Color contrast is crucial for ensuring your app's text and UI elements are readable for all users, including those with visual impairments or color blindness. To meet accessibility standards like WCAG 2.0, you need a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text.

Here are the top 10 color contrast checker tools to help you create accessible app designs:

  1. WAVE - Free web-based tool that checks color contrast and other accessibility issues
  2. Contrast (macOS) - Simple macOS app with color suggestions for WCAG compliance
  3. Stark - Integrates with Figma and Sketch, offers color blindness simulation
  4. Tanaguru Contrast-Finder - Free online tool that suggests accessible color combinations
  5. Color Safe - Generates beautiful, accessible color palettes based on WCAG guidelines
  6. Spectrum - Web-based tool that checks contrast ratios against WCAG standards
  7. Accessible Colors - Modifies color lightness to find WCAG-compliant combinations
  8. Android Accessibility Scanner - Mobile app for scanning Android UI and improving color contrast
  9. Colour Contrast Analyzer (CCA) - Desktop program with eyedropper tool and color blindness simulator
  10. WebAim Contrast Checker - Simple online tool for checking contrast ratios against WCAG

Quick Comparison

Tool WCAG Compliance Key Features
WAVE AA Web-based, free
Contrast (macOS) AA Simple interface, color suggestions
Stark AA Design integration, color blindness simulation
Tanaguru Contrast-Finder AA Free, color suggestions
Color Safe AA Accessible color palettes
Spectrum AA Design integration, color suggestions
Accessible Colors AA Web-based, free
Android Accessibility Scanner AA Free, detailed reports
Colour Contrast Analyzer (CCA) AA Eyedropper tool, color blindness simulator
WebAim Contrast Checker AA Web-based, free

Choose the tool that best fits your needs and workflow to ensure your app meets accessibility standards and provides an inclusive experience for all users.

1. WAVE

WAVE

WAVE (Web Accessibility Versatile Evaluator) is a suite of tools that helps authors make their web content more accessible to individuals with disabilities. It identifies many accessibility and Web Content Accessibility Guideline (WCAG) errors, facilitating human evaluation of web content.

Platform Compatibility

WAVE is available on multiple platforms, including:

Platform Availability
Web-based tool Yes
Chrome browser extension Yes
Firefox browser extension Yes
Edge browser extension Yes
Subscription API Yes
Stand-alone API and Testing Engine Yes

WCAG Compliance

WAVE checks against the international standard for web accessibility, the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.0 or 2.1), and the US federal procurement standard, Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act.

Design Integration

WAVE provides a detailed summary of scan results organized into six categories:

  • Errors
  • Contrast
  • Alerts
  • Features
  • Structural Elements
  • HTML5 and ARIA

It also allows users to disable page CSS style, making it easier to analyze the reading and navigation order.

Color-Blindness Simulation

WAVE does not have a built-in color-blindness simulation feature. However, it does provide assistance in evaluating cognitive web accessibility, which is particularly difficult to measure.

API/Bookmarklet Availability

WAVE offers a subscription API and Stand-alone API and Testing Engine, allowing users to collect accessibility test data on many pages. The API engine evaluates the user's web page after CSS and JavaScript has been applied, resulting in a very accurate evaluation of end-user accessibility.

2. Contrast (macOS)

Contrast is a macOS tool designed to help designers evaluate color choices for WCAG compliance and implement accessible design standards. This tool allows you to integrate it into your preferred design program or use it as a floating window anywhere on your desktop.

Platform Compatibility

Platform Availability
macOS Yes

WCAG Compliance

Contrast is built to ensure WCAG compliance, providing a guide on accessibility standards. It enables designers to check color contrast scores against the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) standards.

Design Integration

Contrast seamlessly integrates into your design workflow, allowing you to evaluate color choices and implement accessible design standards effortlessly. You can open the app anywhere, anytime with a keyboard shortcut.

