Calibri”
Other typefaces people recommend
The four most recommended other typefaces, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Times New Roman | 35 | 28 | 56% | 4 | — | — |
| Atkinson Hyperlegible | 23 | 2 | 92% | 6 | — | Approved |
| Shantell Sans | 19 | 1 | 95% | 2 | — | — |
| Calibri | 16 | 36 | 31% | 1 | — | — |
| HelveticaThis page | 6 | 2 | 75% | 3 | — | — |
What people said
All 8 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“it’s a spectacular documentary.”
“Now, I like Helvetica, but I also love the pure character of Fira Sans”
“Sans-serifs include Helvetica, Frutiger, Futura, Myriad, Johnston, Optima, Transport, DIN”
“Helvetica Neue is widely considered one of the worst fonts”
“should never be used for anything, because of their ambiguous glyph shapes”
“you'd need a serif font, or at least a proper sans serif like Helvetica or SF Pro”
“Helvetica is great for signage, but in my opinion it isn't great for longer texts.”
“I prefer Arial or Helvetica for sans-serif”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.