react-icons vs font-awesome vs bootstrap-icons vs material-icons vs feather-icons vs octicons vs heroicons
Icon Libraries for Web Development
react-iconsfont-awesomebootstrap-iconsmaterial-iconsfeather-iconsocticonsheroiconsSimilar Packages:
Icon Libraries for Web Development

Icon libraries are collections of scalable vector graphics (SVGs) or font-based icons that developers can use in web applications to enhance user interfaces, improve navigation, and convey meaning visually. These libraries provide a wide range of icons that can be easily integrated into websites and applications, often with customizable sizes, colors, and styles. They help create visually appealing designs, improve user experience, and provide a consistent visual language across digital products. Each library has its own unique style, icon set, and implementation methods, catering to different design needs and preferences.

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react-icons5,213,49312,41586.2 MB22510 months agoMIT
font-awesome985,47875,995-4689 years ago(OFL-1.1 AND MIT)
bootstrap-icons536,7667,8122.99 MB4567 months agoMIT
material-icons242,6993552.23 MB1310 months agoApache-2.0
feather-icons138,21725,746625 kB5032 years agoMIT
octicons11,4748,613-07 years agoMIT
heroicons023,143700 kB0a year agoMIT
Feature Comparison: react-icons vs font-awesome vs bootstrap-icons vs material-icons vs feather-icons vs octicons vs heroicons

Icon Style

  • react-icons:

    React Icons is not an icon library itself but a collection of icons from various libraries, allowing developers to choose from multiple styles. This flexibility enables the use of different icon designs within a single project, depending on the developer’s preference.

  • font-awesome:

    Font Awesome provides a diverse range of icon styles, including solid, regular, and light. The icons are highly detailed and versatile, catering to various design needs, from playful to professional.

  • bootstrap-icons:

    Bootstrap Icons offers a simple and clean design that complements Bootstrap’s aesthetic. The icons are line-based and designed to be easily recognizable, making them suitable for a wide range of applications.

  • material-icons:

    Material Icons follow Google’s Material Design guidelines, offering a consistent and recognizable style. The icons are designed to be bold and clear, making them effective for both web and mobile interfaces.

  • feather-icons:

    Feather Icons are known for their minimalist, line-art style. They are designed with a focus on simplicity and elegance, making them perfect for modern web applications that prioritize a clean and uncluttered look.

  • octicons:

    Octicons have a simple and straightforward design, with a focus on clarity and functionality. The icons are well-suited for tech-oriented applications, providing a clean look without unnecessary embellishments.

  • heroicons:

    Heroicons features a dual-style approach with both outline and solid icons. The designs are modern and hand-crafted, providing a high-quality look that works well in contemporary web applications.

Customization

  • react-icons:

    React Icons allows customization of icons from various libraries through standard React props. Since the icons are rendered as React components, developers can easily apply styles, classes, and animations, making them highly flexible for modern web applications.

  • font-awesome:

    Font Awesome offers extensive customization options, including the ability to change icon size, color, and style (solid, regular, light) using CSS. The library also supports icon layering and animation, providing additional creative flexibility.

  • bootstrap-icons:

    Bootstrap Icons can be easily customized using CSS, allowing developers to change colors, sizes, and other styles to match their design requirements. The icons are designed to be scalable and responsive, ensuring they look good at any size.

  • material-icons:

    Material Icons can be customized using CSS, with options to change size, color, and opacity. The icons are designed to be easily scalable, making them suitable for responsive design. Google also provides a Material Icons library for easy integration.

  • feather-icons:

    Feather Icons are highly customizable due to their simple SVG design. Developers can easily modify the stroke width, color, and size of the icons, making them versatile for various design contexts.

  • octicons:

    Octicons can be customized using CSS, but they are designed to be simple and functional, so customization options are somewhat limited compared to more versatile icon libraries. The focus is on clarity and usability rather than elaborate design features.

  • heroicons:

    Heroicons can be customized using CSS and inline styles, allowing developers to adjust the size, color, and other properties of the SVG icons. The dual-style approach (outline and solid) also provides flexibility in design choices.

Integration with Frameworks

  • react-icons:

    React Icons is specifically designed for React applications, allowing for easy integration of icons from multiple libraries as React components. This makes it a convenient choice for modern web development using the React framework.

  • font-awesome:

    Font Awesome is compatible with all major web frameworks and can be easily integrated into projects using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. The library also provides official packages for popular frameworks like React, Vue, and Angular, making integration straightforward.