Color-Blindness Simulation

Contrast does not have a built-in color-blindness simulation feature. However, it provides an innovative preview mode that transforms your user interface into the selected colors, allowing you to see immediately how legible text is and how harmoniously the colors interact.

3. Stark

Stark

Stark is a powerful tool that helps streamline accessibility workflow. It includes a Contrast Checker, Focus Order, Alt-Text Annotations, Vision Simulator, and more. With Stark, you can check the AA and AAA color contrast of your text or shape layers.

Platform Compatibility

Platform Availability
Figma Yes
Sketch Yes

WCAG Compliance

Stark ensures WCAG compliance by providing a guide on accessibility standards. It helps designers check color contrast scores against the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) standards.

Design Integration

Stark integrates seamlessly into your design workflow, making it easy to evaluate color choices and implement accessible design standards. You can use it with Figma and Sketch plugins to fast-track your accessibility workflow.

Color-Blindness Simulation

Stark allows you to simulate how your work is perceived through the eyes of someone who is colorblind. You can quickly flip between eight colorblindness profiles while moving and resizing the Stark window around your file as you compare. You can also export these simulations as.png files to share with team members or include in client presentations.

With Stark, you can create and test accessible software quickly and easily. Whether you're building a website, online shop, mobile app, or SaaS product, Stark provides the tools you need to make it accessible.

4. Tanaguru Contrast-Finder

Tanaguru Contrast-Finder

Tanaguru Contrast-Finder is a free online tool that checks if the color schemes chosen for a website or mobile app have sufficient contrast. It uses the international minimum contrast ratio established by the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).

WCAG Compliance

Tanaguru Contrast-Finder ensures WCAG compliance by providing a guide on accessibility standards. It helps designers check color contrast scores against the WCAG standards. If the colors entered into the finder are not sufficiently contrasting, Tanaguru Contrast-Finder suggests similar colors that meet contrast requirements.

Design Integration

Tanaguru Contrast-Finder is easy to integrate into your design workflow, allowing you to evaluate color choices and implement accessible design standards. It's a web-based tool, making it accessible from anywhere, and it's free to use.

Key Features

Feature Description
WCAG Compliance Checks color contrast scores against WCAG standards
Color Suggestions Provides similar colors that meet contrast requirements
Web-based Accessible from anywhere, no installation required
Free to use No cost or subscription fees

5. Color Safe

Color Safe

Color Safe is a valuable tool for designers and developers who want to ensure their app designs are accessible to everyone. This tool provides beautiful and accessible color palettes based on the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).

WCAG Compliance

Color Safe ensures WCAG compliance by generating accessible text colors based on the recommended contrast ratios of 4.5 for small text or 3 for large text.

Design Integration

Color Safe is easy to integrate into your design workflow. Simply enter a background color and customize the styling of your text. The tool will generate accessible text colors based on WCAG guidelines.

Key Features

Feature Description
WCAG Compliance Generates accessible text colors based on WCAG guidelines
Customizable Allows users to customize the styling of their text
Accessible Color Palettes Provides beautiful and accessible color palettes for app design

6. Spectrum

Spectrum

Spectrum is a powerful tool that helps designers and developers create accessible app designs. It provides a range of features to ensure your app meets the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).

Platform Compatibility

Spectrum is a web-based tool, accessible on any device with a web browser. This means you can use Spectrum on Windows, macOS, or Linux without any compatibility issues.

WCAG Compliance

Spectrum checks color contrast ratios against the recommended ratios of 4.5 for small text and 3 for large text. This ensures your app design is accessible to users with visual impairments.

Design Integration

Spectrum is easy to integrate into your design workflow. Simply enter a background color and customize the styling of your text. The tool will generate accessible text colors based on WCAG guidelines.

