Format comparison
ICO vs HEIC
How do ICO and HEICcompare? Here's everything you need to know to choose the right format — and how to convert between them.
.ico
Full guide →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.
.heic
Full guide →High Efficiency Image Container
HEIC is Apple's preferred image format, used by iPhones and iPads since iOS 11. It delivers significantly better compression than JPG while maintaining higher quality, but compatibility remains limited outside the Apple ecosystem.
| Specification | ICO | HEIC |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Icon File Format | High Efficiency Image Container |
| Extension | .ico | .heic |
| MIME type | image/x-icon | image/heic |
| Category | Image | Image |
| Developer | Microsoft | MPEG (Moving Picture Experts Group) |
| Year introduced | 1985 | 2015 |
| Compression | Lossless | Lossy |
ICO advantages
- Multiple sizes in one file
- Standard for Windows icons and favicons
- Widely supported by all browsers
- Small file sizes
ICO limitations
- Limited to small image dimensions
- Primarily Windows-focused format
- Being replaced by PNG favicons in modern web
- Complex internal structure for a simple purpose
HEIC advantages
- 50% smaller than JPG at equivalent quality
- Supports transparency and depth maps
- Live Photos and image sequences
- 16-bit color depth
HEIC limitations
- Limited compatibility outside Apple devices
- Not natively supported by most web browsers
- Requires special decoders on Windows/Android
- Patent-encumbered format
Which should you use?
Both ICO and HEIC have their strengths. ICO excels at website favicons, while HEIC is better for iphone and ipad photography.
Best uses for ICO
Website favicons
Windows application icons
Desktop shortcuts
Taskbar and system tray icons
Best uses for HEIC
iPhone and iPad photography
Apple ecosystem image storage
Space-efficient photo libraries
Portrait mode and depth photography
Convert between ICO and HEIC
Need to switch formats? Convert for free with SquishConvert.