Where to Find Free Icons to Download (43 Online Resources)

By Anupam Tiwari | May 9, 2024 6:21 am

Have you ever had a design project that needs that perfect icon to complete the picture? Creating one from scratch may take significant time especially when the entire project is on the verge of completion. Also, the hunt for the perfect icon can sometimes lead to a dead end, especially when budget constraints come into play.

However, you don't have to break the bank to find an icon that matches your project’s core idea. Ample online resources provide free icons to download, waiting to be incorporated into your next project! From free icons for websites to numerous apps providing icons for free, we'll explore some fantastic resources to help you find the perfect icon without spending a dime. Moreover, you also need to note that AI Design Tools can help you create custom icons in minutes, even if you lack design experience. Let us begin by first discussing why do we need icons.

Why do we need icons?
Where to Find Free Icons to Download?
Wrapping Up

Why do we need icons?

Since we live in an information-dense world, clarity and conciseness are paramount in conveying any idea. This is where icons come in, tiny visual powerhouses that communicate ideas and actions instantly. For instance, consider a website where every function requires lengthy text descriptions. It would be overwhelming and inefficient. Icons (like a house icon for a real estate website or a shopping cart icon for an e-commerce platform) become universal symbols that transcend language barriers. They simplify complex concepts, guide users through interfaces, and elevate the visual appeal of any design. We have listed down a few benefits icons bring to the table:

Improved User Experience (UX): Icons act as visual cues and help users navigate interfaces intuitively. A well-placed icon can instantly communicate an action or function, saving users time and frustration.
Enhanced Clarity and Conciseness: Icons can convey complex ideas in a simple and readily understood format. This is particularly helpful in situations where limited space is available, such as on mobile app interfaces.
Increased Brand Recognition: Icons can become synonymous with your brand, fostering recognition and enhancing brand recall. Think of the iconic Apple logo or ‘X’ icon (Twitter), these simple icons instantly help us recall a specific brand. Suppose you have any envisioned idea for your brand identity design. In that case, you can even try our Logo Maker which offers numerous editable logo templates to create a unique logo that can be further converted into icons.
Global Communication: Since icons transcend language barriers, it makes them ideal for international audiences. A well-designed icon can be understood universally, regardless of the user's native language. Moreover, if you want to design a custom icon for your website, you can use a Favicon Maker to create a catchy icon in minutes.
Aesthetics and Visual Appeal: Icons add a touch of personality and visual interest to any design. They can break up text-heavy content, making it more visually appealing and engaging for users. Additionally, you can also go through a guide on how to create an app store icon for a better idea.

Since icons play such a vital role in enhancing communication and user experience, the next question that arises is, where can you find an ideal icon? In the next section, we will discuss 43 resources offering free icons for commercial use.

Where to Find Free Icons to Download?

We will now discuss 43 online resources that offer a range of icon sets from SVG free icons to animated free icons. A few of these also integrate a free icon generator. So without further ado, let’s start with our list of the resources we have found to download free icons online.

Appy Pie’s App Icon Maker

Appy Pie’s App Icon Maker is a cutting-edge design tool that helps you generate custom icons within minutes. Its intuitive AI technology designs remarkable icons with natural language prompts. It even offers an extensive library of free app icon templates for diverse project fields. You can opt for one and easily edit it for customization with numerous editing options integrated with this tool like adding elements, text, font variations, etc.

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Flaticon

Boasting a massive library with over 8 million icons in various styles and formats, Flaticon is a one-stop shop for all your icon needs. They offer both free and premium icons, with the free plan allowing attribution and providing a decent selection for personal and commercial projects.

Freepik

A design powerhouse, Freepik offers a curated collection of free icons alongside premium options. Their free icons are categorized and searchable, making it easy to find what you're looking for. Plus, many free icons are available in vector format, allowing for easy customization.

The Noun Project

Standing out with its focus on conceptual icons, The Noun Project offers a unique collection that goes beyond basic interface elements. Think abstract ideas like "empathy" or "creativity" represented through minimalist icons – perfect for adding a touch of meaning to your designs.

