ICO, PNG or SVG for Your Favicon: Which to Choose
You are preparing a site icon and run into the argument: some say go classic favicon.ico, others say modern PNG, others the trendy SVG. Who is right? Spoiler: the "or" question is wrong. Let's break down the strengths and weaknesses of each format and assemble a set that looks perfect in an old browser and on a brand-new phone alike.
Why the "or" question is wrong
The most common misconception is thinking you must pick one favicon format. In reality these three are not rivals but members of one team: each covers what the others are weak at. ICO gives compatibility and a set of small sizes, PNG gives sharpness in modern browsers and the mandatory iPhone icon, SVG gives vector crispness and dark-theme adaptation.
So the right way to frame it is: how many formats do I actually need, and in what role each one plays. To answer, let's go through them one by one — no fluff, straight to the point.
In short
ICO is the compatibility foundation, PNG is mandatory for iOS and old browsers, SVG is a pleasant bonus for sharpness and dark theme. Minimum: ICO + PNG. Ideal: ICO + PNG + SVG.
ICO: compatibility and multi-size
ICO is the historical Windows icon format and the most compatible favicon option. Its headline superpower is multi-size: a single file holds 16×16, 32×32 and 48×48 at once, and the browser grabs the right size for a tab or bookmark. We cover how the format works in "What Is ICO".
Its second trump card is the default rule. Browsers request /favicon.ico from the site root automatically, even if you declare no tags. That rescues old, corporate and non-standard browsers. The one downside: ICO is awkward to edit by hand and cannot recolor for theme.
PNG: sharpness and iOS
PNG is the familiar raster format with lossless compression and full transparency. As a favicon it handles the crisp picture in modern browsers and, crucially, the icon on Apple devices: the apple-touch-icon requires PNG specifically (usually 180×180).
PNG is easy to prepare: any editor exports it, and it looks great on high-density screens. Its weakness is being single-size: one PNG equals one resolution. To cover different spots you have to export several files, whereas ICO packs them into one.
SVG: vector and dark theme
SVG is a vector format: instead of pixels it describes the icon with formulas of lines and fills. That brings two big upsides. First, perfect sharpness at any scale and any screen density: one file is equally crisp at 16 and at 512 pixels, while weighing almost nothing. Second, the flashiest one — dark-theme adaptation: via the prefers-color-scheme media query the icon can change color, staying readable on any browser background.
The catch is support. Modern Chrome, Firefox and Edge understand an SVG favicon, but Safari handles it partially, and the apple-touch-icon does not accept it at all. So SVG is an addition, not a replacement: building a favicon on it alone is premature.
Don't build everything on one SVG
The "one light vector and done" temptation is understandable, but old and corporate browsers will show a blank icon, and an iPhone will take a screenshot instead of your logo when added to the home screen. Add SVG on top of ICO and PNG, not instead of them.
Side-by-side comparison
Let's collapse it into a clear table — by the criteria that actually matter for a site icon:
| Criterion | ICO | PNG | SVG |
|---|---|---|---|
| Compatibility (old browsers) | Excellent | Good | Limited |
| Multiple sizes in one file | Yes | No | Not needed (vector) |
| Sharpness on Retina/4K | Depends on sizes | Depends on sizes | Perfect |
| apple-touch-icon (iOS) | No | Yes | No |
| Recolor for dark theme | No | No | Yes |
| File size | Medium | Medium | Very small |
Which set to assemble in 2026
Now the practical takeaway. Depending on how much of a perfectionist you are, there are three sensible tiers:
Minimum
favicon.ico (16/32/48) in the root. Works everywhere, set up in a minute.
Standard
ICO + PNG 32×32 + apple-touch-icon 180×180. Looks good in browsers and on iPhone.
Ideal
The same plus an SVG with dark-theme adaptation and a 512 PNG for the manifest.
Notice: ICO appears in all three tiers. That is the foundation you start from. How to assemble the rest of the set and which tags to add is in the detailed "How to Make a Favicon" guide. And exactly which sizes to pack inside the ICO is covered in the favicon sizes article.
Build the ICO at the base of the set
Upload a PNG logo and the FormatZ converter packs every needed size into one favicon.ico. Free, in the browser, no sign-up.
Need to pull an image out of an existing ICO to rework or export it elsewhere? The reverse converter helps — ICO to PNG. The full list of conversions is on the all formats page.
