Free WebAIM Contrast Checker Alternative
WebAIM's Contrast Checker is the industry-standard tool for checking color contrast ratios against WCAG accessibility guidelines. Trusted by accessibility professionals worldwide, it provides clear pass/fail ratings for AA and AAA compliance, lightness adjustment sliders, and even an API for automated testing. It's a well-designed, reliable tool that's been serving the accessibility community for years. However, all contrast calculations happen on WebAIM's servers, which means your color data is transmitted over the network. For privacy-conscious users, teams working with unreleased brand colors, or anyone who wants guaranteed client-side processing, Fixie offers an alternative that runs 100% in your browser with integrated color blindness simulation.
Try Color Contrast Checker Free →Color Contrast Checker vs WebAIM Contrast Checker
| Feature | Fixie Color Contrast Checker | WebAIM Contrast Checker |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free forever | Free |
| Signup Required | No | No |
| Privacy / Data Handling | 100% client-side, no data sent to servers | Server-side processing |
| WCAG AA/AAA Ratings | Yes | Yes |
| Lightness Adjustment | Yes | Yes |
| Color Blindness Simulation | Yes, integrated with companion tool | No |
| API Access | No | Yes |
| Permalink Sharing | No | Yes |
| Ads | None | None |
Why Choose Fixie?
WebAIM's Contrast Checker is the gold standard for WCAG contrast checking. It's professionally maintained by accessibility experts, offers clear AA/AAA pass/fail indicators for both normal and large text, includes helpful lightness sliders for finding compliant alternatives, and even provides an API for automated testing workflows. If you need to share contrast check results via permalink or integrate contrast checking into CI/CD pipelines, WebAIM's tool is hard to beat.
The key difference is where processing happens. WebAIM's tool sends color values to their servers for calculation and rendering. For most use cases, this is perfectly fine — WebAIM is a trusted nonprofit organization. But if you're working with unreleased brand colors under NDA, testing colors for sensitive projects, or simply prefer that your data never leaves your device, client-side processing matters.
Fixie's Color Contrast Checker runs entirely in your browser. No color values are transmitted to any server. All WCAG calculations, pass/fail logic, and visual previews happen locally using JavaScript. You also get integrated access to our Color Blind Simulator tool — check contrast ratios and immediately see how those colors appear under different types of color vision deficiency. Both tools are free with no signup. Use WebAIM for API access and permalink sharing. Use Fixie for guaranteed client-side privacy and integrated color blindness testing.
How to Use Color Contrast Checker
Step 1: Open the Contrast Checker
Go to fixie.tools/contrast — all processing happens in your browser, no color data uploaded.
Step 2: Enter Your Colors
Input foreground and background colors using the color picker, or type HEX, RGB, or HSL values directly. The tool accepts any standard CSS color format.
Step 3: Review WCAG Results
The tool instantly displays the contrast ratio and shows pass/fail status for WCAG AA and AAA compliance for both normal text (4.5:1 for AA, 7:1 for AAA) and large text (3:1 for AA, 4.5:1 for AAA). Live preview shows the actual text appearance.
Step 4: Adjust if Needed
Use the lightness sliders to quickly adjust colors until they meet your target compliance level. Changes update in real-time.
Step 5: Check Color Blindness (Optional)
Click through to our Color Blind Simulator to see how your chosen colors appear under deuteranopia, protanopia, tritanopia, and other vision types.