  • bootstrap-icons:

    Bootstrap Icons integrate seamlessly with Bootstrap components, making them an ideal choice for projects that already use the Bootstrap framework. The icons are designed to work well with Bootstrap’s grid system, buttons, and other UI elements.

  • material-icons:

    Material Icons are designed to work well with Google’s Material Design framework, but they can also be used in any web project. The icons can be easily integrated using CSS, HTML, or JavaScript, making them versatile for different frameworks.

  • feather-icons:

    Feather Icons can be easily integrated into any web project, regardless of the framework. Their lightweight nature and simple SVG format make them suitable for use in React, Vue, Angular, and plain HTML projects.

  • octicons:

    Octicons are particularly well-suited for projects related to GitHub or tech-focused applications. They can be integrated into any web project, but their design and branding are closely associated with GitHub, which may limit their use in non-tech contexts.

  • heroicons:

    Heroicons are designed to work seamlessly with Tailwind CSS, but they can also be used in any web project. The SVG format allows for easy integration with various frameworks and design systems.

Accessibility

  • react-icons:

    React Icons itself does not provide accessibility features, as it is a wrapper for icons from various libraries. However, developers can implement accessibility best practices when using the icons in their React applications, such as adding ARIA labels and ensuring proper semantic markup.

  • font-awesome:

    Font Awesome takes accessibility seriously and provides guidelines for using icons in an accessible manner. The library includes features like screen reader-only icons and supports ARIA attributes to enhance accessibility for users with disabilities.

  • bootstrap-icons:

    Bootstrap Icons are designed with accessibility in mind, but they are primarily visual icons. Developers are encouraged to add appropriate ARIA labels and roles to ensure the icons are accessible to screen readers and assistive technologies.

  • material-icons:

    Material Icons are designed with accessibility in mind, following the principles of inclusive design. The icons are clear and recognizable, and developers are encouraged to use ARIA attributes and provide text alternatives to ensure they are accessible to all users.

  • feather-icons:

    Feather Icons are SVG-based and can be made accessible by adding appropriate titles, descriptions, and ARIA attributes. The minimalist design helps ensure that the icons are clear and understandable, but additional accessibility features should be implemented by developers.

  • octicons:

    Octicons are designed to be simple and functional, which aids in their accessibility. However, like other icon libraries, it is important for developers to add appropriate ARIA labels and descriptions to ensure the icons are understood by all users, including those with disabilities.

  • heroicons:

    Heroicons are designed to be accessible, with a focus on clear and simple designs that are easy to understand. The SVG icons can be made more accessible by adding titles and ARIA attributes, and the library encourages best practices for inclusive design.

Ease of Use: Code Examples

  • react-icons:

    React Icons are easy to use in React applications, with a simple API for importing and using icons as components. Example:

    import { FaCamera } from 'react-icons/fa';
    const CameraIcon = () => <FaCamera />; // Camera Icon
    
  • font-awesome:

    Font Awesome provides comprehensive documentation and examples, making it easy for developers to integrate and use the icons. The library offers multiple integration methods, including CDN, npm, and SVG. Example:

    <link rel="stylesheet" href="https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/font-awesome/5.15.4/css/all.min.css">
    <i class="fas fa-camera"></i> <!-- Camera Icon -->
    
  • bootstrap-icons:

    Bootstrap Icons are easy to use, especially for developers familiar with the Bootstrap framework. Integration is straightforward, and the icons can be added using simple HTML and CSS. Example:

    <link rel="stylesheet" href="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/bootstrap-icons@1.5.0/font/bootstrap-icons.css">
    <i class="bi bi-alarm"></i> <!-- Alarm Icon -->
    
  • material-icons:

    Material Icons are easy to use, with clear documentation and examples. The icons can be integrated using CSS classes or inline SVG. Example:

    <link href="https://fonts.googleapis.com/icon?family=Material+Icons" rel="stylesheet">
    <i class="material-icons">camera</i> <!-- Camera Icon -->
    
  • feather-icons:

    Feather Icons are simple to integrate and use, with clear documentation and examples. The SVG format allows for easy customization and manipulation. Example:

    <script src="https://unpkg.com/feather-icons"></script>
    <i data-feather="camera"></i> <!-- Camera Icon -->
    <script>
      feather.replace(); // Replace <i> tags with SVGs
    </script>
    
  • octicons:

    Octicons are straightforward to use, especially for projects related to GitHub. The icons can be integrated using SVG or CSS. Example:

