Coolors
Replaceable in one session with an AI coding agent.
A colour palette generator: press space for a new set, lock the ones you like, and export the result in the formats design and code tools expect.
Build a palette generator that checks itself. STACK - One HTML page, no server, colour maths in plain JavaScript GENERATING - Work in OKLCH, not HSL: equal lightness steps look equal, which is not true in HSL - Space hues by a rule — complementary, triadic, analogous — and vary lightness deliberately THE PART THAT MATTERS - Compute the contrast ratio of every pair and show it - Mark which pairs clear 4.5 for text and which only clear 3 for shapes - A palette that fails contrast is a palette you will abandon later; say so at generation time COLOUR BLINDNESS - Simulate the three common types and show the palette under each EXPORT - CSS custom properties, a Tailwind fragment, and plain hex values Include the OKLCH generation, the contrast matrix and the exports.
What you lose
- A browsable library of palettes other people made, which is where most of the value is
- Contrast checking and colour-blindness simulation alongside the palette
- Exports into every design tool format
If you would rather not build
- Any OKLCH picker in a browser
- Open Color, a ready-made palette that already works
The escape hatch
open source · no votes, no paid placement
chroma.js
$0Scales, interpolation and contrast checks in a small library.
gka/chroma.jsfree · open source
Why this verdict
our own opinion · changed only by a person
91/100
Verdict yes at 91. Generating colour is easy; generating colour that passes contrast is the useful part, and it is arithmetic.
History
tracked since 10 Aug 2026 · nothing is ever overwritten
Questions about Coolors
answered from the record above
Is Coolors free?
No — the plan we track is $3 a month. Pro at around $3/month billed annually.
Can you replace Coolors by building your own?
YES. Replaceable in one session with an AI coding agent. Replacement score 91 out of 100, build time one session. Read what you lose before you decide.
How much does Coolors cost?
$3 a month on Pro — $36 a year. Recorded 10 Aug 2026.
What do you lose by replacing Coolors?
A browsable library of palettes other people made, which is where most of the value is; Contrast checking and colour-blindness simulation alongside the palette; Exports into every design tool format. If any of those carry weight for you, keep paying.
Is there an open-source alternative to Coolors?
Yes: culori, chroma.js. The prompt on this page is for when you want it your way instead.
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