Checked November 2026
Tintly vs Paletton
A color scheme designer built on the classic RYB color wheel. Here is what each does, in plain terms, so you can pick the one that fits.
In short
What Paletton is
Paletton is a color scheme designer that uses classical RYB color theory to build palettes of one to four hues, each with five shades. It has monochromatic, adjacent, complementary, triad and tetrad models plus a free-style mode, and describes itself as a hobby project supported by advertising and optional donations.
Where Paletton is stronger
- The RYB color model, which many artists find more natural than the RGB wheel for mixing paint-like harmonies.
- A long list of export formats, including HTML, CSS, LESS, XML, plain text, PNG, Photoshop ACO and GIMP GPL.
- Preview styles for a website, a UI, a picture and a tartan fabric.
- A wide set of vision simulations, including the anomaly variants and gamma and grayscale views.
Where Tintly is stronger
- No ads, and a modern interface that works on a phone.
- Exports for Tailwind, design tokens and light/dark themes, which Paletton's list does not include.
- Image palette extraction, a library of millions of palettes, written color guides, an API and an MCP server.
Feature by feature
The comparison
FeatureTintlyPaletton
Free to useCan you use the core tools without paying?YesFree. No plans, no card and no ads. Every tool and every export format is open to everyone.YesFree. It describes itself as a hobby project supported by advertising and optional donations.
Works without an accountCan you generate and copy colors without signing up?YesEverything runs in your browser. Sign in with Google only to sync your saved palettes.Not confirmedNot stated on the pages we read.
Palette generatorGenerate palettes and lock the colors you like?YesSpace bar to generate, lock colors, undo and redo, up to 12 colors, and a shareable link.PartlyA scheme designer built on a color wheel, with a random mode. It builds schemes from hues rather than generating by spacebar.
Colors from an imagePull a palette out of a photo?YesExtract a palette from a photo on your device. The image is not uploaded.Not confirmedNot stated on the pages we read.
WCAG contrast checkerCheck text and background contrast against WCAG?YesAA and AAA, translucent colors, a one-click fix and a full palette matrix.YesCheck contrast against WCAG requirements.
Color-blindness previewSee a palette as people with color-vision deficiencies do?YesFour kinds of color-vision deficiency, for palettes and for images, with warnings for colors that look alike.YesProtanopy, deuteranopy, tritanopy, their anomaly variants and achromatopsia, plus gamma and grayscale simulations.
Gradient toolsBuild and export gradients?YesLinear, radial and conic CSS gradients, gradient palettes, a mesh gradient maker and a gallery.Not confirmedNot stated on the pages we read.
Export formatsWhich formats can you export to?YesHEX, CSS variables, Tailwind v3 and v4, light/dark theme, SCSS, design tokens, SVG and PNG. No Photoshop ACO or GIMP GPL files.YesHTML, CSS, LESS, XML, plain text, PNG, Photoshop ACO and GIMP GPL.
Tailwind scaleMake a 50 to 950 scale for Tailwind?YesA 50 to 950 scale from any color, as a v4 @theme block or a v3 config.Not confirmedNot stated on the pages we read.
Written color descriptionsExplain what a color means and where to use it?YesA written guide to every color in a palette, with psychology, meaning, signs and symbols, and a page for any hex code.PartlyClicking a color shows its codes (RGB, luminosity and LAB values). Written descriptions are not mentioned.
Palette libraryA large library of palettes to browse?Yes15 million generated palettes and 2 million premium palettes, searchable in plain words, plus curated collections.Not confirmedNot stated on the pages we read.
Public APIA documented way to use it from code?YesA free JSON API with 13 tools, 60 requests a minute per key.Not confirmedNo API is mentioned on the page we read.
MCP server for AI assistantsConnect it to Claude, Cursor and other assistants?YesA free MCP server with the same 13 tools, for Claude, Cursor, VS Code, Windsurf, Codex, Gemini CLI and Cline.Not confirmedNot stated on the pages we read.
Other toolsAnything beyond palettes?YesPhoto editor, collage maker, image recolor, color mixer and picker, fonts, a website visualizer and more.Not confirmedNot stated on the pages we read.
Choose Paletton if
- You think in RYB and want ACO or GPL files for Photoshop or GIMP.
- You want the tartan and website previews.
Choose Tintly if
- You work in CSS, Tailwind or design tokens.
- You want one place for palettes, images, contrast and AI-assistant access.
Questions
Common questions
Can Tintly export to Photoshop or GIMP palettes?
No. Tintly exports HEX, CSS, Tailwind, SCSS, design tokens, SVG and PNG. You can open the SVG swatches in Illustrator or Figma. If you need ACO or GPL files, Paletton offers them.
Where we looked
Read in November 2026. Products change: check Paletton’s own site for current features and prices. Paletton is a trademark of its owner, and Tintly is not affiliated with it.