Key Features

Feature Description
WCAG Compliance Checks color contrast ratios against WCAG guidelines
Platform Compatibility Accessible on any device with a web browser
Design Integration Easy to integrate into your design workflow
Color Contrast Ratio Analyzer Checks against recommended contrast ratios for small and large text
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7. Accessible Colors

Accessible Colors

Accessible Colors is a tool that helps ensure color contrast in mobile app design. It evaluates a color combination using the WCAG 2.0 AA conformance level as the standard. If the color combination doesn't meet these standards, Accessible Colors modifies the color lightness to find the closest combination that does.

Platform Compatibility

Accessible Colors is a web-based tool, accessible on any device with a web browser. This means you can use it on Windows, macOS, or Linux without any compatibility issues.

WCAG Compliance

Accessible Colors checks color contrast ratios against the recommended ratios of 4.5 for small text and 3 for large text. This ensures your app design is accessible to users with visual impairments.

Design Integration

Accessible Colors is easy to integrate into your design workflow. Simply enter a background color, and the tool will generate accessible text colors based on WCAG guidelines.

Key Features

Feature Description
WCAG Compliance Checks color contrast ratios against WCAG guidelines
Platform Compatibility Accessible on any device with a web browser
Design Integration Easy to integrate into your design workflow
Color Contrast Ratio Analyzer Checks against recommended contrast ratios for small and large text

8. Android Accessibility Scanner

Android Accessibility Scanner

Platform Compatibility

Android Accessibility Scanner is a mobile app available on the Google Play Store, accessible on Android devices.

WCAG Compliance

This tool checks for color contrast issues in your app's UI, suggesting improvements to make your app more accessible to visually impaired users. It identifies text or images with a contrast ratio lower than 3.0 between the text color and background color, and provides recommendations to enhance the contrast ratio.

Design Integration

Android Accessibility Scanner allows you to edit contrast ratio results, enabling you to change the foreground or background color to improve accessibility. You can also use the app to scan your app's UI and identify other accessibility issues beyond color contrast.

Key Features

Feature Description
WCAG Compliance Checks color contrast ratios against WCAG guidelines
Platform Compatibility Available on Android devices via Google Play Store
Design Integration Allows editing of contrast ratio results and scanning for other accessibility issues
Color Contrast Ratio Analyzer Identifies text or images with low contrast ratios and provides improvement suggestions

9. Colour Contrast Analyzer (CCA)

Colour Contrast Analyzer (CCA) is a downloadable program for Windows and macOS that helps you test color contrast within any program. It supports RGB, hex, and HSL formats and allows testing of colors with alpha (transparency).

Platform Compatibility

CCA is available for both Windows and macOS operating systems.

WCAG Compliance

CCA helps improve the readability and accessibility of your content for individuals with vision impairments such as color blindness and low vision. It measures the contrast ratio of two colors and checks if they meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).

Design Integration

CCA's greatest strength is its ability to use the eyedropper tool to measure the contrast of anything on the screen. You can select the eyedropper in the Foreground color section and move the crosshairs to the text or foreground color using a mouse or the arrow keys. If the background is any color other than white, do the same with the Background color eyedropper. CCA will notify you if the color combination meets AA and AAA requirements for text as well as WCAG 2.1 AA requirements for non-text content.

Color-Blindness Simulation

CCA also offers a Color Blindness Simulator, which allows you to see how your color combinations will appear to users with different types of color blindness.

Note: CCA is free software, which means you can use, study, share, and improve it at your will. Specifically, you can redistribute and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation.

10. WebAim Contrast Checker

WebAim Contrast Checker

WebAim Contrast Checker is a free online tool that helps developers and designers check the contrast between two colors against the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). This tool is essential for ensuring that your app design is accessible to users with visual impairments.

Platform Compatibility

WebAim Contrast Checker is a web-based tool, making it compatible with any device that has a web browser.

