20 Best Places to Download Free & Premium Icon Files in 2021
Icon files are one of the most underrated assets of the design world. Icons may seem small and simple but they're essential for web design, app design, and many other types of graphic design.
You can use icons in navigation, in charts and graphs, to symbolize meaning and key points, and combined with other elements to create new graphics.
Despite their small size and apparent simplicity, it's no easy task to design an icon. Creating a graphic that looks good at a small size can be quite a challenge. The icon designer must also decide what images are suitable to represent different concepts and as most icons are available in sets, choose a collection of objects or symbols that compliment each other.
There's a lot of work that goes into this process, which is why premium icon files can be hundreds of dollars.
However, if you're on a budget, don't worry. There are plenty of websites offering high-quality free icons for download so you should be able to find something that suits your project.
We've scoured the web for the best icon files covering hundreds of styles, uses, and concepts. Whatever you need an icon or an icon set for, you're sure to find what you're looking for on one of these sites.
01. Envato Elements
If you have a limited budget for design assets but you don't want to be limited to the free icon selections only, Envato Elements is a great option.
Envato Elements is a huge library of design assets including icons, graphics, fonts, templates, and stock photos and videos.
Rather than paying per download, you can sign up for membership from only $16.50 per month and have access to the entire library of millions of creative assets with unlimited downloads.
There are currently over 17,000 icon files available for download on Elements, spanning a huge range of subjects, styles, and file formats.
Number of icon files available: 17,000+
Available formats: AI, PNG, EPS, PSD, SVG, JPG and other file types. Check the file info before downloading.
License: Envato Elements Commercial License. You can use icons in commercial or personal projects but not for merchandising, resale, or redistribution.
Pricing: $16.50/month for unlimited downloads (Annual subscription). Monthly plans also available.
02. Iconfinder
Iconfinder is one of the most popular icon resources on the net and is essentially a search engine for icons. It offers over 5.5 million icons in a wide range of styles and categories.
You can find icons by keyword or designer. Once you've found an icon or icon pack you like, you can edit colors and shapes with an online editor to customize the icons before you download them if you wish.
Number of icon files available: Over 5.5 million
Available formats: PNG, SVG
License: Free icons are distributed under various licenses. Check before you download. All premium icons are released under the Iconfinder Basic License and you can use them in personal and commercial projects. Re-selling and redistribution are prohibited.
Pricing: Some icons are available for free. Premium icons cost $2 per icon with icon packs priced from $9. You can also opt for a pro subscription, which gives you a set number of download credits each month. Subscriptions start from $40.50/year for 10 downloads a month. Monthly plans and unlimited download plans are also available.
Don't forget to use our Iconfinder coupon to get a 50% discount.
03. Pixelbuddha
Pixelbuddha is a collection of free and premium design resources created by an in-house team and over 100 creative guest authors. Hundreds of free icons are available in a variety of styles and categories. Most of the icon sets are available in SVG and PNG formats.
While some of the icon sets at Pixelbuddha are available for free, you'll have access to more resources by joining Pixelbuddha Plus. This gives you access to new premium resources each week including icons, fonts, templates, textures, animations, and more as well as special members-only offers. You can also buy premium icon sets as a one-off.
Number of icon files available: Thousands
Available formats: SVG, PNG, PSD
License: Most files are royalty-free for use in personal and commercial projects with restrictions. You must purchase an extended license if you wish to use the icons in commercial projects that will be offered for sale such as website themes or templates.
Pricing: Some icon files are available for free download. Pixelbuddha Plus membership costs $10 a month and gives you access to additional premium resources.
Make sure to use our Pixelbuddha coupon code to get 30% off.
04. Creative Market
Creative Market is an online marketplace for graphic designers and web developers alike. Hundreds of designers and artists from all over the world create the resources, so there's a huge range of styles available.
You can search for icons by keyword or browse icon sets by the creator. Creative Market will even suggest other assets you might be interested in. This can bring up some options you may not have otherwise seen.
