Free alternatives to Sabon
Sabon (Linotype): Sabon, designed by Jan Tschichold in 1967, is a Garamond interpretation engineered to look identical across the metal typesetting systems of its day. It is a benchmark book face: even, dignified, and highly readable in long text.
Sabon and the reworked Sabon Next are commercial Linotype families licensed through Monotype, priced per style with separate web and app licensing.
EB Garamond revives the same 16th-century Garamond sources Tschichold worked from, making it the most historically aligned free substitute for Sabon in book and editorial settings.
Crimson Text was designed as a free old-style book face inspired by classics including Sabon itself. It is slightly narrower but fills the same long-form text role well.
Cormorant Garamond covers the display end: title pages, pull quotes, and covers where Sabon's larger sizes would appear. It is too light and delicate for body text.
Sorts Mill Goudy is an old-style revival with true small caps and old-style figures, matching the typographic features book designers reach for Sabon to get. The letterforms are Goudy's, not Garamond's, so it is a loose match in detail.
Sabon is a trademark of its owner and is not distributed by DaFontFonts. This page recommends independent open-licence typefaces with a comparable feel; they are not copies and render with their own metrics and details.
Questions
Is Sabon available for free?
No. Sabon is a commercial Linotype typeface. For a free Garamond-style book face with a proper commercial license, use EB Garamond or Crimson Text instead.
What should I use instead of Sabon for a self-published book?
EB Garamond is the closest free match and is proven in long text. Crimson Text is a good second choice with a slightly more compact fit. Both are free for commercial use, including print-on-demand books.