Definitive guide
Color Contrast Checkers
Best 5 Color Contrast Checkers of 2024
Looking for the best color contrast checkers? We handpicked five of the best for you!
But, first, let me share the importance of using color contrast checkers in web design.
Why use color contrast checkers for your website?
Scientists say that the naked eye can see 10 million colors every day. Truly, we have such a wonderful world!
Interestingly, these come from nine primary colors: yellow, black, brown, red, orange, pink, purple, blue, and green.
This is why our eyes are able to capture sharper and more vivid images than any digital camera and mobile phone.
Although nowadays mobile and desktop screens are able to display 16 million colors.
However, not everyone gets the opportunity to experience seeing such vividness.
The United Nations revealed that there are 2.2 billion people with vision impairment and 300 million color blind people in the world as of January 2024.
Not to mention the forecasted additional 600 million people that will suffer vision loss over the next 30 years (CAGR 55%) until 2050 as per Statista.
As such, this has made the issue of accessibility for in-person facilities to websites and mobile apps ever more urgent than before.
It is definitely a must that websites are designed to enable the visually impaired, color blind, and blind easily and conveniently navigate and access website content like most of the population does.
Color contrast checkers, then, are one of the important tools to ensure that the website’s design adheres to accessibility standards.
What areas of the website’s design are color contrast checkers used for?
Specifically, color contrast checkers are used to assess the background color, foreground color, and text of a website.
Color contrast checkers evaluate if the color of the background complements the foreground such that it is easy to read text and see other content.
The color of the text is also another aspect that needs to be checked. Reading text must not give visitors an eye strain like when the colors of the text and the background clash due to too much brightness.
In reverse, the color of the text and the background should not be too light such that the text becomes difficult to read.
A dark colored text that is too small might also make it difficult to read against a light background. The text then should have high contrast against the background color.
Of course, that is besides coming in a bigger size (preferably size 16 as per WCAG) as much as possible.
Using high contrast colors is highly recommended for the visually impaired. Black-and-white themed websites where black is the background color and white is the text color is most suitable.
A study actually discovered that the elderly and the visually-challenged prefer websites with dark backgrounds (blue, black, dark green, dark red, etc.) and light text (white, pastel yellow, etc.) than light backgrounds with dark text.
It is a web designer’s task then to arrive at the right color scheme for the website that is both aligned to the company’s brand colors and the needs of the visually-challenged.
Traditionally, arriving at the right color scheme required much from the web designer through trial and error–imagine there’s 10 million colors to get the right combination from!
The good thing with technology these days is it has made the life of web designers easier and has shortened the design process with much accuracy.
That is thanks to color contrast checker tools on top of website builders like Webflow that has a built-in color contrast analyzer.
What are the best 5 color contrast checkers?
Speaking of color contrast checkers, here are five of the best for you!
1. Color Contrast Analyzer (CCA)
The Color Contrast Analyzer (CCA) is a downloadable software developed by TGPI. It has a 4.5 rating in G2, the online site where companies and developers go for credible software reviews.
Of the color contrast checkers, CCA is the most popular because of its convenience and ease of use.
1.1. Features:
What I like about the CCA is that:
- It works in any Operating System (Windows, Macintosh, and Linux).
- It can be used for any computer application besides websites, such as Acrobat PDF Reader, InDesign, and MS PowerPoint.
- It provides multiple ways to select color.
- It comes with a Color Blindness Simulator.
- It has alpha transparency support for foreground colors.
- It is available in Dark Mode.
- It is equipped with WCAG 2.1 indicators.
1.2. Pricing:
When it comes to pricing, CCA is absolutely free!
2. SiegeMedia’s Color Contrast Checker
Next is SiegeMedia’s Contrast Checker! It provides color ratio scale results that are color coded (green, yellow, and red).
CCA is color coded for ease in gauging if the color combination passes WCAG standards. Through this, users are easily given visual cues if the color combination they use adheres with standards especially if they are not a technical person on the matter.
2.1. Features
What I liked about SiegeMedia’ Contrast Checker is:
- There is no need for downloading and installing it since it is an online application.
- Its color ratio scale that quickly changes color and numerical values based on the grading of the chosen color combination.
- Color hues can be inputted manually using the field for it or through the color wheel.
- It has a Swap Colors button that instantly switches the background color with the foreground color, which removes the need to manually type it in the color hues field or picking it from the color wheel.
- It also has a Relative Luminance Indicator that is useful in assessing the brightness of a color space or area of design.
- It has an FAQ Section to assist first-time users in understanding and operating the color contrast checker.
- Overall, it is very easy to use. It is very user-friendly.
2.2. Pricing
SiegeMedia’s Color Contrast Checker is another absolutely free online software.
3. Accessible Web’s Color Contrast Checker
Accessible Web’s color contrast checker is another easy to use accessibility tool.
The neat thing about this color contrast checker is that it can be installed as a chrome extension.
One would be able to check instantly if the design being worked on adheres to WCAG standards.
3.1. Features
What I liked about Accessible Web’s Color Contrast Checker is:
- It provides options for choosing colors. One is to manually input the hue code on the empty field. Another is to use the color picker, which provides eight basic colors to choose from.
