Brandwave

Material Symbols vs Phosphor Icons:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Phosphor Icons had more branded searches than Material Symbols among icon libraries worldwide. Phosphor Icons had about 40,500 branded searches, while Material Symbols had 14,800. Phosphor Icons made up 2.3% 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, Material Symbols and Phosphor Icons each appeared in four of the five answers. Phosphor Icons was mentioned before Material Symbols in four out of five answers.

Among icon libraries worldwide in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Phosphor Icons, about 3 searches for every 1 for Material Symbols

Phosphor Icons 40.5K searchesMaterial Symbols 14.8K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Both were mentioned in 4 of 5 answers.

Material Symbols in 4 of 5Phosphor Icons in 4 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

Phosphor Icons, named ahead of Material Symbols in 4 of 5 answers

Phosphor Icons first in 4Material 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, Material Symbols was mentioned in four out of five: in all three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Phosphor Icons was mentioned in four out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers and in both Google AI Overviews. Phosphor Icons was listed before Material Symbols in four out of five answers.

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 Material Symbols or Phosphor Icons more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Material Symbols and Phosphor Icons 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.

Material Symbols and Phosphor Icons among icon libraries worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for Phosphor Icons, 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 Material Symbols and Phosphor Icons comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings

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

2 changes

  1. Estimated monthly branded searches for Phosphor Icons worldwide rose 49.4% over 12 measured months, from 27.1K to 40.5K 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 Material Symbols’ and Phosphor Icons’ 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.

Material Symbols

1 branded search term

  • material symbols

Phosphor Icons

1 branded search term

  • phosphor icons

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among icon libraries

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