Comparison of MonoLisa vs. Fira Code
Written by Juho Vepsäläinen, Marcus Sterz on . Last updated on .
Tags: MonoLisa vs Fira CodeFira Code alternativecoding fontsprogramming fonts
If you are weighing Fira Code against MonoLisa Code, this article shows the same code in both fonts and calls out the details that may change how it reads. We compare punctuation, ligatures, ambiguous characters, italics, and terminal symbols before summarizing the feature differences. The italic specimen uses a software slant for Fira Code and a separately drawn italic for MonoLisa, so keep that setup in mind as you look through the examples.
Reading texture
MonoLisa’s commas and bracket ends are more angular and heavier in this sample. The enlargements isolate those details; in parseToken, they give punctuation more emphasis beside the letters, especially around the array access and the returned object.
Coding ligatures and character variants
Fira Code links the two ampersands in &&, while MonoLisa keeps two distinct shapes. Both join !== and the arrows, so the choice is also about how familiar each symbol remains when you scan an expression.
Characters that are easy to confuse
Compare 0O, then 1lI|: which details help you separate each character? Ligatures are disabled here, so you can also inspect rn beside m and the individual strokes in punctuation. Try these pairs at your usual editor size.
Italics and style range
MonoLisa supplies separately drawn italic forms; Fira Code has no italic font, so we show a software-generated slant. The enlarged pairs highlight MonoLisa’s changed a construction and descending f, while Fira’s upright shapes simply lean; compare those letters in the code below.
Terminal symbols
Both fonts include the prompt separators, table borders, and progress-bar characters shown below. The colored segments show how the Powerline arrows meet their backgrounds; the table gives you horizontal and vertical joins to check at your own terminal’s line spacing.
Which font should you choose?
Choose Fira Code for a free, open-source font with coding ligatures. Try MonoLisa if you want the distinct italic letterforms shown here or prefer its more prominent punctuation; use a file with both comments and code to judge those differences in your editor.
Try MonoLisa in your editor
The free trial includes Regular and Bold with a limited character set. Use it to judge letterforms in your editor; explore coding ligatures, OpenType features, and grade adjustment in the online tester, since those are omitted from the trial. See checkout for current pricing.
At a glance
| Category | MonoLisa Code | Fira Code |
|---|---|---|
| Languages (measured)* | 593 | 395 |
| Writing systems | 5 (Latin, Cyrillic, Greek, Hebrew, Armenian) | 3 (Latin, Cyrillic, Greek) |
| Drawn italics | Yes | No |
| Fixed weights | 10 | 6 |
| Variable axes | Weight (wght), grade (GRAD) | Weight (wght) |
| Style control | 15 stylistic sets, 12 character variants | 10 stylistic sets, 32 character variants |
| Coding ligatures | Yes | Yes |
| Terminal symbols | Yes | Yes |
| Proportional counterpart | MonoLisa Text (separate purchase or bundle) | Yes, Fira Sans |
| Price | Paid; limited free trial | Free and open source |
| Source | monolisa.dev | Fira Code GitHub repository |
View comparison infographic
Measurement notes
The italic comparison renders MonoLisa’s italic font file beside Fira Code Regular with a 10° rightward software slant. The angle matches the magnitude of post.italicAngle in the measured MonoLisa file; HarfBuzz applies it with --font-slant=0.17632698070846498 (the tangent of 10°). Both the enlarged details and the code use this setting. Fira’s upright outlines and advance widths are otherwise unchanged. This is a reproducible example of synthesis, not a claim about every editor’s default angle. Regenerate with node scripts/render-comparison-svgs.mjs scripts/comparison-fonts.local.json fira-code.
The terminal windows use identical text at a nominal 22 px with 33 px table line spacing, ligatures disabled, and the same theme colors. Powerline separators and standard Unicode block progress bars come from each font’s own outlines. Segment backgrounds follow measured glyph advances; missing characters retain the font’s missing-glyph outline with no fallback. Actual terminal line-height and fallback settings may change the joins. Regenerate with node scripts/render-comparison-svgs.mjs scripts/comparison-fonts.local.json --terminal-only.
* Language counts use Hyperglot 0.8.1, run locally with primary orthographies, living languages, and base-character support. Shaping is disabled. The command was:
.venv-hyperglot/bin/hyperglot --no-shaping --orthography primary --status living --check base <font-file>
MonoLisa Code exposes liga, dlig, calt, zero, ss01–ss15, and cv01–cv12; Fira Code exposes calt, zero, ss01–ss10, and cv01–cv32. MonoLisa has 10 named weights in upright and italic styles. Fira Code has 6 fixed weights; its variable file has 5 named upright weights from Light through Bold. Both fonts cover Powerline 6/6, box drawing 128/128, and block elements 32/32, with internally aligned vertical metrics.
The enlarged details use the same font files as the complete specimens, at equal nominal sizes for both fonts. Glyphs are centered independently. The circles are annotations behind the outlines; MonoLisa’s upright and italic details use their respective font files, while Fira’s slanted details use the synthesis described above. Regenerate them with node scripts/render-comparison-svgs.mjs scripts/comparison-fonts.local.json --focus-only.