LEGO Ideas vs Icons: Fan Designs or LEGO's Own Adult Sets?
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Ideas sets start as fan designs voted up on LEGO's Ideas site; Icons sets are LEGO's own adult line. In 2026 both are all 18+, cost about the same per piece and keep sets on sale for years. The real choice is the subject on the box.
The honest answer in 2026 is to choose by subject, not by line. LEGO Ideas sets begin as fan designs; LEGO Icons sets are LEGO's own adult line. In our catalog, both are entirely 18+, cost about the same per piece, and keep sets on sale for years. What differs is what they make: Ideas leans to pop culture, art and quirky objects, while Icons holds the big vehicles, ships and franchise flagships.
How the two lines are made
Ideas starts on LEGO's Ideas site. Fans post designs, and one that reaches 10,000 supporters goes to a LEGO review held several times a year. Approved designs are reworked by LEGO's own designers into official sets, and the fan designer is credited and paid 1 percent of net sales. Icons, which LEGO called Creator Expert until 2022, is designed in-house for adults.
Two things often filed under Icons are their own lines in our catalog: Architecture and Botanicals. The modular buildings are listed as their own collection too.
The two lines at a glance
Figures below are from our catalog in October 2026, counting sets on sale with a US price. Each set's price and piece count is on its card.
| LEGO Ideas | LEGO Icons | |
|---|---|---|
| Designed by | A fan, reworked by LEGO | LEGO |
| Sets on sale | 20 | 35 |
| New sets per year, 2023 to 2026 | 10 to 15 | 9 to 21 |
| Median price per piece | About 9.5 cents | About 10.9 cents |
| Median pieces | About 1,600 | About 1,600 |
| Age mark | All 18+ | All 18+ |
| Leaving December 31, 2026 | 7 sets | 10 sets |
One myth to drop: Ideas sets are not limited editions. Home Alone, from 2021, is expected on sale until the end of 2028, longer than many Icons sets.
LEGO Ideas worth a look now
Home Alone, the McCallister house with its booby traps, expected on sale until the end of 2028.
Tintin's Moon Rocket, a 2026 release expected on sale until the end of 2028.
LEGO Icons worth a look now
The Titanic, the line's largest current set, expected on sale until the end of 2028.
The Lord of the Rings: Minas Tirith, the 2026 franchise flagship.
Star Trek's U.S.S. Enterprise, a ship for a science fiction shelf.
Captain Jack Sparrow's Pirate Ship, a large sailing ship expected on sale until the end of 2028.
The Porsche 911 Turbo and Targa, a car you can build in either version.
The Golden Retriever Puppy, a 2026 Icons build of a dog rather than a vehicle.
Leaving on December 31, 2026
If one of these is the set you want, this is the last holiday season LEGO itself expects to sell it.
The full list across every line is in our guide to the LEGO sets retiring in 2026.
Which holds value better?
Neither clearly. In our market data, sets from both lines that retired from 2022 to 2025 sit roughly a tenth above their US list price at the median, across 16 Ideas sets and 13 Icons sets. That is too small a sample to call a winner, and well-known Ideas sets that rose after retiring sit next to others that did not. Buy either line for the build; our LEGO investment guide covers buying, storing and selling.
Which should you collect?
- A show, film or painting you love: check Ideas first.
- A ship, car or spacecraft: check Icons first.
- The biggest single build on sale: Icons, the Titanic or Minas Tirith.
- Something leaving this year: the December 31, 2026 list above.
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