Number of icon files available: 200,000+
Available formats: EPS, JPG, PNG, SVG, AI, PDF, PSD, CDR
License: Downloads are available with a choice of license: Personal, Commercial, and Extended Commercial.
Pricing: Icon packs are priced individually starting from $2. Most are in the $20 – $39 range for a personal license
05. Icons8
Icons8 is a library of free and premium icons that aims to provide creative elements and tools for the design community. A team of 40 runs the website and all resources are created in-house.
There's also a web app that allows you to customize icons with text, overlays, and background before download. You can generate icons in any size, color, and format. There are also desktop apps available for Mac and Windows.
Icons8 works on a request system so you can submit ideas for the icons you need and the designers will draw the top requests each day. There are some unique categories of icons that you may not see on other sites such as "aesthetic" app icons and animated icons.
Number of icon files available: 130,000+
Available formats: SVG, PNG, PDF, EPS, JPS
License: The Icons8 Free License allows you to use icons for free on websites, mobile apps, and desktop apps but you must credit Icons8 and provide a link. All paid plans allow use without attributions but you must not re-sell or re-distribute the icons.
Pricing: Icons are available for free in a limited resolution. Paid plans to use icons without attribution are $13 a month for up to 100 downloads a month and $0.2 per icon thereafter.
06. The Noun Project
The Noun Project offers one of the largest icon libraries available on the web, with over 3 million icons. Most of this site's icons are available in SVG and PNG formats, and most of the icons available on this site are in black and white styles.
The site's library is made up of icon files designed by a variety of independent designers. It's a place where creators and creative professionals alike can collaborate to sell their designs and find a seemingly endless library of premium icons.
Number of icon files available: Over 3 million
Available formats: PNG, SVG
License: You can use free icon downloads for non-commercial projects under a Creative Commons license with attribution required. You can use Pro icon downloads for commercial or non-commercial projects, depending on the license you purchase.
Pricing: Free for basic downloads. $2.99 per icon for Pro icon download to use without attribution. Unlimited download subscriptions available for $39.99/year.
07. Freepik
Freepik is a free resource for designers offering hundreds of thousands of free and premium creative assets. Icon files are available in PNG, SVG, and EPS formats.
Social media and other tech-related categories make up the bulk of this site's icon library, but it offers a variety of additional categories as well. All of its icons are in black and white, and they come in 2D, 3D, line, and vector styles.
Number of icon files available: 400,000+
Available formats: SVG, EPS
License: The Freepik license allows free use for personal and commercial projects with attribution. Premium users may use the icons without attribution.
Pricing: Freepik has some icons for free download but free users have a limit of 10 downloads a day. If you want access to the full library without providing attributions, you'll need to subscribe as a Premium member. Membership costs from $9.99 a month (if paying annually) for unlimited downloads and monthly pay plans are also available.
08. GraphicBurger
GraphicBurger is a library of free graphic elements curated by Romanian designer Raul Taciu. While he hasn't updated the site for a couple of years, it's still a great place to find free icon sets, some of which contain hundreds of icons.
While it's difficult to find specific icons on this site, the amount of free icon packs available gives you access to a variety of different handy resources.
There are also free templates, fonts, and other graphic elements available to help you create great designs.
Number of icon files available: Thousands
Available formats: SVG, EPS, PNG
License: GraphicBurger license gives you permission to use the resources in personal or commercial products without attribution. It is prohibited to re-sell or redistribute the icons.
Pricing: Free
09. Pixeden
The founders launched Pixeden as a free community web design resource and later added a premium membership plan. The in-house team creates all icons, graphics, and design assets. You can also request specific graphics for your needs.
The team releases around 150-200 new premium design resources each year. There are currently over a hundred icon sets available, mostly themed on social media and technology. There are a number of icons specifically created for iOS UI design.
Number of icon files available: 100+ icon sets
Available formats: AI, EPS, PNG, PSD
License: The Pixeden license allows all free and premium icons to be used royalty-free in personal or commercial projects. Premium resources can be used in items such as website templates that are sold in a marketplace.
