ICO VS TGA
The ultimate comparison guide. Understanding the technical differences between Icon File and Truevision TGA.
ICO
icoStandard format used for computer icons and favicons.
Pros
- Contains multiple resolutions
- Standard for Windows/Web icons
Cons
- Limited use case
- Inefficient for general images
TGA
tgaLegacy raster format used in broadcast and game development with optional RLE compression.
Pros
- Supports alpha channel
- Straightforward structure
- Trusted in VFX pipelines
Cons
- Large uncompressed files
- Sparse metadata
- Poor native web support
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 TGA wins
Choose TGA when your workflow prioritizes game textures or broadcast graphics. It delivers supports alpha channel plus modern compression perks.
Technical Specifications
| Feature | ICO | TGA |
|---|---|---|
| MIME Type | image/x-icon | image/x-tga |
| Developer | Microsoft | Truevision |
| Release Year | 1985 | 1984 |
| Best For | Favicons, Desktop icons | Game textures, Broadcast graphics, VFX matte passes |
Need to switch?
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 TGA deliverables without leaving their browser.
- • Reference the .ico glossary from this page.
- • Embed the conversion CTA in docs, wikis, and onboarding runbooks.
- • Use TGA for game textures while archiving originals as ICO.
Keep crawlers in the conversion hub
Link this comparison to the relevant tool, glossary, and documentation pages so every crawl discovers a monetizable route.