Compare Colors
Put two colors side by side and measure how different they actually look. ΔE2000 difference, perceptual match percentage, and every format value for both colors.
#7C3AED
- HEX
- #7C3AED
- RGB
- rgb(124,58,237)
- CMYK
- cmyk(48,76,0,7)
- HSL
- hsl(262,83%,58%)
#6D28D9
- HEX
- #6D28D9
- RGB
- rgb(109,40,217)
- CMYK
- cmyk(50,82,0,15)
- HSL
- hsl(263,70%,50%)
86.2% perceptual match
Noticeably different
A trained eye sees the difference at a glance. Too far apart to use interchangeably for brand colors.
ΔE2000 (CIEDE2000) measures perceptual color difference in Lab space — how different two colors look to humans, not how far apart their RGB numbers are. A ΔE below 2.3 is the “just-noticeable difference”: most people cannot tell the colors apart. Check how each color holds up in print with the print gamut checker.
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- Print Gamut Checker
See exactly how a screen color shifts when printed in CMYK. Side-by-side press preview with shift warnings.
Comparing for accessibility instead? Use the WCAG contrast checker — contrast and perceptual difference are different measurements. For print matching, run both colors through the print gamut checker first.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about this tool.
- What is Delta E (ΔE)?
- Delta E measures the perceptual difference between two colors — how different they look to a human, not how far apart their RGB numbers are. This tool uses ΔE2000 (CIEDE2000), the current industry-standard formula.
- What is a good Delta E value?
- Below 1 is imperceptible; below 2.3 is the just-noticeable difference (JND) — safe to treat as the same color. Between 3 and 10 is visibly different. Print production typically targets ΔE under 2 for brand color matching.
- Why do two similar RGB values look so different?
- RGB distance does not match human perception — we are more sensitive to some hue and lightness shifts than others. Delta E works in Lab color space, which is designed to mirror how eyes actually perceive difference.
- When would I compare two colors?
- Checking if a vendor's printed sample matches your brand color, validating that a redesigned palette stays close to the original, or confirming two near-identical shades in a design system can be merged.