Coolors is a color scheme generator that has become a go-to tool for designers and developers who need to build color palettes quickly. The core interaction is simple: press the spacebar to generate a new random palette, click a color to lock it, and keep generating until the unlocked colors complement the ones you have chosen.
Beyond the basic generator, Coolors has expanded into a broader color toolset. The contrast checker helps ensure text and background color combinations meet accessibility standards. The gradient generator creates smooth transitions between colors. The image picker extracts a palette from any uploaded photo.
For UI designers, Coolors is most useful in the early stages of a project when establishing a color system. The ability to quickly explore many palette options and lock in colors that work reduces the time spent on color decisions without sacrificing quality.
The contrast checker is practically useful for accessibility work. WCAG contrast requirements can be counterintuitive, and having a quick checker integrated into the palette workflow makes it easier to catch issues early. Developers use the CSS export feature to quickly get color values in the format they need.
Free tier covers the core generator and most tools. Pro plan at 3 dollars per month adds unlimited saved palettes, PDF export, and an ad-free experience.