Wingdings is useful when it is treated as a font-based visual system rather than a universal language of symbols. The sections below explain the practical decisions that prevent broken formatting, confusing copy behavior, and licensing mistakes.
Shared Purpose
Both families are symbol fonts that use keyboard character positions to display pictures rather than conventional letters.
Different Glyph Sets
They contain different visual collections, so the same typed character does not necessarily produce the same symbol.
Choosing Between Them
Choose based on the actual glyph you need, not the family name. Test the exact characters in your target application.
Portable Alternatives
For functional icons, consider accessible SVG icons or Unicode characters. They are easier to label, style, and control in modern interfaces.
Practical Summary
Preview the exact characters you need, choose an output format that matches the destination, preserve readable alternatives, and verify the license before commercial use, embedding, or redistribution.