SoundCloud uses Interstate Bold, a sans-serif typeface designed by Tobias Frere-Jones and originally published through Font Bureau.
Interstate appears across the SoundCloud logo, website interface, and mobile app. The Regular weight handles body text and navigation, while Bold carries headings and calls-to-action.
What Type of Font Is Interstate?
Interstate is a grotesque sans-serif, sitting in the same broad category as fonts like Helvetica and Franklin Gothic. If you look up what a grotesque font actually is, Interstate is a textbook example of the style.
Its letterforms have wide spacing, a tall x-height, and terminals cut at 90 degrees on curved strokes. That gives it a very clean, deliberate look, especially at small sizes on screens.
The typeface spans three widths (Normal, Compressed, Condensed) and weights from Hairline to Ultra Black. SoundCloud primarily sticks to Regular and Bold in its interface.
The design connection to highway signage is obvious once you know about it. Those angled terminals on letters like “t” and “l” are pulled straight from road-sign logic, where letters need to stay legible at speed and distance.
Who Designed Interstate?
Tobias Frere-Jones designed Interstate between 1993 and 1999 while working at Font Bureau, a type foundry based in the United States.
The font draws from the FHWA series of signage alphabets, originally developed by Dr. Theodore W. Forbes for the US Federal Highway Administration in 1949. Frere-Jones took those signage letterforms and refined them significantly for print and screen use.
In 2020, ownership transferred from Font Bureau to Frere-Jones Type, Frere-Jones’s independent foundry based in New York. Direct retail sales through Frere-Jones Type began in 2025.
Interstate was acquired by MoMA in 2010 as part of its permanent collection, which says something about how the design world thinks of it. Not many commercial typefaces end up in an art museum.
Is Interstate Free to Use?
Interstate is a commercial font. It is not freely available to download.
- Adobe Fonts: Included with all Creative Cloud subscriptions, cleared for desktop and web use with unlimited pageviews
- Frere-Jones Type: Direct licensing available at frerejones.com starting in 2025
- Desktop license: Historically ranged from around $25 for a single user to $225 for up to 50 users (per older Font Bureau pricing)
- Webfont license: Previously started at around $25 for 10,000 pageviews per month through third-party distributors
If you have an Adobe Creative Cloud subscription, you already have access. That is the easiest route for most designers.
Understanding font licensing matters here because Interstate is a commercial typeface. Using it without the right license in professional or commercial work is a real issue, not just a formality.
What Font Did SoundCloud Use Before?
SoundCloud has used Interstate since its earliest branding. The logo adopted in 2008, one year after the platform launched, already featured Interstate Bold for the wordmark.
The visual identity has evolved in other ways over the years. In 2010, the entire logo shifted to orange, giving the brand its now-iconic color. In 2014, a standalone icon version appeared without any wordmark at all, which became the favicon and app icon.
The typeface itself, though, has remained consistent. SoundCloud has not publicly documented a shift to a different font family at any point in its history.
Free Alternatives to Interstate
Interstate is not on Google Fonts. But there are solid options that share its clarity, spacing, and neutral grotesque character.
| Font | Why It’s Similar | License | Source |
| Overpass | Directly inspired by Highway Gothic; the closest structural match, including the unique terminal on the lowercase “g.” | OFL (Free) | Google Fonts |
| Public Sans | Strong Humanist proportions and open counters; mimics the “Neutral Authority” of government-style type. | OFL (Free) | Google Fonts |
| Barlow | Slightly condensed with a comparable visual weight; captures the industrial, low-contrast look of highway signs. | OFL (Free) | Google Fonts |
| Libre Franklin | A classic American Grotesque; shares the sturdy, utilitarian DNA of the mid-century signage movement. | OFL (Free) | Google Fonts |
Overpass is the most direct substitute. Red Hat commissioned it specifically as an open-source interpretation of Interstate’s proportions and letterforms.
If you want something a bit warmer and more modern for a UI project, Inter is also worth considering. It is not as close stylistically, but it handles screens very well and has excellent tracking at small sizes.
How to Use Interstate (or Its Alternatives) in Design Tools
In Figma
If you have an Adobe Fonts subscription, Interstate syncs automatically via the Creative Cloud desktop app. Open Figma, and the font appears in your font picker without any extra steps.
For the free route: install Overpass from Google Fonts on your system, and it will show up in Figma immediately. No plugin needed. Adding fonts to Figma is as simple as installing them at the OS level.
In Canva
Canva does not include Interstate in its free library. You can upload fonts to Canva if you have a Canva Pro account, which would let you bring in a licensed copy of Interstate.
Otherwise, Overpass is available for upload as a free OFL font. Download it from Google Fonts, then upload the TTF or OTF file directly through Canva’s brand kit.
CSS Implementation
For web projects using Overpass as a free substitute:
“ @import url('https://fonts.googleapis.com/css2?family=Overpass:wght@400;700&display=swap');
body { font-family: ‘Overpass’, sans-serif; } `
If you are working with a licensed copy of Interstate via Adobe Fonts, use the embed code provided in the Adobe Fonts dashboard for your specific project.
Why Did SoundCloud Choose Interstate?
Interstate fits SoundCloud’s platform identity in a specific, practical way. The font was built to be legible at a distance, in variable conditions, across different sizes. That same quality matters a lot in a music streaming interface where track titles, artist names, and UI labels all need to be readable at a glance.
