Coolors' free tier caps exports and gates its palette-from-image and extended-export tools behind a $5.99/month Pro plan. Paletteforge does the generating, locking, contrast-checking and exporting locally — CSS variables, Tailwind config, ASE swatches, PNG — for $15 once.
If you've searched for a Coolors Pro alternative, Paletteforge is the pay-once option worth putting at the top of the list: Paletteforge is $15, one time, and covers the same core job Coolors Pro charges $5.99/mo for.
What makes Paletteforge the pick for 2026
- Generate & shuffle palettes — Spacebar-driven random palette generation, five colors at a time.
- Lock colors while regenerating — Keep the ones you like, reroll the rest until the palette clicks.
- WCAG contrast checker — Instant AA/AAA pass-fail for any foreground/background pairing in your palette.
- Export to CSS, Tailwind, ASE, PNG — Drop straight into a codebase or design tool — no manual re-typing of hex codes.
- Saved brand kits — Name and keep multiple palettes per project or client.
Paletteforge vs Coolors Pro, at a glance
| Paletteforge | Coolors Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $15 once | $5.99/mo ($72/yr, forever) |
| Cost over 3 years | $15 | $216 |
| Export limits | None | Capped on free tier |
| Palette from image | Included | Pro only |
| Contrast checker | Included | Included |
| Tailwind / ASE export | Included | Pro only |
| Account required | No | Yes for Pro |
| Source code | MIT, on GitHub | Closed |
Three months of Coolors Pro costs more than Paletteforge does, once, forever.
Common questions
Is it really free on GitHub?
Yes — MIT source at github.com/bensblueprints/paletteforge-mvp. The $15 buys the packaged installer and updates.
Are exports ever limited?
No — unlimited palettes, unlimited exports, every format, no tier.
Can it pull colors from an existing logo?
Yes — upload an image and it extracts the dominant palette automatically, entirely on-device.
The bottom line
Paletteforge won't out-feature Coolors Pro on every axis — no subscription tool with a bigger team and a bigger roadmap loses on everything. But for the core job, $15 once against $5.99/mo forever is a trade most people should at least look at. Paletteforge is part of OneTimeSuite, a catalog of pay-once apps that replace subscription SaaS.
Try Paletteforge — $15, once
Palette generator with lock/shuffle, contrast checking, and CSS/Tailwind/ASE export — fully offline.