Dev tools · alternatives · 2026
24 alternatives to Penumbra, a perceptually optimized color palette based on natural light
For this palette, I used recent advances in color science, which made perceptual design more accessible, to choose a set of colors (mainly for syntax highlighting) that have uniform luminance for less visually uneven, fluidly readable code, but at the same time maximally distinguishable hue and chroma. The background colors are based on natural (sun-)light and shade for a more pleasing look than equally neutral greys. For much more detailed info, including the construction, check out the repository. There’s also already a (bare-bones) VSCode extension, linked in the repository, but it could…
Penumbra is a color palette designed for code syntax highlighting and development environments. Built using modern color science, it uses uniform luminance across colors to reduce visual strain while maintaining high… Below are 24 products that do a similar job, ranked by how close each is in meaning and then by launch-day votes. Penumbra, a perceptually optimized color palette based on natural light launched in 2022; newer entries below may have overtaken it.
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Culrs 2.0▲285Thoughtfully crafted and easy-to-use color palettes
2019 · culrs.com · its alternatives →
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VANGOGH▲288Generate color palettes using keywords, powered by AI
2020 · thevangogh.in · its alternatives →
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Hi HN, I’m Emil, the maker behind Palette. I’ve been tinkering with AI and colorization for about five years. This is my latest colorization model. It’s a text-based AI colorizer, so you can edit the colorizations with natural language. To make it easier to use, I also automatically create captions and generate filters. Let me know what you think. You can see some of my results on my reddit page: https://www.reddit.com/user/emilwallner/?sort=top
2022 · palette.fm · its alternatives →
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Colors▲388A data-driven collection of beautiful color palettes 🌈
2017 · pixelfika.com · its alternatives →
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Deblank Colors▲447Quick, customizable AI powered color palettes
2024 · deblank.com · its alternatives →
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2022 · huemint.com · its alternatives →
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Stark▲290The color-blind simulator and contrast checker for Sketch.
2017 · getstark.co · its alternatives →
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Flat UI Colors 2▲532280 handpicked colors ready for copy & paste
2018 · flatuicolors.com · its alternatives →
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Pick, edit & visualize - your free palette generator tool
2024 · pixelied.com · its alternatives →
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I built PaletteInspiration.com, a browsable archive of color palettes pulled from artworks by 3,000+ master painters (Monet, Vermeer, Raphael, Van Gogh). Why I built it: every color palette generator I tried converged on the same five muted pastels. Painters spent centuries figuring out color and we mostly ignore that body of work when picking colors for digital design. Please share your feedback on the Color Harmony Explorer - drag the wheel to any color and it shows which hues master painters historically paired with it (not only standard complementary, analogous, triadic, etc.) It is…
May 2026 · paletteinspiration.com · its alternatives →
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Improving on Solarized using the OKLab perceptual colorspace
2022 · meat.io · its alternatives →
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ColorMagic▲175Generate ideal color palettes with the power of AI
2023 · colormagic.app · its alternatives →
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In 2023, I tried building dynamic color theming by programmatically rotating HSL values. The results weren't good—garish combinations, inconsistent luminosity, completely unusable for UI work. That kicked off a two-year (sporadic) rabbit hole into color theory like Josef Albers' "Interaction of Color," perceptual color spaces (OKLCH vs sRGB), and effects like Bezold-Brücke. I learned that programmatic palette generation is genuinely hard. Nothing beats a trained eye. But I carried on anyway and made the Color Palette Pro. What it does: It generates 6 palette types (analogous, complementary,…
Nov 2025 · colorpalette.pro · its alternatives →
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Be inspired by handpicked designs, color palettes and copywriting.
2017 · klart.co · its alternatives →
- 18PC
2021 · paletter.app · its alternatives →
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Leonardo▲146Generate colors based on a desired contrast ratio
2019 · leonardocolor.io · its alternatives →
- 20MN
2011 · colorapi.com · its alternatives →
- 21AC
2014 · colormoo.com · its alternatives →
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Color Copy Paste▲198Copy colors from your phone & paste on web, figma, or sketch
2020 · its alternatives →
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PANTONE Studio▲152An elegant iOS app for discovering color palettes
2016 · apps.apple.com · its alternatives →
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Site Palette 2.0▲102Effortless, one-click color palettes for web design mastery.
2023 · palette.site · its alternatives →
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Ranked by how close each launch is in meaning, then by votes. Prices were read from each product’s own site when checked and can change. Refine with your own description →