15 Essential Free Icon Sets

April 21, 2017

When it comes to web design, and especially UI design, icons play a crucial role. When used properly, icons can enhance almost any website design by adding visual interest and appeal. However, creating icons from scratch every time you start a new project is both time-consuming and impractical. Luckily, the web is full of great resources and you can find plenty of high-quality icons available for free. Whether you’re creating a business website or need icons for the backend of your application, there is no shortage of icons. But, as busy as designers can get, sifting through all the icon sets to find the perfect one for your project can be just as time-consuming as creating your own. That’s why we compiled the best free icon sets so you can quickly find a few of them that you can put to good use in your upcoming projects, both for personal and client use.

1. Free Minimal Icon Pack

This free minimal icon pack contains 1800 icons in SVG, EPS, PSD, AI, SKETCH, and PNG formats. The icon set comes in both black and white versions and can be used in both personal and commercial projects.

2. Free Flat Icons

The icon set from Icons8 comes with more than 40000 icons that cover several categories; from business and office settings to people, food, and social media icons. The icons are designed to mimic the look of a specific operating system and you can download them in Windows, iOS, and Android versions. All icons can be recolored and there are even apps for Windows and Mac so you can use them in applications such as Photoshop.

3. Eldorado + Stroke 3132 Mini Free Icons

Eldorado + Stroke 3132 mini is a free version of Eldorado + Eldorado Stroke icons and packs a grand total of 3132 icons in PNG format. The icons are mono-colored and include categories such as Basic, Culture, Devices, Finance, and more.

4. Iconmonstr

Iconmonstr’s collection of icons has 3600+ icons. They are a great fit if your project needs icons in black or white. You can find a variety of icons for a business site, interface design, multimedia, social media icons, and much more.

5. 48 Free Flat Designer Icons

This free set of 48 office, social, and travel icons will certainly come in handy for your next project involving a travel or a corporate website. The icons are available in AI and PNG format and come in a bright monochrome coral and multicolor versions.

6. Social Media Icons Pack

Available from FontFabric, the set contains 74 social media icons which guarantees you will never run out of icons for your projects. The icons are available as an icon font so simply download them and use the corresponding key on your keyboard to insert them in your designs.

7. 210 Vector Minicons

Try out this vector icon pack the next time you start a web design project or need to come up with a wireframe. The minicons are available in vector format, feature a clean line design, and are perfectly scalable.

8. 30 Isometric Icon Set

If your project revolves around the accounting industry, consider this set of 30 isometric icons featuring charts, graphs, folders, and more. The icons come in AI, EPS, and PNG format and can be completely edited to your liking in Adobe Illustrator.

9. Retro Icons

Some say retro style is making a comeback so for all those projects that need a retro touch, this retro icon set will come in handy. The set contains 120 icons in vector format.

10. Metro UI Icon Set

Fans of the Metro style need to check out the Metro UI Icon set which comes with more than 700 icons in two sizes. The icons are available in PNG as well as the .ICO format.

11. 40 Design Icons

Another set of design icons in vector format, the set comes with 40 icons available in multiple formats which include AI, EPS, SVG, and PNG. This set would be perfect for a designer’s portfolio or for any artistic website.

12. 83 Flat UX and E‑Commerce Icons

The next time you’re working on an e‑commerce site, these icons will allow you to add a touch of visual appeal. You can find icons for shops, signs, barcodes, currencies, and more. The set is available in several colors and in the same bundle you can find a download for flat UX icons. Both sets come in AI and EPS formats.

13. 30 Weather Icons

This weather icon set is a great choice for any weather app or a meteorological website. You can choose between 30 different icons which come in SKETCH and PNG format.

14. Earth and Space Icon Set

If you’ve ever needed icons that cover everything from earth to space, look no further than this pack. Created exclusively for Smashing Magazine, the set contains icons for satellites, planets, meteors, air balloons, and even strange sea creatures.

15. Nucleo Flat Business Icon Set

The last set on our list features 50 icons in a modern, flat style that will complement any corporate website. The icons are available in both AI and SVG format.

Brenda Stokes Barron

Brenda Barron is a writer from southern California specializing in business and technology. Read more about what she‚Äôs up to on her site Digital Inkwell.