Animated Icons: What to Actually Use
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A practical comparison of animated icon implementation options for web projects: hand-written SVG with CSS, Lottie (.json), dotLottie (.lottie), Rive, and pre-built icon libraries. SVG+CSS is recommended for most UI micro-interactions due to zero bundle cost and full customization. Lottie earns its place for complex designer-authored animations from After Effects, but its 60–100kb gzipped runtime is often overkill for simple spinners or checkmarks. dotLottie is a distinct format (zip container, smaller files, built-in state machine interactivity) requiring its own runtime. Rive offers a state-machine-first approach but requires designers to work in its proprietary tool. Pre-built animated icon libraries suit internal tools but break down when custom iconography is needed. A comparison table covers bundle size, customization, complex animation support, and interactivity handling for each option.
