A strong library of icons is table stakes for modern designers, developers, and data analysts. SVG and PNG Icons provide visual clarity and aesthetic appeal that can boost conversion rates for e-commerce stores or on pricing pages for SaaS companies. Slide decks with great use of icon graphics can also be seen as more professional and digestible, resulting in a higher likelihood of buy-in from prospects and investors.
Whether you are designing a landing page, creating marketing materials, or developing an app, having access to high-quality vector and raster icons can make a significant difference.
This post will guide you through the 6 best sites for how to get free icons, pulling in observations, research, and additional feedback collected from impartial sources like G2, Trustpilot.
By the end of this short blog post, you’ll have a solid understanding of your options for the best places to get free vector icons.
Criteria for Choosing the Best Websites for Free Icons
When selecting the best websites for free icons, consider the following criteria:
- Quality of icons: High-quality icons are crucial for creating professional and visually appealing designs. Look for websites that offer crisp, clear, and well-designed icons.
- Variety and diversity: A diverse collection of icons ensures that you can find the perfect icon for any project. Choose websites that offer a wide range of styles, themes, and categories.
- Licensing and usage rights: Understanding the licensing and usage rights is important to ensure that you can legally use the icons in your projects. Look for websites that provide clear and flexible licensing terms.
Ease of use and download process: The website should be user-friendly, with a simple and efficient download process. This will save you time and effort when searching for and downloading icons.
Enhance your design with free icons
Top Websites for Free Icons
You may be wondering: What are the best websites for downloading free and affordable icons? We’ve compiled a list of the top 6 free icon sites, along with the unique strengths and weaknesses of each.
- Noun Project
- Flat Icon
- Icons8
- Vecteezy
- Iconmonstr
- Icons Mind
Let’s dive in and explore what makes each option special, and why you might choose one over the other.
Noun Project
Strengths:
- Most extensive collection of high-quality icons for just about everything.
- Art-quality content with gallery-style browse experience.
- Entire library of icons is free to download in SVG or PNG format.
Weaknesses:
- Creating a free account is fast, but required to download free content.
- To use icons in commercial projects without providing attribution, a Pro plan is required.
- Editing icons quickly and easily in color, background, and orientation requires a Pro plan.
Noun Project is the number one site to get free icons for a reason.
Ok, we may be a little biased, but hear us out: Noun Project offers the world’s most extensive collection of high-quality icons and allows you to build phenomenally compelling visual content for $0.
The site is trusted by over 10 million designers, marketers, and business professionals. Noun Project has also partnered with major leaders in the design and media space including Adobe, Canva, Mural, Typeform, the New York Times and more.
A popular choice among designers for its vast library of icons that cater to a wide range of themes and styles, Noun Project offers unique and exclusive content via its engaging Iconathon collections – with socially progressive categories like Investigative Journalism, Pride, Artificial Intelligence, and Redefining Women.
The icons are meticulously crafted and maintained by a global network of specialty designers, ensuring a professional and cohesive look for your projects.
Full access to all features, such as quick edit tools, requires a subscription which may be a limitation for some users. However, Noun Project’s Pro plans are among the most affordable and comprehensive options available.
Flaticon
Strengths:
- Offers a large variety of icons and icon styles in multiple formats, leading to an overwhelming amount of options.
- Lots of search filters to manually refine towards more relevant search results.
- Powered by Freepik, one of the largest conglomerates in the design space.
Weaknesses:
- Features that were previously free, like downloading in SVG format, now require a paid plan.
- Too many rules in their commercial use, limiting icons for advertising.
- Platform performance issues, particularly slow search speeds.
- Complicated user experience and frequent technical issues, even for premium users.
- Service experience can be lacking according to reviews.
Flaticon is a popular platform offering a huge collection of icons in multiple formats. It is particularly useful for its variety. However, the platform has received feedback about its complex rules for commercial use and a noticeable shift towards monetization, with previously free features now requiring a premium membership. Additionally, users have reported performance issues and a complicated user experience, even for premium users.ation, with previously free features now requiring a premium membership. Additionally, users have reported performance issues and a complicated user experience, even for premium users.
Icons8
Strengths:
- Icons come with a consistent design style.
- Site offers other creative resources such as music.
Weaknesses:
- Limited customization options.
- Poor quality for free account users, with limited SVG downloads according to user reports.
- Website performance issues, including frequent crashes and slow loading times according to user reports.
Icons8 provides a consistent design style across its icon library, which is beneficial for maintaining a cohesive look in your projects. The platform offers a variety of free icons, but the quality and availability of SVG downloads for free users are limited. Additionally, users have reported frequent website crashes and slow loading times, which can be frustrating when working on tight deadlines.
Vecteezy
Strengths:
- Provides both icons and vector clip art.
- Site also offers photos and videos.
Weaknesses:
- Site navigation can be cumbersome, with many categories and filters.
- Images not always relevant to search queries.
- Slow download speeds.
- High presence of ads and affiliate links.
- Limited free content and some low-quality options.
Vecteezy offers a diverse range of free icons and vectors, making it a versatile resource for designers. The platform provides a variety of styles and categories, but site navigation can be cumbersome due to the numerous filters and categories. Users have also reported that search results are not always relevant, download speeds can be slow, and the presence of ads and affiliate links can be distracting. Additionally, the quality of some free content is lacking.
Iconmonstr
Strengths:
- Simple and clean icons, easy to use.
- Consistent style in iconography.
Weaknesses:
- Smaller collection compared to other sites.
- Clunky user interface according to user reports.
- Limited to SVGs, no PNG options.
- No customization options.
- Few icon themes to choose from.
Iconmonstr is known for its simple and clean icon designs, making it a user-friendly option for designers looking for straightforward icons. The platform offers a smaller collection compared to other sites, which can be a limitation if you need a wider variety. The user interface is considered clunky by some users, and the platform only offers SVG formats with no options for PNG. There are also no customization options available, which can be a drawback for more
IconsMind
Strengths:
- Offers unique and creative icons not found elsewhere.
- Allows users to download a large, predefined set of thousands of icons.
Weaknesses:
- Icons only available as a pack, not individually downloadable.
- Limited free options, with high pricing for the paid pack.
- Very slow load time on website.
- Icons perceived as generic and lacking uniqueness.
- Free collection is very limited, mostly paid.
IconsMind stands out for its unique and creative icons that are not commonly found on other platforms. However, the free collection is very limited, and most icons are only available through a paid pack. Users have noted that icons are only available as a pack, not individually, which can be inconvenient. The pricing for the paid pack is considered high, and some users find the icons to be generic and lacking uniqueness.
Conclusion
Icons are vital for enhancing the visual appeal and functionality of your projects. While there are many websites offering free icons, it is important to choose the one that best suits your needs. Noun Project stands out due to its extensive and high-quality collection. However, other platforms like Flaticon, Icons8, Vecteezy, Iconmonstr, and IconsMind also offer valuable resources, each with their unique strengths and weaknesses. Evaluate your specific requirements and select the platform that aligns best with your design goals.