Brandwave

Heroicons vs Material Symbols:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Heroicons had more branded searches than Material Symbols among icon libraries worldwide. Heroicons had about 22,200 branded searches, while Material Symbols had 14,800. Heroicons made up 1.3% of all icon library searches we track, and Material Symbols accounted for 0.85%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about icon libraries, Heroicons and Material Symbols each appeared in four of the five answers. Heroicons was mentioned before Material Symbols in three out of four answers that named either.

Among icon libraries worldwide in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Heroicons, about 50% more searches than Material Symbols

Heroicons 22.2K searchesMaterial Symbols 14.8K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Both were mentioned in 4 of 5 answers.

Heroicons in 4 of 5Material Symbols in 4 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

Heroicons, named ahead of Material Symbols in 3 of 4 answers

Heroicons first in 3Material Symbols first in 1

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Top icon libraries in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Heroicons and Material Symbols were each mentioned in four out of five: in all three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Heroicons was listed before Material Symbols in three out of four answers that named either.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. Lucide1st
  2. Phosphor Icons2nd
  3. Heroicons3rd
  4. Material Symbols4th
  5. Tabler Icons5th
  6. Font Awesome6th
  7. Flaticon7th
  8. Iconoir8th
  9. Noun Project9th
  10. Iconify10th

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • Lucide4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Phosphor Icons4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Heroicons4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Material Symbols4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Font Awesome3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Iconoir3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Tabler Icons2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Flaticon1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Noun Project1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Iconify1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about icon libraries

5 answers

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 21, 2026.

Is Heroicons or Material Symbols more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Heroicons and Material Symbols by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all ten icon libraries we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.

Heroicons and Material Symbols among icon libraries worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for Heroicons, Material Symbols. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthFlaticonFont AwesomeNoun ProjectLucideIconifyPhosphor IconsTabler IconsHeroiconsMaterial SymbolsIconoir
Oct 202559.4%17.8%11.9%3.6%2%1.1%1.3%2%0.72%0.26%
Nov 202559.6%17.9%12%3.6%2%1.1%1.1%2%0.59%0.21%
Dec 202559.7%18%9.8%4.4%2.4%1.3%1.3%2%0.72%0.22%
Jan 202657.8%17.4%11.6%4.3%2.3%1.6%1.6%2.3%0.86%0.21%
Feb 202658.2%17.5%11.7%4.3%2.4%1.6%1.3%1.9%0.86%0.21%
Mar 202655.4%16.7%13.7%5%2.2%2.2%1.5%2.2%0.82%0.24%
Apr 202657%17.2%11.5%5.1%2.3%2.3%1.5%1.9%0.85%0.25%
May 202659.3%14.6%12%5.4%2.4%2%1.6%1.6%0.88%0.21%
Jun 202659.3%14.6%12%5.4%2.4%2%1.6%1.6%0.88%0.21%
Jul 202655.5%16.7%11.2%6.1%2.7%2.7%1.8%1.8%1%0.3%
Aug 202658.2%14.3%11.7%6.4%2.4%2.4%1.9%1.6%0.86%0.31%
Sep 202657.7%14.2%14.2%5.2%2.3%2.3%1.6%1.3%0.85%0.25%

How has the Heroicons and Material Symbols comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • Heroicons was ahead of Material Symbols in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Heroicons’ share of searches among icon libraries worldwide moved from 2% to 1.3%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 49.5K to 22.2K.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Material Symbols’ share of searches among icon libraries worldwide moved from 0.72% to 0.85%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 18.1K to 14.8K.

How did search popularity change for icon libraries worldwide in September 2026?

2 changes

  1. Estimated monthly branded searches for Heroicons worldwide fell 55.2% over 12 measured months, from 49.5K to 22.2K in September 2026.

  2. Estimated monthly branded searches for Material Symbols worldwide fell 18.2% over 12 measured months, from 18.1K to 14.8K in September 2026.

How are branded searches counted?

2 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Heroicons’ and Material Symbols’ names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.

Heroicons

1 branded search term

  • heroicons

Material Symbols

1 branded search term

  • material symbols

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among icon libraries

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