How do GIF and ICOcompare? Here's everything you need to know to choose the right format — and how to convert between them.
Graphics Interchange Format
GIF is a widely recognized format best known for animated images and short loops. While limited to 256 colors, GIF's animation support and universal compatibility make it a staple of web culture.
Icon File Format
ICO is the icon file format used by Windows for application icons and website favicons. It can contain multiple image sizes and color depths in a single file.
| Specification | GIF | ICO |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Graphics Interchange Format | Icon File Format |
| Extension | .gif | .ico |
| MIME type | image/gif | image/x-icon |
| Category | Image | Image |
| Developer | CompuServe | Microsoft |
| Year introduced | 1987 | 1985 |
| Compression | Lossy | Lossless |
Both GIF and ICO have their strengths. GIF excels at animated images and memes, while ICO is better for website favicons.
Need to switch formats? Convert for free with SquishConvert.