Comparison
Emoji vs Sticker: Which One Do You Actually Want to Make?
An emoji sits inside a line of text at about 22 to 32 pixels and works as a reaction. A sticker is its own message at 128 to 512 pixels and cannot be a reaction. People often make the wrong one: an elaborate scene as an emoji becomes a smudge, and a simple face as a sticker looks empty. The decision is about where it will be used, not how it looks.
Shows up
- Custom emoji
- Inline with text and in the reaction tray
- Sticker
- As a standalone message
Display size
- Custom emoji
- About 22 to 32 pixels
- Sticker
- About 128 to 512 pixels
Best subject
- Custom emoji
- One face or symbol, two or three colours
- Sticker
- A character, a pose, a small scene
Apps
- Custom emoji
- Slack, Discord, Teams, Twitch, Kick, Reddit
- Sticker
- WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal, iMessage
File
- Custom emoji
- Transparent PNG or GIF, small
- Sticker
- 512 by 512 transparent PNG or WebP
Text on it
- Custom emoji
- Unreadable, avoid
- Sticker
- Fine if large
| Custom emoji | Sticker | |
|---|---|---|
| Shows up | Inline with text and in the reaction tray | As a standalone message |
| Display size | About 22 to 32 pixels | About 128 to 512 pixels |
| Best subject | One face or symbol, two or three colours | A character, a pose, a small scene |
| Apps | Slack, Discord, Teams, Twitch, Kick, Reddit | WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal, iMessage |
| File | Transparent PNG or GIF, small | 512 by 512 transparent PNG or WebP |
| Text on it | Unreadable, avoid | Fine if large |
Pick Custom emoji if
Emoji, if it will be used as a reaction or dropped into sentences, which is most workplace and community chat.
Make an emojiPick Sticker if
Sticker, if it is the message itself, on a messaging app with a sticker tray, and you want detail and a pose to read.
Make a stickerQuestions people ask
Can the same image be both an emoji and a sticker?
Sometimes. A bold, simple design exported at 512 pixels works as a sticker and, downsized, as an emoji. A detailed design only works as a sticker.
Why does my sticker look bad as an emoji?
Detail. At 22 pixels a scene collapses into noise. Emoji need one subject and few colours; that is a design constraint, not a file setting.
Which apps use stickers instead of custom emoji?
WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal and iMessage centre on stickers. Slack, Discord, Teams, Twitch and Kick centre on custom emoji and emotes. Telegram has both, with custom emoji behind Premium.