
What it costs
- Free tier
- Yes
Free WCAG contrast checker with Chrome extension; supported via a Buy Me a Coffee link.
Auto-checked on 8 August 2026Source
About Colour Contrast Checker
What Is Colour Contrast Checker?
Colour Contrast Checker is a free tool in the Design category that evaluates the contrast between foreground and background colors to ensure compliance with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). It calculates contrast ratios for color combinations, helping designers and developers verify readability for users with visual impairments. Colour Contrast Checker fits into the design workflow during color selection, UI prototyping, and accessibility auditing, where maintaining sufficient contrast is essential for text legibility and graphical elements.
What Colour Contrast Checker Does
- Allows input of foreground and background colors using hexadecimal, RGB, HSL, or HSV formats.
- Calculates contrast ratios according to WCAG 2.0, 2.1, and 2.2 standards for levels A, AA, and AAA.
- Displays pass/fail results for normal text (minimum 4.5:1 for AA) and large text (minimum 3:1 for AA).
- Provides previews of sample text in selected colors to visualize readability.
- Supports color picker or eyedropper tools to select colors directly from screens or designs.
- Offers options to adjust lightness, sliders for RGB values, and reverse foreground/background colors.
How Colour Contrast Checker Can Be Used
- During website design, input hex codes for text and background to check if they meet WCAG AA 4.5:1 ratio for normal text before applying to UI elements.
- In app development workflows, use the eyedropper to sample colors from prototypes and adjust sliders until passing AAA large text requirements (7:1 ratio).
- For branding projects, test color palettes against WCAG standards to ensure logo text or icons maintain contrast on various backgrounds.
- In accessibility audits, enter colors from existing pages to generate reports on failures for non-text elements like graphics (3:1 minimum for AA).
- With image designs containing text, verify that foreground text contrasts sufficiently with image backgrounds, especially for low-quality or scaled visuals.
Who Is Colour Contrast Checker For?
Colour Contrast Checker serves web designers, UI/UX developers, front-end engineers, and accessibility specialists who need to validate color choices against WCAG criteria. It supports beginners learning accessibility basics as well as experienced professionals handling compliance for enterprise projects, public sector sites, or inclusive digital products. Teams working on responsive designs, data visualizations, or any content requiring text over varied backgrounds find it applicable for ensuring perceivable luminance differences. Visit Colour Contrast Checker
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