Top 3 Free Figma Icon Libraries for UX/UI and Design Systems
Icons are probably one of the most important elements throughout the interface or UI. They serve as visual cues that help users quickly understand functions, actions, or content within an application or website.
JbyJordi EspinosaonUpdated
Short answer
The three best free icon libraries for UX/UI and design systems are Phosphor Icons, Iconoir and Google's Material Symbols. Phosphor (the one Koala UI uses) comes in six weights, from thin to duotone. Iconoir is large, carefully drawn and ships packages for React and React Native. Material Symbols is Google's own set. All three are free for commercial work.
Why does your icon library matter?
Icons are probably one of the most important elements throughout the interface or UI. They serve as visual cues that help users quickly understand functions, actions, or content within an application or website.
Depending on the type of icon and how we use them, we can create one design or another. Usually, decisions about the type of icon are made at the beginning of the project depending on the branding, the mood we want to convey, etc. For example, using playful and colorful icons might be suitable for a children's app, while sleek and minimalist icons might be more appropriate for a professional business platform.
There are many types of icons, and typically in each library, we find 4 different modes: Regular, Bold, Mini, and Duotone. Regular icons offer a standard style, while Bold icons provide a more prominent and impactful appearance. Mini icons are scaled-down versions suitable for smaller UI elements, and Duotone icons add depth and dimension with two-tone colors.
Having this variety of icons allows us to customize the designs even more, tailoring them to specific visual identities and user experiences. This flexibility is crucial for creating cohesive and engaging interfaces that resonate with users.
In today's article, we bring you 3 libraries of free icons for any UX/UI project or for your Design System. These libraries offer a wide range of icons covering various categories, ensuring you have access to the right visuals for your design needs. Whether you're working on a mobile app, a website, or a digital product, these resources can help enhance the user experience and streamline the design process. Let's explore these libraries and see how they can elevate your projects to the next level.
What should you check before you pick one?
If you want to learn thoroughly about icons, we have prepared a guide in another article so that you can apply these icons in the most correct way possible. Here is the article for you.
01Phosphor Icons
This is personally one of my favorites and the one Koala UI is based on. What we like the most is its versatility and the ability to tackle all sorts of projects. Most of the projects we undertake in the studio, whether they're serious, fun, for mobile, web, etc., always use Phosphor icons.
Iconoir is one of the best libraries available today, created by @burgioluca, simply because of the number of icons it offers, how well they are constructed, its compatibility with React Native and CSS, and moreover, it's a completely free library.
When we're not using Phosphor icons, we use Iconoir. Highly recommended.
And finally, as it couldn't be otherwise, the Google library. We know that Google excels in everything, and indeed they are also excellent at designing icons.
Personally, I really appreciate the variety and versatility of these icons. Moreover, if you ever doubt which library to use, what could be better than using Google's own library, right?
And that's it for today's article. We hope you enjoyed it! If you did, feel free to share it with your friends or colleagues so they can enjoy it too.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best free icon library?
For most products, Phosphor Icons: it is consistent and comes in six weights (thin, light, regular, bold, fill and duotone), so one library covers every tone. Koala UI uses it.
Are these icon libraries free for commercial use?
Yes. Phosphor Icons and Iconoir are MIT licensed and Material Symbols is Apache 2.0, so you can use all three in commercial products.
Which icon library works best with React?
All three can be used in React. Phosphor has @phosphor-icons/react, with an ssr entry for server components, Iconoir has iconoir-react, and Material Symbols ships as a variable icon font.
How many icon sizes should a design system use?
As few as possible, all on the 4px grid, matched to the line height of the text beside them. Our guide to icons in UX/UI covers sizes, touch areas and naming.
Want to earn money with Koala UI? Our affiliate program is now available, read all the details and conditions of the program to start making money with Koala UI.
Why does your icon library matter?
Icons are probably one of the most important elements throughout the interface or UI. They serve as visual cues that help users quickly understand functions, actions, or content within an application or website.
Depending on the type of icon and how we use them, we can create one design or another. Usually, decisions about the type of icon are made at the beginning of the project depending on the branding, the mood we want to convey, etc. For example, using playful and colorful icons might be suitable for a children's app, while sleek and minimalist icons might be more appropriate for a professional business platform.
There are many types of icons, and typically in each library, we find 4 different modes: Regular, Bold, Mini, and Duotone. Regular icons offer a standard style, while Bold icons provide a more prominent and impactful appearance. Mini icons are scaled-down versions suitable for smaller UI elements, and Duotone icons add depth and dimension with two-tone colors.
Having this variety of icons allows us to customize the designs even more, tailoring them to specific visual identities and user experiences. This flexibility is crucial for creating cohesive and engaging interfaces that resonate with users.
In today's article, we bring you 3 libraries of free icons for any UX/UI project or for your Design System. These libraries offer a wide range of icons covering various categories, ensuring you have access to the right visuals for your design needs. Whether you're working on a mobile app, a website, or a digital product, these resources can help enhance the user experience and streamline the design process. Let's explore these libraries and see how they can elevate your projects to the next level.
What should you check before you pick one?
If you want to learn thoroughly about icons, we have prepared a guide in another article so that you can apply these icons in the most correct way possible. Here is the article for you.
01Phosphor Icons
This is personally one of my favorites and the one Koala UI is based on. What we like the most is its versatility and the ability to tackle all sorts of projects. Most of the projects we undertake in the studio, whether they're serious, fun, for mobile, web, etc., always use Phosphor icons.
This library is made by two geniuses: Tobias Fried and Helena Zhang.
Link: phosphoricons.com
02Iconoir
Iconoir is one of the best libraries available today, created by @burgioluca, simply because of the number of icons it offers, how well they are constructed, its compatibility with React Native and CSS, and moreover, it's a completely free library.
When we're not using Phosphor icons, we use Iconoir. Highly recommended.
Link: iconoir.com
03Google Material Symbols
And finally, as it couldn't be otherwise, the Google library. We know that Google excels in everything, and indeed they are also excellent at designing icons.
Personally, I really appreciate the variety and versatility of these icons. Moreover, if you ever doubt which library to use, what could be better than using Google's own library, right?
Link: fonts.google.com/icons
And that's it for today's article. We hope you enjoyed it! If you did, feel free to share it with your friends or colleagues so they can enjoy it too.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best free icon library?
For most products, Phosphor Icons: it is consistent and comes in six weights (thin, light, regular, bold, fill and duotone), so one library covers every tone. Koala UI uses it.
Are these icon libraries free for commercial use?
Yes. Phosphor Icons and Iconoir are MIT licensed and Material Symbols is Apache 2.0, so you can use all three in commercial products.
Which icon library works best with React?
All three can be used in React. Phosphor has @phosphor-icons/react, with an ssr entry for server components, Iconoir has iconoir-react, and Material Symbols ships as a variable icon font.
How many icon sizes should a design system use?
As few as possible, all on the 4px grid, matched to the line height of the text beside them. Our guide to icons in UX/UI covers sizes, touch areas and naming.
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