Anime.js vs flag-icons
Which should you use? A side-by-side look at what each one does, who it suits, what it costs, how hard it is to set up, and where each falls short.
Open source · MIT
A JavaScript library for animating CSS properties, SVG, DOM attributes and plain objects.
Open source · MIT
A set of country flag images in SVG, plus CSS to show them easily on web pages.
The short answer
Choose Anime.js if you need…
- Front-end developers adding motion to websites or web apps
- Developers animating SVG graphics or DOM elements
- Projects that want a small, JavaScript-only animation dependency
- Developers who prefer ES module imports
Choose flag-icons if you need…
- Web developers who need flags next to country names in a site or app
- Teams that want a consistent flag style without sourcing images themselves
- Projects that only need a subset of flags and want to trim the CSS with SASS settings
- People who prefer loading styles from a CDN without installing anything
Side-by-side
| Anime.js | flag-icons | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Library | Library |
| Price | Free and open source | Free and open source |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| GitHub stars | 74.2k | 12.5k |
| Setup difficulty | Beginner | Beginner |
| How you get it | Install with a package manager | Install with a package manager |
| Main language | JavaScript | HTML |
| Last code update | 3 months ago | 4 days ago |
What each one is
Anime.js
Anime.js is a JavaScript animation library that moves, rotates, fades and otherwise changes things on a web page over time. It works with CSS properties, SVG, DOM attributes and JavaScript objects, using one API for all of them. Developers use it to add motion to interfaces without writing the timing math by hand.
flag-icons
flag-icons is a collection of SVG images of country flags, along with CSS that makes them simple to add to a website. You add a small class such as fi fi-gr to an empty span and the matching flag appears, using ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country codes to pick the flag. It is mainly useful for web projects that show flags next to country names or in lists.
Best for
Anime.js
- Front-end developers adding motion to websites or web apps
- Developers animating SVG graphics or DOM elements
- Projects that want a small, JavaScript-only animation dependency
- Developers who prefer ES module imports
flag-icons
- Web developers who need flags next to country names in a site or app
- Teams that want a consistent flag style without sourcing images themselves
- Projects that only need a subset of flags and want to trim the CSS with SASS settings
- People who prefer loading styles from a CDN without installing anything
Strengths
Anime.js
- Single API covers CSS, SVG, DOM attributes and JavaScript objects
- Described in the README as lightweight, with ES module, UMD, CJS and IIFE builds available
- Widely used, with 74k+ GitHub stars and MIT license
flag-icons
- Covers all country flags in a single, consistent SVG set
- Simple class-based usage with ISO country codes
- Can be trimmed to only the flags you need through SASS configuration
Not ideal for
Anime.js
- People who want no-code animation tools; the README describes a code API only
- Projects that must stay on v3 without migration work, since the README points to a separate v3-to-v4 migration guide
- Anyone who needs a full 3D or game engine; the README does not cover those uses
flag-icons
- Projects that need flag images only in non-web formats such as PNG for mobile apps, since the README covers SVG and CSS only
- Anyone wanting a ready-made app; this is a set of assets and styles, not a program
Trade-offs
Anime.js
- The README is truncated and gives little detail beyond the usage example; full details live on an external documentation site
- v4 changed the API, so older tutorials and code may need migration
- Learning the full API depends on the external documentation
flag-icons
- The README does not say how the flags are styled beyond size and layout, so visual customization details are unclear
- Flags are sized by the surrounding element, so you must set dimensions yourself for the flags to look right
- The README's CDN example pins an older version (7.3.2) while the latest release is v7.6.0
Getting started
flag-icons
Install via npm
npm install flag-iconsInstall via Yarn
yarn add flag-iconsFrequently asked questions
What is the difference between Anime.js and flag-icons?
Anime.js: A JavaScript library for animating CSS properties, SVG, DOM attributes and plain objects. flag-icons: A set of country flag images in SVG, plus CSS to show them easily on web pages. Anime.js suits front-end developers adding motion to websites or web apps, while flag-icons suits web developers who need flags next to country names in a site or app.
Are Anime.js and flag-icons free?
Anime.js: Free and open source. flag-icons: Free and open source.
Is Anime.js or flag-icons more popular?
Anime.js has more GitHub stars (74.2k) than flag-icons (12.5k). Popularity isn't the same as fit — check which one matches your use case above.
What are other alternatives to Anime.js and flag-icons?
Other options people compare them with include G2, Rough.js, mo · js, three.js, nivo.
Keep comparing
Built from our catalogue entries for both products: open-source details come from each project's README (AI-assisted, refreshed weekly) and GitHub data; AI-tool details are editorial. Spotted something wrong? Let us know from either product's page.