How we picked these tools
We judged these on the things that actually matter for icons: whether they produce a proper multi-size ICO, how cleanly they generate a full favicon set, privacy, and price. Some links to third-party products are affiliate links, which means we may earn a commission if you sign up — at no extra cost to you. See our affiliate disclosure for the details. It never changes which tools we recommend or the order they appear in.
1. PNGifier — best free, private, in-browser ICO converter
PNGifier turns a PNG into a multi-size ICO entirely inside your browser, so your logo never gets uploaded to anyone's server — no signup, no watermark, nothing left behind. Our PNG to ICO converter packs the standard 16×16, 32×32, and 48×48 sizes into one .ico, and if you want the full set for a website, the favicon generator produces the icons a modern site needs. Already have an icon you want to edit? The ICO to PNG tool goes the other way.
The honest trade-off: it focuses on doing the common favicon and ICO jobs quickly and privately, rather than offering every advanced packaging option a dedicated favicon service does. If you're new to the format, our notes on what an ICO file is, the PNG vs ICO comparison, and our guide to the best image format for icons are good background. Browse the full toolkit any time.
2. RealFaviconGenerator — best for a complete favicon package
RealFaviconGenerator is the gold standard when you want every base covered. Upload one image and it generates the favicon.ico, the Apple touch icons, the Android and PWA icons, and the web manifest — then shows live previews of how the icon looks in a browser tab, on an iPhone home screen, and as a pinned tab, with per-platform tweaks if you want them.
It's a free web tool, and it's more than you need for a humble single .ico. But for a production website where you want the icon to look right everywhere, the HTML snippet it hands you and the thoroughness of the output are hard to beat.
3. Favicon.io — best for text and emoji favicons
Favicon.io is the quick, friendly option, and its party trick is generating a favicon from a letter or an emoji as well as from a PNG. Pick a background, a font, and a character, and you get a tidy favicon set in seconds — perfect for a side project or MVP that doesn't have a logo yet.
It's a free web tool that uploads your image to generate the files, and its output is a little less exhaustive than RealFaviconGenerator's. For getting a clean favicon onto a new site fast — especially without artwork — it's a delight.
4. ICO Convert — best for custom-size Windows icons
ICO Convert (icoconvert.com) leans into the Windows-icon side of the format. As well as a straightforward PNG-to-ICO conversion, it lets you choose exactly which sizes to embed — including larger ones like 128×128 and 256×256 — and add simple effects, which is handy when the .ico is for an application or desktop shortcut rather than a browser tab.
It's a free web tool that uploads your image, and the interface shows its age, but few converters give you this much control over the sizes packed into a single icon. If you specifically need a custom multi-size Windows .ico, it's a solid pick.
5. CloudConvert — best for automation and an API
CloudConvert converts PNG to ICO reliably and, more usefully, does it through an API. If you're generating icons as part of a build step or a backend that takes user-uploaded logos and spits out favicons, it's the option that fits into code rather than a web form.
Your files are uploaded to its servers, and the free tier is metered in conversion minutes per day, so steady use means a paid plan. For a one-off favicon it's overkill — but for programmatic icon generation it's exactly the right shape.
How to choose an ICO converter
Decide what you're really making. If you just need a favicon.ico for a simple site, a quick private converter that outputs a multi-size .ico is all you want. If you're shipping a polished website, reach for a package generator so iPhones, Android, and pinned tabs all get the right icon. If the .ico is for a Windows app, prioritise a tool that lets you control the embedded sizes. And if icons need to be produced automatically, choose a service with an API. Whatever you pick, start from a clean, square PNG of at least 256×256 — no converter can rescue a blurry source.
Why a browser-based tool wins
A favicon is small, but it's usually your brand, and there's no reason to upload it to a third party just to repackage it. A browser-based converter builds the multi-size .ico on your own machine — nothing to upload, no account, no watermark, and instant output. For the common job of getting a clean favicon onto your site, that's faster and tidier, which is why we built PNGifier to run entirely in the browser.
Frequently asked questions
- What's the difference between an ICO file and a favicon?
- An ICO is a Windows icon container that can hold several sizes of the same image in one file. A favicon is the little icon a browser shows for your site, and the classic favicon.ico is simply an ICO file placed at your site's root. Modern sites also add PNG icons and a web manifest on top of that .ico for phones and high-resolution screens.
- Why does an ICO need multiple sizes?
- Different places display your icon at different sizes — a browser tab, a bookmark bar, a pinned shortcut, the Windows desktop. A multi-size ICO packs 16×16, 32×32, and 48×48 (and sometimes larger) versions into one file so each context can pick the crispest match instead of scaling a single image badly.
- Do I need a full favicon package or just a .ico file?
- For a simple site, a single multi-size favicon.ico at your root is enough. For a polished result across iPhones, Android, and pinned tabs, a full package — favicon.ico plus PNG icons and a manifest — covers every device. Pick the tool to match: a quick converter for the .ico, or a package generator for the lot.
- What source image should I start from?
- Start with a square PNG that's at least 256×256 and looks clear when shrunk small. Simple, high-contrast shapes survive the trip down to 16×16 far better than detailed artwork, because tiny icons lose fine detail no matter which converter you use.