> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.brandfetch.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# DuckDuckGo Favicon API

> Why DuckDuckGo's icon endpoint isn't a substitute for a real logo API

DuckDuckGo exposes an internal icon-fetching endpoint at `icons.duckduckgo.com` that some developers repurpose to display company "logos" for free. Like Google's favicon endpoint, it wasn't built or documented for this use case.

<Warning>
  This is an unofficial DuckDuckGo service with no published support, uptime guarantee, or terms for third-party use. It can change or stop working at any time.
</Warning>

## Brand quality & time to value

There's no brand dataset behind this endpoint either, it returns whatever `.ico` a site happens to expose, or a generic placeholder with a 404 status if it doesn't. Brandfetch resolves an actual logo for 95% of brands in its core distribution, and 86% even at the extreme long tail of small, non-tech businesses, [measured and published openly](/accuracy/coverage-and-quality).

Failures surface as that generic placeholder in your UI: you find out a logo is missing when a user reports it, not before. Brandfetch's fallback options mean you decide up front what happens when a logo isn't available, instead of debugging it in production.

## Quick comparison

|                 | Brandfetch                                                  | DuckDuckGo Favicon API                                      |
| --------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------- |
| Status          | Actively maintained, documented                             | Unofficial, unsupported                                     |
| What it returns | The brand's actual logo, icon, or symbol                    | The site's favicon                                          |
| Format          | PNG, JPG, WebP, SVG                                         | The site's raw `favicon.ico`                                |
| Size            | Any size via `w`/`h`, aspect ratio preserved                | Whatever sizes the site's `.ico` contains, commonly 16-48px |
| Theme variants  | Light, dark                                                 | Not available                                               |
| Fallback        | Lettermark, Brandfetch mark, transparent, 404               | Generic placeholder icon, served with a 404                 |
| Identifiers     | Domain, ticker, ISIN, crypto                                | Domain only                                                 |
| Rate limits     | 500,000 requests/mo free, with documented throughput limits | None published                                              |

## How requests compare

**DuckDuckGo Favicon API**

<CodeGroup>
  ```text theme={null}
  https://icons.duckduckgo.com/ip3/nike.com.ico
  ```
</CodeGroup>

**Brandfetch**

<CodeGroup>
  ```text theme={null}
  https://cdn.brandfetch.io/nike.com/icon?c=BRANDFETCH_CLIENT_ID
  ```
</CodeGroup>

## Why teams choose Brandfetch

* **Real logos, not favicons.** ICO favicons are tiny, often generic, and not meant to represent a brand in a product UI.
* **Predictable failure handling.** DuckDuckGo's endpoint swaps in a generic placeholder when a favicon is missing. Brandfetch gives you four documented fallback strategies to choose from instead.
* **Built for production.** 100% uptime and documented rate limits, backed by a team that supports it.

## Get started

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Logo API overview" icon="circles-overlap" href="/logo-api/overview" iconType="light" cta="Learn more">
    See the full feature set and implementation guide
  </Card>

  <Card title="Get your client ID" icon="key" href="https://developers.brandfetch.com/register" iconType="light" cta="Register">
    Free account, no credit card required
  </Card>
</CardGroup>