    <svg class="octicon octicon-mark-github" viewBox="0 0 16 16" aria-hidden="true">
      <path fill-rule="evenodd" d="M8 0a8 8 0 00-2.5 15.5c.4.1.5-.2.5-.4v-1.5c-1 .2-1.3-.2-1.5-.4-.2-.2-.5-.4-.5-.6 0-.4.3-.6.5-.7.5-.2 1.3-.2 1.5-.2.5 0 1 .2 1.3.5.2.2.5.5.8.5.3 0 .5-.3.5-.5 0-.3-.2-.5-.5-.5-.3 0-.5.2-.5.5 0 .2 0 .5.2.5.2 0 .5 0 .7-.2.2-.2.3-.5.3-.8 0-.5-.3-1-1-1-1 0-2 .5-2 1.5 0 .5.5 1 1 1 .5 0 1-.5 1-1 0-.5-.5-1-1-1-.5 0-1 .5-1 1 0 .5.5 1 1 1 .5 0 1-.5 1-1 0-.5-.5-1-1-1z" />
    </svg>
    
  • heroicons:

    Heroicons are easy to use, especially for developers familiar with SVG and Tailwind CSS. The icons can be integrated directly into HTML or JSX. Example:

    <!-- Outline Icon -->
    <svg class="h-6 w-6" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" viewBox="0 0 24 24" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg">
      <path stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" stroke-width="2" d="M12 4v16m8-8H4" />
    </svg>
    
How to Choose: react-icons vs font-awesome vs bootstrap-icons vs material-icons vs feather-icons vs octicons vs heroicons
  • react-icons:

    Choose react-icons if you are working on a React project and want to easily integrate icons from multiple libraries (including Font Awesome, Material Icons, and more) using a single package. React Icons provides a simple API for importing and using icons as React components, making it highly flexible and convenient for modern web development.

  • font-awesome:

    Choose font-awesome if you need a comprehensive and widely recognized icon library with a vast collection of icons, including social media, branding, and more. Font Awesome offers both free and premium icons, making it suitable for projects of all sizes that require a diverse range of icons.

  • bootstrap-icons:

    Choose bootstrap-icons if you are already using Bootstrap in your project and want a simple, consistent set of icons that integrate seamlessly with Bootstrap components. They are easy to use and customize, making them ideal for Bootstrap-based designs.

  • material-icons:

    Choose material-icons if you are following Google’s Material Design guidelines and need a consistent set of icons that align with this design system. Material Icons are versatile, easy to use, and integrate well with web and mobile applications that adhere to Material Design principles.

  • feather-icons:

    Choose feather-icons if you prefer a lightweight, minimalist icon set with a modern design. Feather icons are open-source, easily customizable, and perfect for projects that prioritize simplicity and elegance in their UI design.

  • octicons:

    Choose octicons if you are developing a project related to GitHub or want a clean, simple icon set that is designed for tech and developer-focused applications. Octicons are particularly useful for projects that require icons with a subtle, professional look.

  • heroicons:

    Choose heroicons if you are building a project with Tailwind CSS or need a set of high-quality, hand-crafted SVG icons that are designed for modern web applications. Heroicons offers both outline and solid styles, providing flexibility for different design aesthetics.

README for react-icons
React Icons

React Icons

npm

Include popular icons in your React projects easily with react-icons, which utilizes ES6 imports that allows you to include only the icons that your project is using.

Installation (for standard modern project)

yarn add react-icons
# or
npm install react-icons --save

example usage

import { FaBeer } from "react-icons/fa";

function Question() {
  return (
    <h3>
      Lets go for a <FaBeer />?
    </h3>
  );
}

View the documentation for further usage examples and how to use icons from other packages. NOTE: each Icon package has it's own subfolder under react-icons you import from.

For example, to use an icon from Material Design, your import would be: import { ICON_NAME } from 'react-icons/md';

Installation (for meteorjs, gatsbyjs, etc)

Note This option has not had a new release for some time. More info https://github.com/react-icons/react-icons/issues/593

If your project grows in size, this option is available. This method has the trade-off that it takes a long time to install the package.

yarn add @react-icons/all-files
# or
npm install @react-icons/all-files --save

example usage

import { FaBeer } from "@react-icons/all-files/fa/FaBeer";

function Question() {
  return (
    <h3>
      Lets go for a <FaBeer />?
    </h3>
  );
}