The industrial, utilitarian character of Interstate also positions SoundCloud differently from competitors. Spotify uses custom proprietary fonts. Apple Music leans on the system-level San Francisco. Interstate gives SoundCloud a more raw, creator-forward tone, which tracks with its identity as an open platform where anyone can upload.
The typography choice also reinforces something about the brand’s origins. SoundCloud was built in Berlin by two Swedish developers who wanted a no-frills place to share audio. Interstate is exactly that kind of font: no-frills, direct, and built for function over decoration.
Compare that to how Spotify’s font choices lean more polished and premium. Or how the YouTube font goes for a distinctly clean consumer feel. SoundCloud’s Interstate sits closer to the street than the studio.
The typographic hierarchy SoundCloud builds with Interstate’s Regular and Bold weights is consistent across every touchpoint, from the app to the logo to marketing assets. That kind of consistency is what makes a brand feel solid rather than scattered.
Brands in the streaming and creator platform space often wrestle with whether to go custom or licensed. SoundCloud’s decision to stick with a well-known commercial typeface rather than commissioning something proprietary reflects its identity as a platform for creators, not a corporate entertainment machine.
FAQ on What Font Does SoundCloud Use
What font does SoundCloud use in its logo?
SoundCloud uses Interstate Bold in its logo. It is a grotesque sans-serif typeface designed by Tobias Frere-Jones. The same font family appears across the website and mobile app, making it central to SoundCloud’s entire visual identity.
Is the SoundCloud font the same across the app and website?
Yes. Interstate runs consistently across the logo, the web interface, and the mobile app. SoundCloud uses the Regular weight for body text and navigation, and Bold for headings and key UI elements.
Who designed the Interstate typeface?
Tobias Frere-Jones designed Interstate between 1993 and 1999, originally for Font Bureau. Ownership transferred to his independent practice, Frere-Jones Type, in 2020. The design draws from US Federal Highway Administration signage alphabets developed in 1949.
Is the SoundCloud font free to download?
Interstate is not free. It is a commercial typeface available through Adobe Fonts with a Creative Cloud subscription, or directly from Frere-Jones Type. There is no legitimate free download of the full Interstate font family.
What is the closest free alternative to the SoundCloud font?
Overpass is the closest free alternative. Red Hat commissioned it as an open-source interpretation of Interstate. It is available on Google Fonts at no cost, under the Open Font License, for both personal and commercial use.
What type of font is Interstate?
Interstate is a grotesque sans-serif with wide letter spacing, a tall x-height, and terminals cut at 90 degrees on curved strokes. It belongs to the same broad category as Helvetica and fonts used by fintech platforms that prioritize screen legibility.
Has SoundCloud ever changed its font?
Not officially. Interstate Bold has been part of SoundCloud’s brand since the logo launched in 2008. The color and icon have changed over time, most notably in 2010 when the full logo shifted to orange, but the typeface has stayed consistent.
Can I use the SoundCloud font in Canva or Figma?
Yes, with the right license. Adobe Fonts subscribers can sync Interstate to Figma through the Creative Cloud desktop app. For Canva, you need a Pro account to upload a licensed font file. Alternatively, Overpass works in both tools for free.
Why did SoundCloud choose Interstate as its brand font?
Interstate’s utilitarian, industrial character fits SoundCloud’s identity as an open creator platform. Its high legibility at small sizes works well across streaming UI contexts. It also sets SoundCloud apart visually from competitors that use custom or more polished proprietary typefaces.
How does SoundCloud’s font compare to Spotify’s?
Spotify uses custom-designed proprietary fonts built specifically for its brand. SoundCloud sticks with the commercially licensed Interstate. The result is a more raw, functional tone for SoundCloud versus the more refined, consumer-facing feel of Spotify’s typography.
Conclusion
So, what font does SoundCloud use? Interstate Bold, a grotesque sans-serif typeface with roots in US highway signage, designed by Tobias Frere-Jones for Font Bureau.
The font family covers the full SoundCloud design system, from the wordmark to the streaming UI, using Regular and Bold weights throughout.
Interstate is a commercial typeface licensed through Adobe Fonts or Frere-Jones Type. If you need a free alternative, Overpass on Google Fonts is the closest match, built specifically as an open-source interpretation of Interstate’s proportions.
The SoundCloud brand typography is a deliberate choice, not a default. It reflects the platform’s creator-focused identity and sets it apart from competitors who rely on custom font families built in-house.
Renowned for his expertise in logo design and visual branding, Bogdan has developed a multitude of logos for various clients.
His skills extend to creating posters, vector illustrations, business cards, and brochures. Additionally, Bogdan's UI kits were featured on marketplaces like Visual Hierarchy and UI8.
He also wrote in the past years on sites like Design Your Way, WebDesignerDepot, WPDean, Designmodo, Speckyboy, Slider Revolution, and more.
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Bogdan Sandu is a seasoned designer who has been designing websites since 2008. Renowned for his expertise in logo design and visual branding, Bogdan has developed a multitude of logos for various clients. His skills extend to creating posters, vector illustrations, business cards, and brochures. Additionally, Bogdan's UI kits were featured on marketplaces like Visual Hierarchy and UI8. He also wrote in the past years on sites like Design Your Way, WebDesignerDepot, WPDean, Designmodo, Speckyboy, Slider Revolution, and more.
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