The choice between ICO and HEIC file formats can be difficult owing to the different capabilities and features offered by each format. Users must comprehensively understand both formats to choose the best format for a specific project.
The article performs an ICO vs. HEIC analysis of their technical features, including file size, structure, image quality, compression, storage, web performance, animation, transparency, and browser support, to help graphic designers and web developers understand and choose a file type suitable for each use case.
When is ICO better than HEIC?
ICO images can be scaled upwards or downwards without losing resolution and quality levels, while HEIC images are non-scalable and become indistinct or blurry with scaling. This makes an ICO image type suitable for creating professional and sharp icons for desktop computer shortcuts, including applications, files, and folders.
When is HEIC better than ICO?
HEIC images are smaller and high-quality because they support the advanced and more efficient HEVC compression algorithms, while ICO images are larger and slightly low-quality because they support the inefficient PNGOUT or TinyPNG lossless compression, resulting in less web-responsive files.
HEIC versus ICO Comparison Table
| Element | ICO | HEIC |
| Transparency | Supports transparency | Supports transparency. |
| File Size | Larger than HEIC files. | Smaller than ICO files. |
| Image Quality | Low-quality images than HEIC images. | High-quality images than ICO images. |
| Performance | Slower image loading times than HEIC. | Faster image loading times than ICO. |
| Structure | Vector graphic with Icon directory, image mask, XOR bitmap, block, and AND bitmap. | Raster graphic with comments and tags, image series, EXIF/TIF files and displaying indicators. |
| Animation | Supports animations. | Supports still animations or image series. |
| Storage | Larger icons with more storage space needs. | Smaller with less storage space needs than ICO. |
| Compression | PNGOUT and TinyPNG lossless. | Lossy and lossless compression. |
| Browser Support | Wider web browser support than HEIC. | Limited browser support compared to ICO. |
Differences and similarities between ICO and HEIC images
From the ICO versus HEIC comparison table above, it is revealed that the formats support lossless compression, animations, and transparency. However, they have differences in web browser support, file size, storage demands, performance, image quality, and structure.
Transparency
ICO and HEIC file types support transparency. ICO allows graphic designers and web developers to add semi-transparent areas, including glass-like effects, anti-aliasing, and shadows to an image. It supports icons with varying color depths, dimensions, and 8 bits of transparency.
In contrast, the HEIC file type supports transparency by allowing images such as graphics and logos to fuse flawlessly with the dominant webpage backgrounds. HEIC supports free alpha channel mask or plane transparency data. Its files are loaded as 64-bit or 32-bit when using 10-bit or 8-bit modules.
File Size
HEIC files are smaller than ICO files. While both formats store multiple files, HEIC uses advanced and efficient HEVC compression algorithms, which minimizes its file sizes. ICO files have multiple icons, each supporting and storing images of varying sizes and types, but support the inefficient lossless compression.
Image Quality
HEIC images are of higher quality than ICO images. Although ICO images can be scaled upwards or downwards without losing quality and resolution levels, they are less detailed and low-quality than HEIC images. ICO supports a maximum bit depth of 24 bits of colors and 8 bits of transparency.
On the other hand, HEIC format supports 10-bit and 16-bit color depths per channel, rendered as 48-bit by default. HEIC supports higher bit depths and a broader range of colors than ICO. HEIC supports High Dynamic Range (HDR) and Wide Color Range (WCR), making its images sharper and sparkling than ICO.
Performance
ICO format stores multiple lossless files, making it larger than HEIC. HEIC uses efficient HEVC compression algorithms to create smaller files than ICO files. As a result, HEIC images load faster over low bandwidth networks, consume fewer bytes, and enhance online user experience than ICOs.
Structure
HEIC is a raster graphic, while ICO is vector-based. The structural differences imply distinct features between both formats, making them difficult to compare. An ICO file starts with an Icon directory (ICONDIR), which contains the ICONDIRENTRY structure for every image in the ICO file.
ICO has a contiguous block with image bitmap data that closely follows each image file. The file format has the AND bitmap - the XOR bitmap and an image mask. The ICO's image bitmap data is either in PNG or Windows BMP format, which excludes the BITMAPFILEHEADER structure.
It contains multiple or a single small image with different color depths and sizes. In contrast, HEIC file specifies specific images, image series, and metadata stored in a container file compliant with the ISO Base Media File Format. It has Exif metadata with all the tags and comments supported by EXIF and TIFF.
The embedded TIFF files in HEIC file hardly have image data, rather, they store individual image files and mark them as "items," with each file having a designated number of items. The HEIC has image series (tracks) saved and stored in EXIF/TIF files. It uses indicator to display HEIC files as galleries or animations.
Animation
ICO and HEIC file formats support animations or animated content. An ICO file supports animation using icon features that enable enhanced customization of websites or computer applications that support multiple color depths and resolutions.
Conversely, HEIC stores multiple images and metadata in a single file, allowing short animations, image sequences, or lively content to be created. The file format stores image series that can be played back as slideshows, memes, or short animations.
Storage
ICO images are larger than HEIC images. HEIC's lossy and lossless compression techniques use efficient HEVC algorithms to compresses images, resulting in smaller files with less storage space need than ICO files. Multiple ICO files depend on the ineffective PNGOUT compression method, making them larger.
Both formats can store the compressed files indefinitely when appropriately handled, kept under suitable conditions, and using the best storage mediums, such as ISO Base Media Files, Hard Drives, Content Delivery Networks, EXIF/TIF files, Floppy Drives, and Cloud.
Compression
HEIC supports lossless and lossy compression, while ICO images are compressed using TinyPNG or PNGOUT lossless methods. Lossy HEIC compresses image data using the HEVC algorithms, which delete duplicate image data, resulting in compression artifacts and slight image quality degradation.
Conversely, HEIC's lossless compression creates smaller, higher-quality images by preserving all image information, ensuring no loss in image quality, like TinyPNG or PNGOUT lossless compression used by the ICO format. ICO's compression method is inferior to HCIE's.
Browser Support
ICO format has a rich history but enjoys web browser support from Opera, Chrome, Firefox, and Edge. Old browsers, including Internet Explorer, which hardly enables scaling icons, do not support it. Safari supports only a preview of an ICO's file format. However, ICO has a broader web browser support than HEIC.
HEIC format is a new image format that has gained prominence and grip among users. Although it is only supported by web browsers such as Safari, Google Workplace, or Google Marketplace, the file format is incompatible with Vivaldi, Discord, Opera, Brave, IE, Firefox, Edge, and Samsung Internet.
Converting ICO to HEIC or HEIC to ICO
Convert ICO to HEIC using the most reliable tool, convertjack. HEIC files are smaller and high-quality because the HEVC compression algorithms increase web responsiveness and enhance the online user experience.
Convertjack is considered the most resourceful HEIC to ICO converter. ICO files are flexible because they support multiple images with different color depths and sizes. This allows users to store icons in one file and makes it easier to design icons for display on various screen resolutions.