WCAG Compliance

The WebAim Contrast Checker evaluates the contrast ratio of two colors and checks if they meet the WCAG guidelines. The tool provides a pass or fail result in three categories:

Category Description
Normal Text Checks contrast ratio for normal text
Large Text Checks contrast ratio for large text
Graphical Objects and User Interface Components Checks contrast ratio for graphical objects and user interface components

Design Integration

The WebAim Contrast Checker is easy to use and integrates seamlessly into your design workflow. You can:

  • Enter the hex color codes or select colors using the color palette
  • Adjust the lightness of the colors and update the contrast ratio automatically

Note: WebAim Contrast Checker is a free online tool, and you can use it without any restrictions or limitations.

Pros and Cons Comparison

Each tool has its strengths and weaknesses. Here's a quick comparison:

Tool Advantages Disadvantages
WAVE Free, web-based, easy to use Limited features
Contrast (macOS) Simple interface, color suggestions Only for macOS, limited features
Stark Integrates with design tools, color suggestions Limited free features, subscription required
Tanaguru Contrast-Finder Free, web-based, easy to use Limited features
Color Safe Simple interface, color suggestions Limited features
Spectrum Integrates with design tools, color suggestions Limited free features, subscription required
Accessible Colors Free, web-based, easy to use Limited features
Android Accessibility Scanner Free, easy to use, detailed reports Only for Android, limited features
Colour Contrast Analyzer (CCA) Free, web-based, easy to use Limited features
WebAim Contrast Checker Free, web-based, easy to use Limited features

This table provides a quick overview of each tool's pros and cons, helping you decide which one best fits your needs.

WCAG Compliance and Key Features

WCAG guidelines are crucial for ensuring digital products are accessible to everyone, including individuals with disabilities. When it comes to color contrast, WCAG provides specific guidelines to ensure text and background colors have sufficient contrast to be readable by users with visual impairments.

WCAG Color Contrast Guidelines

WCAG 2.0 and 2.1 provide guidelines for color contrast, categorized into three levels of conformance: Level A, Level AA, and Level AAA. Level AA is the recommended level of compliance, requiring a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text.

Key Features of Color Contrast Checker Tools

Here's a comparison table to help you identify which tool best meets your needs:

Tool WCAG Compliance Key Features
WAVE Level AA Web-based, easy to use, free
Contrast (macOS) Level AA Simple interface, color suggestions, only for macOS
Stark Level AA Integrates with design tools, color suggestions, subscription required
Tanaguru Contrast-Finder Level AA Web-based, easy to use, free
Color Safe Level AA Simple interface, color suggestions, free
Spectrum Level AA Integrates with design tools, color suggestions, subscription required
Accessible Colors Level AA Web-based, easy to use, free
Android Accessibility Scanner Level AA Free, easy to use, detailed reports, only for Android
Colour Contrast Analyzer (CCA) Level AA Web-based, easy to use, free
WebAim Contrast Checker Level AA Web-based, easy to use, free

This table provides a quick overview of each tool's WCAG compliance and key features, helping you decide which one best fits your needs.

Conclusion and Recommendations

In conclusion, choosing the right color contrast checker tool is crucial for accessible app design. With many options available, it's essential to consider factors like WCAG compliance, ease of use, and integration with design tools.

Based on our analysis, we recommend the following tools:

Tool Recommendation
WAVE Easy to use and WCAG compliant
Tanaguru Contrast-Finder Simple and free
Stark Integrates with design tools
Spectrum Integrates with design tools
Android Accessibility Scanner Free and suitable for Android app designers
Color Safe Simple and free
Accessible Colors Simple and free

Key Takeaways

  • Color contrast is a critical aspect of accessible app design.
  • Choose a tool that meets your specific needs and priorities.
  • Consider WCAG compliance, ease of use, and integration with design tools when selecting a tool.

By prioritizing color contrast and choosing the right tool, designers can create apps that are both visually appealing and accessible to users with visual impairments. Remember, accessible design is essential for creating inclusive and user-friendly apps.

FAQs

What tool helps determine the contrast between two colors and their accessibility?

You can use Contrast-Finder to calculate the contrast between two colors (background and foreground) and check if it meets accessibility standards. This tool helps you determine whether a color combination is accessible for users with visual impairments.

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