Inter is and feels much more similar to SF Pro than Helvetica (rounding, the R, dots on lowercase I, design for screen vs. print). That said, they're both great fonts.
My favorite sans-serif font is Meta by Erik Spiekermann which is described as the anthesis of Helvetica. It appeals to my exact nature and has humanist touches like the bend at the top of ascenders (b, h, k, l). Fira Sans is a free alternative that is derived from it and works well when Meta is not an option. For code samples, Fira Code pairs well with it.
Helvetica praise always feels like wine commentary to me. 20% of it is probably on point, 80% is the reviewer stroking their ego. It's really boring. It's not even Vanilla.
