Format Showdown

ICO VS PNG

The ultimate comparison guide. Understanding the technical differences between Icon File and Portable Network Graphics.

ICO

ico

Standard format used for computer icons and favicons.

Pros

  • Contains multiple resolutions
  • Standard for Windows/Web icons

Cons

  • Limited use case
  • Inefficient for general images

PNG

png

Lossless format supporting transparency, ideal for logos and digital art.

Pros

  • Lossless quality
  • Alpha channel transparency
  • Wide support

Cons

  • Larger file sizes than JPG
  • Not good for print (RGB only)

When ICO wins

Stay with ICO when you need favicons or desktop icons. Its strengths center on contains multiple resolutions and a feature set native to Microsoft.

When PNG wins

Choose PNG when your workflow prioritizes logos or screenshots. It delivers lossless quality plus modern compression perks.

Technical Specifications

FeatureICOPNG
MIME Typeimage/x-iconimage/png
DeveloperMicrosoftPNG Development Group
Release Year19851996
Best ForFavicons, Desktop iconsLogos, Screenshots, Graphics with transparent backgrounds

Need to switch?

Convert ICO to PNG Convert PNG to ICO
Opportunity map

Where ICO still wins

Keep ICO when you need contains multiple resolutions and workflows depend on favicons / desktop icons. Link those teams directly to the converter above so they can ship PNG deliverables without leaving their browser.

  • • Reference the .ico glossary from this page.
  • • Embed the conversion CTA in docs, wikis, and onboarding runbooks.
  • • Use PNG for logos while archiving originals as ICO.
Internal linking plan

Keep crawlers in the conversion hub

Link this comparison to the relevant tool, glossary, and documentation pages so every crawl discovers a monetizable route.

ICO to PNG converterPNG to ICO converterUse case libraryImplementation docs