In modern web development, icons do more than decorate—they drive usability, accessibility, and brand identity. If you’re building a Next.js application in 2025, choosing the right icon library is key to performance, consistency, and developer productivity.
Whether you’re designing for dark mode, optimizing for speed, or building a scalable interface, this guide explores the top icon libraries for Next.js, tested with React 19 and suited for modern frontend needs.
1. Lucide Icons
- GitHub Stars: 16k+
- Install: npm install lucide-react
Lucide is a clean, modern revamp of Feather Icons—optimized for React 19 and lightweight builds.
Pros:
✅ Tree-shakable and accessible
✅ Customizable for dark mode
✅ Developer-friendly syntax
Cons:
⚠️ Slightly limited icon set
Best Use: Lightweight Next.js apps with clean UI
2. Heroicons
- GitHub Stars: 18k+
- Install: npm install @heroicons/react
Created by the Tailwind team, Heroicons fits seamlessly into utility-first frameworks like Tailwind CSS.
Pros:
✅ Outline & solid styles
✅ Regular updates
✅ Perfect Tailwind pairing
Cons:
⚠️ Slightly bulky without tree-shaking
Best Use: Tailwind-based dashboards and admin panels
3. Phosphor Icons
- GitHub Stars: 12k+
- Install: npm install phosphor-react
Phosphor offers a wide range of weights and styles—great for expressive, scalable designs.
Pros:
✅ Multi-weight support
✅ Context-based theming
✅ Dark mode compatibility
Cons:
⚠️ Slightly heavier bundle size
Best Use: Custom-themed enterprise UIs
4. React Icons
- GitHub Stars: 19k+
- Install: npm install react-icons
React Icons combines multiple popular libraries like Font Awesome, Material Icons, and Feather in one package.
Pros:
✅ All-in-one solution
✅ Familiar, versatile icons
✅ Easy to implement
Cons:
⚠️ Not fully tree-shakable unless selectively imported
Best Use: Projects needing a wide variety of icons
5. Radix Icons
- GitHub Stars: 3k+
- Install: npm install @radix-ui/react-icons
Designed for Radix UI, these icons are ideal for minimal, functional design systems.
Pros:
✅ Clean and consistent look
✅ Tailwind and dark mode support
✅ Lightweight
Cons:
⚠️ Smaller collection
Best Use: Minimalist UIs and internal tools
6. Tabler Icons
- GitHub Stars: 18k+
- Install: npm install @tabler/icons-react
Tabler includes over 4000 icons—ideal for apps needing diversity with elegance.
Pros:
✅ Huge icon variety
✅ Great documentation
✅ Built-in dark mode support
Cons:
⚠️ Some icons may appear similar
Best Use: Feature-rich enterprise applications
7. Material Symbols (MUI Icons)
- GitHub Stars: 4k+
- Install: npm install @mui/icons-material
Official icons from Google’s Material Design system—optimized for MUI apps.
Pros:
✅ Industry standard
✅ Strong accessibility
✅ Great integration with MUI
Cons:
⚠️ Heavier size
⚠️ Best used with MUI framework
Best Use: MUI-based Next.js applications
8. Iconoir
- GitHub Stars: 12k+
- Install: npm install iconoir-react
Iconoir is a minimal, developer-focused library supporting dark mode and accessibility.
Pros:
✅ Modern stroke styles
✅ Fully themeable
✅ Accessible
Cons:
⚠️ Smaller ecosystem
Best Use: Clean, creative Next.js UIs
9. Bootstrap Icons
- GitHub Stars: 9k+
- Install: npm install bootstrap-icons
Bootstrap Icons are SVG-based and simple to integrate into Bootstrap-based layouts.
Pros:
✅ Lightweight
✅ Familiar and clean
Cons:
⚠️ Not React-optimized
⚠️ Manual theming for dark mode
Best Use: Bootstrap-first or legacy apps
10. Bytesize Icons
- GitHub Stars: 3k+
- Install: npm install bytesize-icons
Bytesize is built for performance—perfect for small apps or performance-critical environments.
Pros:
✅ Minimal file size
✅ High-speed rendering
Cons:
⚠️ Limited variety
⚠️ No advanced styles or customization
Best Use: Static sites or micro frontends in Next.js
✅ Quick Comparison: Best Icon Libraries for Next.js
| Need | Recommended Icon Libraries |
| Fast & Lightweight | Lucide, Bytesize, Iconoir |
| Large Icon Collection | React Icons, Tabler Icons |
| Tailwind CSS Integration | Heroicons, Radix, Lucide |
| Custom Theming & Dark Mode | Phosphor, Iconoir, Lucide |
| Material UI Integration | MUI Icons |
| Performance-First Projects | Bytesize, Lucide |
🧩 Conclusion: Choosing the Best Icon Libraries for Next.js
In 2025, modern UI design requires icon libraries that are not only visually appealing but also optimized for performance, themeable, and easy to integrate with Next.js.
Whether you’re building a dashboard for a SaaS platform or a scalable customer-facing web app, the right icon library helps you deliver better UX with faster load times and lower maintenance.
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