- The color picker can also be customized using a slider for Hue, Saturation, and Value to arrive at the color of choice.
- After choosing the color combination, the software automatically provides an assessment of it according to WCAG Standards through a Contrast Ratio result.
- It also automatically provides the corresponding text size for the chosen color combination that complies with WCAG.
- Being an online tool, there’s no download and installation needed. It can be used immediately and for any design project aside from websites.
- It also comes as a Chrome extension version for faster checking of websites. This one, of course, needs installation.
3.2. Pricing
Accessible Web’s Color Contrast Checker is free for everyone to use. No payment needed, even for the Chrome extension version.
4. Contrast Grid
Eigthshapes’ Contrast Grid provides users immediate options on color combinations that pass WCAG Standards. It already presents alternative color combinations should the ones users use or have in mind fail to meet the standards.
The only downside is in inputting the color combination one has in mind in the field provided because there is a specific format on how it should be done.
Thus, there is some learning curve needed to understand how to use it and how it works.
But overall pretty handy since one does not need to do trial and error on which color combination merits standards unlike most color contrast checkers required from users.
4.1. Features
What I like about the Eigthshapes’ Color Grid is:
- One can input several color codes at a time and immediately see the resulting color combinations possible for WCAG compliance
- Grid indicates corresponding text sizes that pass WCAG standards according to each color combination.
- Grid can be customized to present various text size compliance and rating.
- Grid also presents the text color suitable for a particular background that complies with WCAG standards.
- It comes with an HTML and CSS code generator that can be copied for use.
- Grid generated can be shared in Twitter.
- The tile size of the grids can also be customized as either Small, Medium, and Large.
- It has an option to provide distinct color values for the Rows and Columns of the Grid.
4.2. Pricing
Eigthshapes’ Color Grid is another free online tool for public use. No payment needed.
5. Coolors
Coolors is another easy-to-use online color contrast checker developed by Fabrizio Bianchi. It is a great tool that specializes in checking the contrast ratio of a background color with a text’s color and size.
5.1. Features
What I like about the Coolors color contrast checker is:
- It has no need for manual inputting of color codes.
- It provides a color slider for both background and text, which automatically generates the color code.
- It comes with a wide array of options for colors through its color picker. The color picker lets users decide among five basic color models (CMYK, RGB, LAB, HSB, and HSL) to work with.
- The Contrast Ratio result comes with a corresponding star rating to visually understand if the numerical results pass WCAG standards or not.
- The Contrast Ratio is also provided with the meaning of the numerical results as either Poor, Good, or Very Good.
- It provides text sizes compatible with the color combination that is compliant with WCAG.
- It comes with a Contrast Fixer that troubleshoots the chosen color and text combination, whenever poor results arise.
- The free version provides:
- more than 10,000 available color schemes,
- allows saving up to 10 color palettes,
- the generation of color palettes using up to 5 colors,
- the capacity to work on one project or one collection,
- colors chosen or picked from a photo or image, and
- a basic public profile for the user.
- The paid version provides:
- more than 10,000 available color schemes,
- ads-free use of the software,
- the generation of color palettes using up to 10 colors that is equipped with palette variation and palette contrast checker,
- the capacity to work on unlimited projects or collections,
- colors chosen or picked from a photo or image,
- create a private user profile, and
- an option to save and export work, among others.
5.2. Pricing
Coolors Color Contrast Checker is free for the public to use. However, the free version offers limited features.
The full-featured version, called Coolors Color Contrast Checker Pro, is paid either on a monthly or annual basis.
Coolors Color Contrast Checker Pro costs $36 annually or $5 monthly.
Color Contrast Checkers In A Nutshell
Color is an essential element of web design. Color combinations can either make or break a website’s performance and the credibility of the company it represents for it largely affects user experience.
Using color contrast checkers to assess a website’s accessibility is then a must to ensure equal experience for all its visitors and the company’s long-term profitability.
Sources Used:
FAQs
1. What are color contrast checkers?
Color contrast checkers are one of the tools used in testing the accessibility of a website. It particularly addresses any obstacles visually-challenged individuals may have in navigating and engaging with a website’s content. This is mainly due to poor contrast between the background color and foreground color or between the background color and the text size and text color.
2. How is contrast measured between colors?
Contrast between colors is measured according to their relative luminance, which refers to the amount of brightness a specific color radiates from a particular area compared to another color. The brighter or lighter an area of color the nearer it is to the color white, which is the brightest. The darker it is, the nearer is that color to black, which is the darkest. The higher the contrast ratio, the better for one to see the difference of one color from another.
3. What are the color contrast guidelines of WCAG?
The WCAG guideline for color contrast states that although the minimum contrast ratio of 3:1 is required for Level AA text and its corresponding background as per the International Standards Organization (ISO), the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) has taken account of the loss of vision of the elderly and the visually-impaired.
The contrast ratio of the elderly and the visually-impaired diminishes by 1.5 points. Thus, W3C has assigned a minimum contrast of 4.5:1 for websites for this purpose. The higher the contrast ratio the better a website’s success is.