Pricing: Free icon sets are available. To download premium resources you can join a membership plan from $6 a month for unlimited downloads. Monthly and annual memberships are available.
10. Flaticon
Flaticon is a subsidiary of Freepik and is one of the largest databases of free icons on the web.
Hundreds of creators from all over the world have crafted the icons, and they cover many different styles and concepts. There are also over 2,000 UI icons for web, iOS, and Android.
There's also a built-in editor that enables you to change the size or color of your icons and download them in a suitable format.
Number of icon files available: Over 4.5 million
Available formats: PNG, SVG, EPS, PSD
License: Free icons must provide attribution. Icons downloaded with a Premium subscription can be used for personal or commercial projects without attribution but there are some restrictions. For example, you can't use the icons in logos and they must not be the main element of design.
Pricing: Some icons are available for free. To access the entire database you must buy a Premium membership from $8.25 a month (monthly and annual payment options available).
11. Iconshock
Iconshock is a library of over 400 icon sets in various styles, grouped by industry and subject. Once you find an icon style you like, you can search for keywords in that style only to find icons for your project.
All basic icons are available for free download in low resolution. If you opt for premium membership, you get access to all icons in vector format plus extras including 3D icons, an interactive icon pack with editable gradients, and a full commercial license
Number of icon files available: Over 2 million
Available formats: PNG, SVG, EPS
License: You must provide attribution if you use the free version of any icon. Premium users can download icons under the commercial license.
Pricing: You can download icons for free. To access full vector versions of the icon files and use them without attribution, premium membership starts from $79 a year or $99 for lifetime access.
12. Findicons
Findicons is the largest searchable database of free icons on the web. The sophisticated filtering and matching system makes it easy for you to find the exact icons you need for your design projects in any format that fits your needs.
The icons are listed as over 2,600 packs in a wide range of styles. You can find icons by keyword, size, color, license, and more
Number of icon files available: 500,000+
Available formats: PNG, ICO, ICNS. You can use the built-in converter to download icons in formats including PNG, BMP, GIF, JPG, PSD, SVG, TGA, TIFF
License: Each icon pack comes with its own license. Some do not permit commercial use. Check the license file of each icon pack before you download it.
Pricing: Free
13. IcoMoon
IcoMoon is an icon library app that features carefully curated pixel-perfect icon sets. The app also allows you to create your own icon packs.
All the icons in a set are designed at a specific grid size to ensure crisp icons and are available for download in multiple sizes.
Number of icon files available: 5,550+
Available formats: SVG, PNG, PDF, Polymer, XAML, CSH, icon font
License: Each icon pack comes with its own license. Please check the usage rights before downloading the icons.
Pricing: The IcoMoon app is free to use. Each icon pack is priced separately. A free pack containing 490 icons is available. Premium packs start from $39.
14. iconmonstr
iconmonstr is a small collection of simple black and white icons categorized in collections that cover many different concepts and subjects. The site owner adds new icons on a regular basis and you can also request and vote for the next icons to be made. You must download each icon individually, which is a slight downside if you need a lot of icons.
Every icon on the site is made by a single designer with over 15 years of experience in icon design.
The site also has a free iconic font available for download, which includes over 300 icons.
Number of icon files available: 4,500+
Available formats: SVG, EPS, PSD, PNG
License: The iconmonstr license allows free use in personal or commercial projects but icons must not be the main component of the design or be used in a logo. Icons may not be re-sold or re-distributed.
Pricing: Free
15. ZillionDesigns
ZillionDesigns is a service with a powerhouse team of over 100,000 designers from over 200 countries and territories around the world.
The service works by you requesting a specific design need and opening a design contest. Different designers will create design concepts based on your brief and only the one you like best will receive the prize money.
While you may have to pay to get your own designs, ZillionDesigns also has a small selection of free icon packs available for download. These icons are available in a variety of different styles and colors, but they're typically in PNG format.