Icons8

Variety is the name of the game at Icons8. They offer a vast collection of free icons in various styles, including flat, outlined, and filled. They also provide additional design resources like illustrations and stock photos, making it a comprehensive design resource hub.

IconScout

With a focus on high-quality icons, IconScout allows you to filter by style, color, and license type (including free for commercial use). Their user-friendly interface makes browsing and downloading icons super easy.

Canva

Canva isn't just about creating graphic designs, it also offers a decent selection of free icons within its interface. These icons seamlessly integrate with other design elements within Canva, making it a convenient option for quick and easy icon incorporation.

Figma

While Figma is primarily a design collaboration tool, it features a built-in library of free icons readily accessible to users. These icons are well-suited for user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) design projects, offering a variety of styles to match your design needs.

Good Stuff No Nonsense

This platform lives up to its name by providing a curated collection of free, high-quality icons with a focus on simplicity and clean design. Good Stuff No Nonsense is perfect for those seeking minimalist icons that won't overpower your design.

Iconfinder

With a powerful search engine and extensive filtering options, Iconfinder makes finding the perfect icon a breeze. They offer both free and premium icons, with the free plan providing a good selection across various categories and styles.

UXWing

UXWing caters specifically to user interface (UI) design needs, offering a collection of free, open-source icons tailored for web and app interfaces. The clean and consistent style makes them ideal for creating cohesive user experiences.

Freeicons

As the name suggests, Freeicons offers a vast library of free icons across various categories. They prioritize ease of use, with a simple interface for browsing and downloading icons in various formats.

SVG Repo

SVG Repo focuses on Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) icons, ensuring they can be resized without losing quality. The benefit of free SVG icons is their ability to scale to any size without losing quality, making them ideal for responsive web designs. It also makes them perfect for projects where scalability is crucial.

IconPacks

Living up to its name, IconPacks provides a curated collection of free icon packs in various design styles. This platform is ideal for those seeking pre-designed sets of icons that share a cohesive visual theme, perfect for maintaining consistency within your project.

Behance

This creative platform by Adobe isn't just about showcasing design work – it also offers a treasure trove of free resources, including icons. Many Behance designers share their icon sets as freebies, allowing you to discover unique and creative icon styles.

Dribbble

Dribbble is a design community platform where designers often share free resources, including icons. While not specifically focused on icons, exploring Dribbble can lead to uncovering hidden gems and discovering unique icon sets created by the design community.

Freebiesbug

Freebiesbug acts as a curator of free design resources, including a dedicated section for free icons. They gather freebies from various sources and present them in a user-friendly format, making it convenient to discover a diverse range of free icons.

Font Awesome

A popular icon library often integrated with web development frameworks, Font Awesome provides a large collection of free icons accessible through code. While this option requires some technical knowledge, it offers a convenient way to integrate icons into web projects.

Bootstrap Icons

Another popular library for web development, Bootstrap Icons offers a set of high-quality free icons that seamlessly integrate with the Bootstrap framework. This makes it ideal for designers and developers working with Bootstrap for web design.

Icon Archive

Icon Archive offers a massive collection of free and premium icons, categorized by style, theme, and format. They offer a user-friendly search function and advanced filtering options to help you pinpoint the perfect icon.

Lineicons

Specializing in minimalist line icons, Lineicons provides a collection of clean and versatile icons that can adapt to any design style. These lightweight icons are perfect for projects where simplicity and file size are important.

Fontello

This isn't just an icon download resource, it's also a tool for creating custom icon fonts. Upload your own SVG icons or choose from their free icon library, and Fontello generates a custom font for easy integration into web projects.

SquidInk

SquidInk offers a collection of free, hand-drawn icons that add a touch of personality and charm to your design projects. These playful icons are a great way to stand out from the crowd.

Glyphicons

This free icon set is specifically designed for use with Bootstrap, a popular web development framework. Integrating seamlessly with Bootstrap components, Glyphicons offer a convenient solution for web designers and developers.

