Avatar Generator Libraries

14 open-source libraries compared: identicons, illustrated characters, cartoon faces, and photo placeholders. Find the right one for your stack.

7 have a live playground on this site 7 have an HTTP API 10 are MIT or CC0 licensed

All Libraries

  • DiceBear MIT

    30+ styles: Adventurer, Lorelei, Bottts, Pixel Art, Notionists, Rings, and more

    Open playground

  • Boring Avatars MIT

    6 geometric themes: marble, beam, pixel, sunset, ring, bauhaus

    View samples

  • Multiavatar MIT

    Multicultural character illustrations: 12 billion unique combinations

    View samples

  • Avataaars MIT

    Cartoon characters with 13 customizable properties: hair, clothes, accessories, skin tone

    Open playground

  • Bean Heads MIT

    Stylized cartoon "bean head" characters with expressions, clothing, and accessories

    View samples

  • Jdenticon MIT

    Symmetric geometric identicons: hash-based patterns of triangles and squares

    View samples

  • NI
    Nice Avatar MIT

    Illustrated faces with per-parameter customization: sex, hair, eyes, nose, mouth, accessories

    View samples

  • Minidenticons MIT

    Ultra-minimal colored identicons: 5×5 pixel grid, zero dependencies

    View samples

  • Blockies WTFPL

    Pixelated color-block identicons: originally designed for Ethereum wallet addresses

    View samples

  • UI Avatars Free

    Initials on a colored background: customizable font, size, and background color

    Open playground

  • Robohash Free

    Robots, monsters, or space cats: three distinct image sets generated from any text

    Open playground

  • Gravatar Free

    User-uploaded photos with fallback to generated identicons or initials

    Open playground

  • Pravatar CC0

    Realistic photo-style placeholder avatars: CC0 licensed human face photos

    Open playground

  • Open Peeps CC0

    Hand-drawn modular illustration characters by Pablo Stanley: arms, bodies, faces as building blocks

    Open playground

Quick Comparison

Library License Output npm API Playground
DiceBear MIT SVG, PNG, WebP ✓ ✓ ✓
Boring Avatars MIT SVG ✓ - -
Multiavatar MIT SVG, PNG ✓ ✓ -
Avataaars MIT SVG, PNG ✓ - ✓
Bean Heads MIT SVG, PNG ✓ - -
Jdenticon MIT SVG, PNG, Canvas ✓ - -
Nice Avatar MIT SVG, PNG ✓ - -
Minidenticons MIT SVG ✓ - -
Blockies WTFPL SVG, Canvas ✓ - -
UI Avatars Free PNG, SVG - ✓ ✓
Robohash Free PNG, SVG - ✓ ✓
Gravatar Free PNG, SVG - ✓ ✓
Pravatar CC0 PNG - ✓ ✓
Open Peeps CC0 SVG ✓ ✓ ✓

Frequently Asked Questions

What is an avatar generator library?
An avatar generator library creates unique profile images programmatically from a seed value, typically a username, email address, or user ID. The seed deterministically produces the same image each time, so every user always sees a consistent avatar without storing image files. Libraries vary in visual style from geometric identicons to illustrated characters to cartoon faces.
What is a deterministic avatar?
A deterministic avatar is one where the same input always produces the same output. Pass "[email protected]" and you will always get the same avatar image, no matter when or where you generate it. This is essential for user-facing avatars, you need the avatar to stay consistent across page loads, devices, and server restarts without storing the image.
Which avatar library should I use for a React project?
For a general default avatar (before users upload a photo), DiceBear is the most versatile: it has an HTTP API so you can use it without installing any package, and 30+ styles to match your design language. For a lightweight option with no external requests, Boring Avatars (boring-avatars npm package) is a compact React component with six clean geometric themes. For fully customizable cartoon avatars, Avataaars or Nice Avatar give users control over their appearance.
What is the difference between an identicon and an illustrated avatar?
An identicon is a geometric pattern generated from a hash, like the pixel grids GitHub used before profile photos. Examples include Jdenticon, Blockies, and Minidenticons. They are minimal and convey uniqueness without depicting a person. An illustrated avatar shows a character: a cartoon face, full person, or stylized figure. Examples include DiceBear styles, Avataaars, and Big Heads. Illustrated avatars feel more personal; identicons feel more technical.
Can I use these avatar libraries without an internet connection?
Libraries with npm packages (DiceBear, Boring Avatars, Jdenticon, Multiavatar, Nice Avatar, Minidenticons, Blockies, Big Heads, Avataaars) run entirely in the browser or Node.js with no external requests. HTTP API-only services (UI Avatars, Robohash, Pravatar, Gravatar) require a network call. For GDPR compliance or offline apps, prefer the npm-based options.
Which avatar library has the most permissive license?
MIT-licensed libraries (DiceBear core, Boring Avatars, Jdenticon, Multiavatar, Nice Avatar, Minidenticons, Avataaars, Big Heads) and CC0 libraries (Open Peeps, CoreUI) require only a license file inclusion and allow any commercial use. Blockies uses WTFPL, which is effectively public domain. UI Avatars and Robohash are free HTTP services with no stated redistribution obligations. Avoid OpenMoji if you need to distribute modified versions without copyleft.
How do DiceBear style licenses work?
DiceBear core (@dicebear/core) is MIT. The visual styles are separate packages and each has its own license. CC0 styles (Identicon, Initials, Lorelei, Notionists, Open Peeps, Pixel Art, Rings, Shapes, Thumbs) are public domain, no attribution needed. CC-BY-4.0 styles (Adventurer, Big Ears, Big Smile, Croodles, Dylan, Micah, Miniavs, Personas, ToonHead) require visible credit to the original designer. Avataaars and Bottts styles allow free commercial use. Check the DiceBear docs for each style's specific attribution requirements.
What is the best avatar generator for a high-traffic production app?
For high traffic, prefer a library with an npm package so avatars are generated client-side or at build time, no API rate limits, no latency, no external dependency. DiceBear, Boring Avatars, and Jdenticon are the most battle-tested options for production scale. If you use DiceBear's HTTP API, it is well-maintained, but self-hosting the npm package eliminates the external dependency entirely.
How do I generate an avatar from an email address?
Hash the email with SHA256 (or MD5 for Gravatar compatibility), then pass that hash as the seed to your chosen library. In JavaScript: const seed = await crypto.subtle.digest("SHA-256", new TextEncoder().encode(email.toLowerCase().trim())), convert to hex, then pass to DiceBear or similar. This way the avatar is tied to the email without exposing the email address in the URL.
Are avatar generators accessible?
Avatar images are decorative when shown next to a username. Set alt="" on img tags and aria-hidden="true" on inline SVGs in those cases. If the avatar is the only indicator of user identity (no name visible), add a descriptive alt or aria-label. Generated SVG avatars from these libraries have no inherent accessibility issues, the responsibility is in how your UI uses them.