What's the best format for an icon?
It depends on where the icon will live. An icon in a website's navigation has very different needs from an app icon on a phone home screen or the little image in a browser tab. The honest answer is to match the format to the job: SVG when the icon must scale, PNG when you need a fixed-size raster image with transparency, and a combination of ICO and PNG for a favicon. The table below summarises the common cases.
| Use | Recommended format |
|---|---|
| UI / website icons that scale | SVG |
| App icons | PNG |
| Stickers / emoji-style images | PNG |
| Website favicon | ICO + PNG |
| Photographic icons / thumbnails | PNG (never JPG for line art) |
Why is SVG best for scalable UI icons?
SVG is a vector format, so it describes shapes with maths rather than a fixed grid of pixels. That means an SVG icon stays razor sharp at any size — 16px in a menu or 96px on a feature card — from a single file. The files are usually tiny, and because SVG is text you can restyle it with CSS, changing colour or size without exporting a new asset. For interface icons that need to scale and adapt, nothing beats it. If you're new to vectors, start with what is an SVG.
When is PNG the right choice for app icons and stickers?
PNG is the standard for raster icons: app icons, store listings, stickers and any icon with detailed shading or a fixed pixel size. PNG supports full transparency and keeps crisp, lossless edges, so flat colours and sharp lines stay clean at small sizes. Export PNG at the exact dimensions each platform asks for rather than scaling one file up. If you need to produce a specific size, you can resize a PNG — and if you want a deeper primer, see what is a PNG.
Why does a favicon need an ICO plus PNGs?
A favicon is the tiny icon in a browser tab and bookmark bar. The most reliable approach is to ship an ICO file, which can pack several sizes (16px, 32px, 48px) into one file that browsers expect, alongside PNG versions for modern browsers and Apple touch icons. You can convert a PNG to ICO or generate the whole set at once with the favicon generator.
Why shouldn't you use JPG for icons?
Avoid JPG for icons completely. JPG has no transparency, so your icon arrives stuck to a solid rectangle instead of sitting cleanly on any background. Worse, JPG's lossy compression introduces fuzzy artefacts around the sharp edges and flat colours that icons depend on, which is exactly where they look worst at small sizes. Keep an SVG or large PNG master, export the sizes you need from it, and leave JPG for photographs.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the best all-round format for icons?
- SVG for anything that needs to scale, like UI and website icons, and PNG for raster icons such as app icons and stickers. There is no single best format — it depends on where the icon will be used.
- Should I use JPG for icons?
- No. JPG has no transparency and its lossy compression smears the sharp edges and flat colours that icons rely on, so small icons look blurry. Use SVG or PNG instead.
- Why does a favicon need both an ICO and PNG files?
- An ICO file can pack several sizes into one file, which older browsers expect, while modern browsers and Apple touch icons read PNGs. Shipping both covers every device.
- Should I keep a master file for my icons?
- Yes. Keep an SVG or a large PNG master and export the exact sizes you need from it. That way every size stays crisp and you never enlarge a small icon, which always looks soft.