FontAwesome Version Feature Comparison and Differences
Since its release in 2012, FontAwesome has gone through several major version iterations. Each version has seen significant changes in icon count, CSS usage, free style types, and features. To help you quickly understand the differences between versions and make the best technology choice, we have compiled the following detailed comparison table. Whether you are planning a new project or looking for an upgrade path for an existing project, this comparison provides valuable reference.
| Comparison Item | v4.x | v5.x | v6.x | v7.x |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Release Date | 2014 | 2018 | 2022 | 2025 |
| Free Icons | ~600 | ~1,500 | ~2,000 | ~2,500 |
| Pro Icons | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Font Format | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| SVG Format | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| SVG Sprites | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Free Styles | Solid | Solid, Regular, Brands | Solid, Regular, Brands | Solid, Regular, Brands |
| CSS Prefix | fa fa- | fas/far/fab | fa-solid/regular/brands | fa-solid/regular/brands |
| Sharp Style | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Thin Style | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Duotone | No | Yes (Pro) | Yes (Pro) | Yes (Pro) |
| Icon Search/Filter | Basic | Supported | Supported | Supported |
| Framework | Font only | Font + SVG | Font + SVG | Font + SVG |
| npm Package | font-awesome | @fortawesome/fontawesome-free | @fortawesome/fontawesome-free | @fortawesome/fontawesome-free |
| Maintenance | Discontinued | Security Updates | Active | Latest |
Use the latest v7.x for the newest features and icons.
Recommended for stable projects. Use v6.x for complete features and mature ecosystem.
If your project uses v4/v5, you can continue using them, but not recommended for new projects.
FA provides migration guides from v4 to v5, and from v5 to v6/v7.
FA4 marked FontAwesome's maturity. It uses a unified fa fa- CSS prefix, offers about 600 free icons, and only supports Solid style. Despite its simplicity, it established FontAwesome's leading position in web icons, and many legacy projects still use it today.
FA5 was a major architectural overhaul, introducing fas, far, fab prefixes for Solid, Regular, and Brands styles. Free icons jumped to about 1,500, with new SVG format support and SVG Sprites functionality, making it the most popular version at the time.
FA6 changed CSS prefixes to the more semantic fa-solid, fa-regular, fa-brands, and added Sharp and Thin styles (Pro). Free icons exceeded 2,000 with more refined designs, and the ecosystem grew to over 20,000 Pro icons.
FA7 is the latest version, adding many new icons on top of v6 — over 2,500 free and 25,000+ Pro. It retains the v6 prefix system while further improving icon quality, rendering performance, and accessibility, making it the best choice for new projects.
Change all fa fa- prefixes to fas fa- or fab fa-, and note that some icon names have changed. FA provides migration scripts and a fa-v4-shim compatibility file to ease the transition.
Migration from v5 to v6 is relatively smooth — the main change is CSS prefixes from fas/far to fa-solid/fa-regular. v7 is highly compatible with v6, making migration even cheaper. If you're on v6, upgrading to v7 is just a package version update.
Data above is for reference only. Please refer to the official FontAwesome website for the most accurate information.