A free Coolors alternative
Coolors is a fast, popular palette generator, and many designers will be happy staying with it. If you want 10-color palettes and color picking from images without a subscription, no ads, or a tool that goes on to build a full color system, GetColors is a free alternative. This page compares the two honestly.
Coolors and GetColors at a glance
| Coolors | GetColors | |
|---|---|---|
| Palette generator | Yes, with the spacebar to generate | Yes, with the spacebar to generate |
| Colors per palette | "Palette generation with up to 10 colors" is listed as a Pro feature | 2 to 10, free |
| Colors from images | Image picker; "Color picking from images" is listed as a Pro feature | Free: palette extraction, plus click any pixel for its codes and color name |
| Contrast checker | Yes | Yes, WCAG 2 and APCA |
| Preview on designs | Palette visualizer | Palette visualizer |
| Saving | "Unlimited palettes, projects, collections" is listed as a Pro feature | On your device without an account; 50 palettes in the free cloud library |
| Ads | "Ad removal" is listed as a Pro feature | No ads |
| Exports | URL, PDF, image, CSS, ASE, SVG, code, Tailwind and embed | URL, PDF, CSS, CSS Display P3, SCSS, Tailwind v3 and v4, JSON, SVG, ASE, GIMP, Procreate, design tokens, Style Dictionary, Swift, Android and Flutter |
| Apps and plugins | iOS app, Figma plugin, Adobe extension, Chrome extension | Web app in six languages, REST API and MCP server |
Where Coolors is strong
Coolors has a very large community. Its home page says it is "Trusted by 8+ million creative minds" and invites you to "Explore 10M+ Palettes", so its library of user palettes is far bigger than any curated collection. It also has an iOS app, a Figma plugin, a Chrome extension and an extension for Adobe Illustrator, InDesign and Photoshop, which matters if you want palettes inside those apps.
The generator itself is quick and well designed, and Coolors offers extra tools beyond color, such as free fonts, a collage maker and an image converter. If those are what you use every day, it is a good home.
What GetColors offers, free
- A palette generator with 2 to 10 colors: press the spacebar for a new palette and lock the colors you want to keep.
- 640+ curated palettes with names and tags, and 420+ CSS gradients.
- A color picker from image: click any pixel for its HEX, RGB and HSL codes and its color name, or pull a palette of 2 to 10 colors.
- A contrast checker with both WCAG 2 ratios and APCA, and a palette visualizer that previews colors on real UI.
- A Color System Studio that turns one brand color into light and dark roles with checked contrast, and a Tailwind scale generator for 50 to 950 shades in OKLCH.
- Reference pages for 920+ named colors, shades, color meanings and color theory.
- Exports to URL, PDF, CSS, CSS Display P3, SCSS, Tailwind v3 and v4, JSON, SVG, ASE, GIMP, Procreate, design tokens, Style Dictionary, Swift, Android and Flutter.
- A free REST API with no key and an MCP server for AI agents (see integrations).
The main difference is where the tools lead. GetColors is built to take a palette all the way to a working color system: roles for text, surfaces and accents in light and dark mode, contrast checked for every pair that will be read, and code you can paste into CSS or Tailwind. Coolors focuses on finding and collecting palettes.
Moving palettes from Coolors
Coolors generator links list a palette as hex codes separated by dashes, for example coolors.co/264653-2a9d8f-e9c46a-f4a261-e76f51.
GetColors palette links are the hex codes separated by dashes after /generate/, for example /generate/264653-2a9d8f-e9c46a-f4a261-e76f51, so any list of hex codes you have becomes a palette by pasting it into that address.
- Copy the hex codes of a Coolors palette, or the part of its link after coolors.co/.
- Open the generator and add them to the address after /generate/, separated by dashes.
- Lock the colors, adjust them, check the contrast and export in the format you need.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a free alternative to Coolors?
Yes. GetColors is free to use without an account: a palette generator with 2 to 10 colors, a color picker from image, a contrast checker, a palette visualizer and exports to formats including ASE, CSS and Tailwind.
Can I open a Coolors palette in GetColors?
Yes. Put the palette hex codes, separated by dashes, after /generate/ in the GetColors address, for example /generate/264653-2a9d8f-e9c46a-f4a261-e76f51.
Does GetColors make 10-color palettes for free?
Yes. Every palette can have 2 to 10 colors, and the image picker can sample up to 10 colors from a photo, without a paid plan.
Is it Coolors or Coolers?
The palette generator is spelled Coolors, at coolors.co. Searches for "coolers" mostly find cool boxes for drinks; if you were looking for the Coolors color tool or a free alternative to it, this page compares the two.
Is GetColors affiliated with Coolors?
No. GetColors is an independent product. The Coolors details on this page come from the coolors.co home page, checked on 10 October 2026, and may have changed since.