Smashing Magazine

Smashing Magazine, a leading design publication offers a variety of free design resources, including occasional free icon sets. Keep an eye on their website for unique and high-quality free icon collections curated by design experts.

Pixeden

Pixeden provides a diverse collection of free icons, including flat icons, outlined icons, and even 3D icons free download. They also provide free design resources like illustrations and mockups, making it a valuable design asset hub.

Streamline

Specializing in flat and filled icons, Streamline provides a collection of clean and versatile icons suitable for diverse design applications. They also offer premium icon packs with additional features.

Iconshock

If vibrant and colorful icons are your preference, Iconshock is the best stop. Their free icon collection features a variety of styles and colors, perfect for adding a pop of personality to your designs.

IcoMoon

IcoMoon enables you to create custom icon fonts. Upload your own SVG icons or choose from their free icon library, and IcoMoon generates a custom font for efficient integration into web design projects.

Adobe Stock

While primarily a paid resource for stock photos and illustrations, Adobe Stock also offers a curated selection of free icons. These icons are often high-quality and can be a valuable addition to your design arsenal, especially if you already subscribe to Adobe Creative Cloud.

Pngtree

Pngtree offers a comprehensive collection of design resources, including free icons categorized by style, theme, and color. They also provide vector icons free download, allowing for easy customization in design software.

Iconmonstr

Known for its user-friendly interface and search functionality, Iconmonstr makes finding the perfect icon a breeze. They offer both free and premium icons, with the free plan providing a good selection for personal and commercial projects.

Dry Icons

Dry Icons has a curated selection of free icons with a focus on modern and trendy styles. They are well-suited for contemporary design projects seeking a fresh and unique aesthetic.

Graphic Burger

Looking for a touch of fun? Graphic Burger offers a collection of free icons with a playful and quirky style. These icons can be a great choice for projects targeting a younger audience or wanting a lighthearted touch.

Captain Icon

Looking for a high degree of customization in your free icons? Captain Icon sets itself apart by offering a fully customizable free icon set. Change everything from size and color to shapes and nodes, ensuring the icons perfectly match your design vision.

Findicons

This resource provides a powerful search engine for finding free icons across the web. Instead of hosting its own collection, Findicons aggregates icons from various free sources, allowing you to discover a vast range of options with a single search.

Icojam

Looking for a community-driven approach to free icons? Icojam offers a platform where designers contribute and share free icon sets. This fosters a diverse collection of styles and themes to explore.

Oxygenna

Known for its clean and minimalist aesthetic, Oxygenna offers a collection of free icons that embody these principles. These icons are perfect for projects that prioritize simplicity and elegance.

Iconoir

It offers a collection of free, open-source icons with a focus on consistency and usability. Iconoir is ideal for web and app design projects as they are designed to integrate seamlessly with user interfaces.

ThemeIsle

Beyond offering free themes and plugins, ThemeIsle also features a dedicated section for free icons. These icons are specifically designed to complement WordPress themes and often come in packs with a consistent style.

1001 Free Downloads

As the name suggests, 1001 Free Downloads offers a vast collection of downloadable design resources, with a decent selection of free icons included. They categorize their icons by theme and style, making it easy to find what you're looking for.

AlienValley

AlienValley has a collection of free icons with a quirky and offbeat aesthetic. If you're looking for something truly unique to stand out from the crowd, AlienValley is worth exploring.

CreativeTail

CreativeTail has a decent collection of free vector icons. They offer various styles, with a focus on modern and clean aesthetics. Additionally, their vector format allows for easy customization within your design software.

Wrapping Up

As you've discovered numerous resources for free download of icons, it is observable that they are vast and brimming with possibilities. Always remember that the key lies in choosing the right icon for the right job. Consider the overall style of your project, the message you want to convey, and the target audience. A little exploration and these handy online resources can help you get your ideal free icons to transform your designs.

Anupam Tiwari