Number of icon files available: limited number of free icon packs
Available formats: Free icons are mostly in PNG format. You can request any format you wish if you start a design competition.
License: You hold full rights for any designs for the winning design once you have awarded the prize.
Pricing: Free icon packs available. If you want to commission your own icons, you can start a "contest". The prize value for icon design starts at $199 but you can offer a higher value prize if you want to get more submissions.
16. Streamline Icons
Streamline offers one of the most complete collections of icon sets available on the web. The full collection includes over 97,000 vector icons in 12 styles and covering multiple themes, all of which are readily available to use in vector format.
An in-house team designs all icons and adds new icons to the collection periodically. There's a desktop app for searching, browsing, and customizing icons and plugins to use them directly in software including Sketch, Adobe XD, Figma, and Powerpoint.
Number of icon files available: 97,000+
Available formats: SVG, PNG
License: You can use the PNG icons for free with attribution in any kind of project, including logos and templates but you may not redistribute them. The Premium License allows for unlimited use in commercial projects, provided you use no more than 100 icons per project.
Pricing: $19 a month for access to the full icon set with a 5-day free trial. You can download low-resolution icons in PNG format for free.
17. Icojam
Icojam features a variety of different modern icon packs in unique styles with highly detailed illustrations. All icon sets are supplied as vector files so they can be customized easily.
As well as standard icon sets, there are also special sets available to create your own avatars, city illustrations, and graphical user interface.
You can also request custom icons in the style of existing icon sets.
Number of icon files available: 15,000+
Available formats: AI, EPS, SVG, PNG
License: You can use free icons in commercial and non-commercial projects but you must link back to Icojam. You can use Premium icons under the standard license without attribution but you may not use them on merchandise for sale or as logos.
Pricing: Free icons are available in the Icojam blog. Premium icon sets are priced individually starting at $5. Custom icons can be ordered from $15 per icon with a minimum order value of $100.
18. Material Design Icons
Material Icons is a community-driven icon database for UI designers and developers. The website is somewhat complicated to use, but you can download individual icons in a range of formats to use in different software and development frameworks.
The icons are open source and available to be used as-is or edited. Each symbol is available in five themes and a range of sizes and densities.
Number of icon files available: 26,000+
Available formats: Webfont, SVG, PNG, XAML
License: Open source and free to use in any kind of project
Pricing: Free
19. Glyphish
Glyphish offers a collection of over 2,200 outline and filled icons, all created by designer Joseph Wain. The icons are designed primarily for use in iOS apps but they're also suitable for Android, Windows Mobile, websites, and other uses.
Each icon set includes @2 and @3x retina-ready size icons and all icons are ready for dropping into Xcode. Sketch source files are included.
Number of icon files available: 2,200+
Available formats: PNG, SVG, Sketch
License: The Glyphish License allows for use in personal or commercial projects but they may not be resold or redistributed.
Pricing:A free pack of 50 icons available if you link to the Glyphish site. The full bundle of 2,220 icons costs $99.
20. Design Bombs
Don't forget to check out the Design Bombs Freebies section, which includes dozens of free icon packs in different styles and categories, available exclusively to Design Bombs readers. Make sure to sign up to our mailing list so we can let you know when we release a new pack.
Number of icon files available: Dozens of icon sets
Available formats: SVG, EPS, PNG, AI
License: Free to use in personal and commercial projects without attribution.
Pricing: Free
Final Thoughts
If you're a passionate graphic designer, you'd probably love spending hours designing your own icons, but it just isn't possible with the workload you're facing.
If you're a site owner, you probably wouldn't even know where to start when it comes to designing your own icons.
That's the beauty of icon libraries. They connect talented graphic designers to fellow designers and site owners in need with hundreds of thousands of icons, all ready to be downloaded a moment's notice.
We hope this list has made your life a little easier by giving you plenty of new places to find icon files. You may also want to check out our lists of best Photoshop brushes, best prototyping tools, and best sites to find PSD designs and elements.
Source: https://www.designbombs.com/17-best-places-find-free-premium-icon-files/
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