WhatFont alternative: Sitegeist
Looking for a WhatFont alternative? WhatFont earned millions of installs by doing one thing: hover any text and it names the font. The trouble, as of this writing: its last update shipped in March 2024, and reviews since report it breaking on newer Chrome releases, with clicks doing nothing and detection misfiring.
Sitegeist reads typography at the system level. Instead of identifying one glyph at a time, it lists every font family the page actually loaded, with each weight shown individually and variable fonts flagged, and lays out the full type scale: every heading and body level with its family, size, weight, and line height, rendered as live specimens. Typography analysis is entirely free, and the extension is actively maintained.
Choose one in 10 seconds
Choose Sitegeist if you want
- Every loaded font and weight in one list
- The full type scale with live specimens
- The rest of the design system in the same panel
- A tool that ships updates
Choose WhatFont if you want
- The simplest possible hover-to-identify pointer
- Webfont service attribution on hover
- A tool you already know, if it still works for you
Feature comparison
| Feature | Sitegeist | WhatFont |
|---|---|---|
| Hover a glyph to identify it | No (panel view instead) | Yes (core feature) |
| All loaded fonts with individual weights | Yes | No |
| Variable font detection | Yes | No |
| Full type scale with specimens | Yes | No |
| Colors, buttons, spacing, tech, SEO | Yes | No |
| Actively maintained | Yes | Last update Mar 2024 |
| Price | Free / $19.99 one-time Pro | Free |
FAQ
Why is WhatFont not working?
WhatFont's most recent update shipped in March 2024, and store reviews since then report it failing on newer Chrome releases: clicks doing nothing, wrong colors, and pages needing reloads, as of this writing.
Does Sitegeist identify fonts like WhatFont?
Sitegeist lists every font family the page actually loaded, with each weight shown individually and variable fonts flagged, plus the full type scale. It reads what the page uses rather than identifying a font from hover.
Is Sitegeist free like WhatFont?
Yes. Typography analysis, including loaded fonts, weights, and the full type scale, is part of the free tier. Pro covers exports and batch tools at $19.99 one time.
What does WhatFont do that Sitegeist does not?
WhatFont's single trick is hovering any glyph to name it, including which webfont service served it. If that pointer is exactly what you want and it works in your browser, it remains the simplest tool for the job.