Website Color Palette Generator
Generate an accessible color palette for website design. Includes contrast ratio checks, CSS variable export, and dark mode variants. Free tool.
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Choosing website colors isn't just about aesthetics — it directly affects readability, accessibility compliance, conversion rates, and brand perception. A good web palette needs a primary brand color, a secondary accent color, a neutral background, readable text colors, and success/warning/error states. Most importantly, every text-background combination must pass WCAG 2.1 contrast requirements (4.5:1 for normal text, 3:1 for large text). Our generator builds web-optimized palettes that look good AND meet accessibility standards. Export as CSS custom properties, Tailwind config, or hex/RGB values — ready to drop into your project.
How It Works
- Choose a base hue or let the generator suggest one — you can start from a brand color or explore random harmonious combinations.
- The tool generates a complete palette: primary, secondary, background, surface, text, muted, and semantic colors.
- Review contrast ratios for every text-background pair — red indicators highlight combinations that fail WCAG standards.
- Export as CSS custom properties, Tailwind config, SCSS variables, or a simple hex list.
Expert Tips
- Start with your primary brand color and let the tool derive the rest — this ensures visual harmony with your existing brand identity.
- Test your palette with color blindness simulators — about 8% of men have some form of color vision deficiency.
- Use a 60-30-10 ratio: 60% neutral (background/surface), 30% secondary (sections/cards), 10% primary (CTAs/highlights).
- Never use pure black (#000000) on pure white (#FFFFFF) — it's too harsh. Use #1a1a1a or #0f172a for a softer, more readable contrast.
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Use Cases
Design a new website from scratch — generate a complete palette with primary, secondary, background, text, and semantic colors that work together harmoniously. Audit an existing website's accessibility — paste your current colors and check if all text-background combinations meet WCAG contrast requirements. Create a design system — export the palette as CSS custom properties and Tailwind config for consistent implementation across your team's codebase. Build a UI component library — use the palette's surface, border, and elevation colors to create visually cohesive cards, modals, and form elements.
Why Use Our Color Palette Generator
Built-in WCAG contrast checker prevents accessibility violations that could lead to ADA lawsuits or exclude visually impaired users. CSS variable export means you can implement the palette in your codebase in seconds — no manual hex code copying. Generates both light and dark mode variants simultaneously so you don't need to manually adjust colors for dark theme support.
Privacy & Browser-Based Processing
This tool processes everything locally in your browser. No data is uploaded to any server — your files and inputs never leave your device. There are no file-size limits, no daily quotas, and no watermarks.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many colors does a website need?
A typical web palette has 5-8 colors: primary (brand), secondary (accent), background, surface (cards), text, text-muted, and 2-3 semantic colors (success green, warning amber, error red). Avoid using more than 3 'loud' colors.
What contrast ratio do I need for accessibility?
WCAG 2.1 Level AA requires 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text (18px+ bold or 24px+ regular). Level AAA requires 7:1 for normal text. Our generator checks all combinations automatically.
Should I design for dark mode too?
Yes — over 80% of users prefer dark mode when available. Our generator creates both light and dark variants of your palette with correct contrast ratios for both.
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