Icons

Icon LibraryLicenseVersionCount
Circum IconsMPL-2.0 license1.0.0288
Font Awesome 5CC BY 4.0 License5.15.4-3-gafecf2a1612
Font Awesome 6CC BY 4.0 License6.5.22045
Ionicons 4MIT4.6.3696
Ionicons 5MIT5.5.41332
Material Design iconsApache License Version 2.04.0.0-98-g9beae745bb4341
TypiconsCC BY-SA 3.02.1.2336
Github Octicons iconsMIT18.3.0264
FeatherMIT4.29.1287
LucideISCv5.1.0-6-g438f572e1215
Game IconsCC BY 3.012920d6565588f0512542a3cb0cdfd36a497f9104040
Weather IconsSIL OFL 1.12.0.12219
DeviconsMIT1.8.0192
Ant Design IconsMIT4.4.2831
Bootstrap IconsMIT1.11.32716
Remix IconApache License Version 2.04.2.02860
Flat Color IconsMIT1.0.2329
Grommet-IconsApache License Version 2.04.12.1635
HeroiconsMIT1.0.6460
Heroicons 2MIT2.1.3888
Simple IconsCC0 1.0 Universal12.14.03209
Simple Line IconsMIT2.5.5189
IcoMoon FreeCC BY 4.0 Licensed006795ede82361e1bac1ee76f215cf1dc51e4ca491
BoxIconsMIT2.1.41634
css.ggMIT2.1.1704
VS Code IconsCC BY 4.00.0.35461
Tabler IconsMIT3.2.05237
Themify IconsMITv0.1.2-2-g9600186352
Radix IconsMIT@radix-ui/react-icons@1.3.0-1-g94b3fcf318
Phosphor IconsMIT2.1.19072
Icons8 Line AwesomeMIT1.3.11544

You can add more icons by submitting pull requests or creating issues.

Configuration

You can configure react-icons props using React Context API.

Requires React 16.3 or higher.

import { IconContext } from "react-icons";

<IconContext.Provider value={{ color: "blue", className: "global-class-name" }}>
  <div>
    <FaFolder />
  </div>
</IconContext.Provider>;
KeyDefaultNotes
colorundefined (inherit)
size1em
classNameundefined
styleundefinedCan overwrite size and color
attrundefinedOverwritten by other attributes
titleundefinedIcon description for accessibility

Migrating from version 2 -> 3

Change import style

Import path has changed. You need to rewrite from the old style.

// OLD IMPORT STYLE
import FaBeer from "react-icons/lib/fa/beer";

function Question() {
  return (
    <h3>
      Lets go for a <FaBeer />?
    </h3>
  );
}
// NEW IMPORT STYLE
import { FaBeer } from "react-icons/fa";

function Question() {
  return (
    <h3>
      Lets go for a <FaBeer />?
    </h3>
  );
}

Ending up with a large JS bundle? Check out this issue.

Adjustment CSS

From version 3, vertical-align: middle is not automatically given. Please use IconContext to specify className or specify an inline style.

Global Inline Styling

<IconContext.Provider value={{ style: { verticalAlign: 'middle' } }}>

Global className Styling

Component

<IconContext.Provider value={{ className: 'react-icons' }}>

CSS

.react-icons {
  vertical-align: middle;
}

TypeScript native support

Dependencies on @types/react-icons can be deleted.

Yarn

yarn remove @types/react-icons

NPM

npm remove @types/react-icons

Contributing

./build-script.sh will build the whole project. See also CI scripts for more information.

Development

yarn
cd packages/react-icons
yarn fetch  # fetch icon sources
yarn build

Add/Update icon set

First, check the discussion to see if anyone would like to add an icon set.

https://github.com/react-icons/react-icons/discussions/categories/new-icon-set

The SVG files to be fetched are managed in this file. Edit this file and run yarn fetch && yarn check && yarn build.

https://github.com/react-icons/react-icons/blob/master/packages/react-icons/src/icons/index.ts

Preview

Note The project is not actively accepting PR for the preview site at this time.

The preview site is the react-icons website, built in Astro+React.

cd packages/react-icons
yarn fetch
yarn build

cd ../preview-astro
yarn start

Demo

The demo is a Create React App boilerplate with react-icons added as a dependency for easy testing.

cd packages/react-icons
yarn fetch
yarn build

cd ../demo
yarn start

Why React SVG components instead of fonts?

SVG is supported by all major browsers. With react-icons, you can serve only the needed icons instead of one big font file to the users, helping you to recognize which icons are used in your project.

Related Projects

Licence

MIT

  • Icons are taken from the other projects so please check each project licences accordingly.