Colorable
Color combination contrast tester.
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Colorable (colorable.jxnblk.com) is a minimalist color combination contrast tester by Brent Jackson (jxnblk) — the indie designer/developer behind Rebass + Styled System + MDX Deck and many of the best small open-source design + dev tools of the past decade. Input two colors (foreground + background) via HEX picker, get instant contrast ratio calculation + WCAG AA + AAA pass/fail indicators for normal + large text, clean minimalist single-screen interface with shareable URLs encoding the color pair so you can link to specific combinations. Lives on Brent's personal site jxnblk.com as one of a collection of small focused utilities. Distinguished from WebAIM Color Contrast Checker (the established free standard with more comprehensive UI + color picker visuals + additional tools alongside contrast checker) by minimalist faster-loading single-screen interface, distinguished from Contrast by Sam Soffes (Mac menu-bar app for fastest system-level access) by web-browser availability across any OS, distinguished from Color Review by Anton Lovchikov (design-crafted with LCH sliders + live text preview + perceptual color science) by intentional minimal HEX-input + ratio-output simplicity, distinguished from Stark Figma plugin (Figma-integrated with broader accessibility tooling) by standalone fast web focus, distinguished from Color Safe (generates colors against a fixed background) by pair-checking direction. Free + no signup; open-source-adjacent typically MIT-licensed when source code is available. Best for designers + developers with specific HEX values from a design spec who want fastest no-frills contrast verification (paste two values, see the ratio in under a second), designers doing accessibility audits checking many color combinations rapidly where minimal UI is the fastest workflow, teams sharing specific color decisions with verified contrast via URL-encoded color pairs through Slack + Linear + Notion, and design educators showing students WCAG ratio basics with minimal-UI focus on the concept. Skip if you want live color tweaking with sliders during contrast iteration (use Color Review or Contrast), if you need Mac menu-bar speed for fastest system-level access (use Contrast by Sam Soffes), if you want Figma-integrated checking inside design tools (use Stark plugin), or if you need broader WebAIM-style additional tools alongside the contrast checker. Excellent minimal utility in the accessibility-color-tool stack 2026 — bookmark alongside Contrast + WebAIM + Color Review + Color Safe + Stark as the well-rounded set of contrast-checking options for different workflow contexts.
⏱ 30-second verdict
About
Color combination contrast tester.
How indie founders use Colorable
Fast HEX-value verification
Designers + developers with specific HEX values from a design spec who want fastest no-frills contrast verification — paste two values, see the ratio.
Quick accessibility checks
Designers doing accessibility audits who need to check many color combinations rapidly — Colorable's minimal UI is the fastest workflow.
Share color decisions
URL encodes the color pair — share specific combinations with team via Slack/Linear/Notion, teammates click and see the same combo + verified contrast.
Teach accessibility basics
Design educators showing students how WCAG ratios work — Colorable's minimal interface keeps focus on the concept rather than UI complexity.
Colorable (colorable.jxnblk.com) is Brent Jackson's minimalist color combination contrast tester — input two colors, get the contrast ratio + WCAG AA/AAA pass/fail. Brent Jackson is the same designer/developer behind Rebass, Styled System, MDX Deck, and many of the best small open-source design + dev tools of the past decade. His personal site (jxnblk.com) hosts a collection of small focused tools, of which Colorable is one of the most-used. What you get: two color inputs (foreground + background) with hex picker, instant contrast ratio calculation, WCAG AA + AAA pass/fail indicators for normal + large text, clean minimalist interface that fits everything on one screen with no scroll, shareable URLs encoding the color pair so you can link to specific combinations. That's it — Colorable does one thing, does it fast, doesn't try to be more. The minimalism is the point. Where Colorable fits: among contrast-checking tools, Colorable is the most minimal + fastest-loading + cleanest of the free web options. WebAIM is the established standard (more comprehensive but visually busier). Contrast by Sam Soffes is the Mac menu-bar power tool. Color Review by Anton Lovchikov is more design-crafted with LCH sliders. Colorable's appeal is the no-frills speed — type in two HEX values and see the ratio in under a second. Where it's not for you: if you want live color tweaking with sliders, Color Review or Contrast give you that. If you want menu-bar Mac access, Contrast is faster. If you want Figma integration, Stark is purpose-built. Colorable is the right tool when you have two specific HEX values already and just want to verify the contrast — minimal, fast, no extras. Pricing: free, no signup. Open-source-adjacent — Brent's tools are typically MIT-licensed when they have source code. Honest take: Brent Jackson is one of the unsung heroes of indie design + dev tooling. Rebass and Styled System influenced how a generation of designers thought about utility-first component systems before Tailwind dominated. MDX Deck shaped how dev presentations get made. His personal-site tools (Colorable + others) are the small companion utilities that fit the same craft + minimalism ethos. Bookmark Colorable alongside Contrast + WebAIM + Color Review as part of the accessibility-color-tool stack — particularly useful when you have HEX values from a design spec and want fast verification.
Pricing
Free
- ✓Two color inputs (foreground + background)
- ✓Instant WCAG contrast ratio + AA/AAA pass/fail
- ✓Minimalist single-screen interface
- ✓Shareable URLs for color pairs
Frequently asked questions
Is Colorable free?
Yes — completely free, no signup required, open-source-adjacent (Brent Jackson typically MIT-licenses his tools). Lives on his personal site jxnblk.com.
Colorable vs WebAIM?
WebAIM is the established standard with more comprehensive UI (color picker visuals, additional tools alongside contrast checker). Colorable is the minimalist version — faster, cleaner, less to look at, perfect when you just want the ratio without extra UI. Both are excellent free options.
Colorable vs Color Review?
Color Review by Anton Lovchikov is more design-crafted with LCH sliders + live text preview + perceptual color science. Colorable is intentionally minimal — input HEX values, see the result. Use Colorable for quick verification, Color Review when you're designing colors and want to tweak during the contrast process.
Who built Colorable?
Brent Jackson (jxnblk), longtime indie designer + developer behind Rebass, Styled System, MDX Deck, and many of the best small open-source design + dev tools of the past decade. His personal site (jxnblk.com) hosts a collection of small focused utilities of which Colorable is one of the most-used.
How do I share a Colorable result?
The URL encodes the two colors — copy the browser URL to share a specific color pair (and its verified contrast) with teammates via Slack + Linear + Notion. Click the link and they see the exact same color combination + ratio.
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