Is HexTints really free?

Yes. All tools and all 280+ precomputed color pages are free, with no signup, no paid tier, and no ads. The site is static HTML, so everything loads instantly.

Do I need an account to use HexTints?

No. There is no login or registration anywhere on the site — paste a hex code and copy the values you need.

What does maketintsandshades.com do better?

It handles several colors at once — paste multiple hex codes separated by spaces and get a ramp for each — lets you choose 5, 10, or 20 steps per side, exports palettes as Hex, RGB, CSS, or JSON, generates shareable links, and has a dark mode and a Figma plugin. For batch-exporting whole palettes into code, it remains an excellent choice.

Does HexTints generate 10% steps like maketintsandshades.com?

Yes. The tint and shade generator produces 10 tints and 10 shades of any hex in 10% steps, each with a copy button, and other tools offer 5% steps. The tint percentage chart lays the 10–90% scale out in a print-ready table.

Can I get Tailwind values from HexTints?

Yes. The color library precomputes the full Tailwind v3 palette with class names — for example the page for #DC2626 identifies it as red-600 and shows its 50–950 ramp, tints, shades, and WCAG contrast data.

A Free MakeTintsAndShades Alternative

An honest comparison — updated August 10, 2026.

Make Tints and Shades (maketintsandshades.com) is a deservedly popular generator — paste hex codes, get clean tint and shade tables with export options, no account needed. HexTints does the same core job and goes further in different directions: hue and chroma scales on top of lightness, WCAG contrast data on every color page, and a precomputed library of 280+ colors including the full Tailwind palette.

What Make Tints and Shades Does Well

Its public page shows a focused, generous tool:

Multiple colors at once — enter several hex codes separated by spaces and get a ramp for each.
Choice of ramp density — a "steps per side" selector offers 5, 10, or 20 steps.
Real export options — palettes export as Hex, #Hex, RGB, CSS, or JSON, with a copy button on the export.
Shareable links — a palette can be sent as a URL.
Copy support and dark mode — the page has copy controls with an accessibility live-region, and a dark theme toggle.
Open ecosystem — its page links a GitHub repository and a Figma plugin.

No pricing or signup appears anywhere on it — the project asks only for optional support.

What HexTints Does Differently

Beyond lightness. Tints and shades move a color toward white or black. The scale explorer also walks hue and chroma, so you can see neighboring hues and muted/saturated versions of the same color — not just lighter and darker ones.
Contrast is part of the answer. Every library page shows WCAG AA/AAA data, and the contrast checker tests any pairing — so you know which steps of a ramp are usable for text before you ship them.
A precomputed library. 280+ color pages — including the full Tailwind v3 palette with class names — with ramps, RGB/HSL values, and contrast already computed. No pasting required for common colors.
Converters and a print chart. Hex↔RGB and HSL↔hex converters, plus a print-ready tint percentage chart.
Completely ad-free. maketintsandshades.com includes a small Carbon ad unit; HexTints carries no third-party ads at all.

HexTints vs Make Tints and Shades at a Glance

Feature	HexTints	MakeTintsAndShades
Free to use	Yes	Yes
No signup	Yes	Yes
Tint + shade ramps	Yes	Yes
Copy support	Yes — every value	Yes
Multiple colors at once	— one color at a time	Yes
Export palettes as CSS/JSON	— copy per value instead	Yes
Hue and chroma scales	Yes	— not mentioned
WCAG contrast data	Yes	— not mentioned
Tailwind palette pages	Yes	— not mentioned
Completely ad-free	Yes	Partial — small Carbon ad unit

The MakeTintsAndShades column reflects what maketintsandshades.com publicly showed when we checked in August 2026; "—" means we did not find the feature mentioned there.

The Same 10% Steps, Live

Tints and shades of #E74C3C in 10% steps — the same math both tools use:

#A2352A−30%

#B93D30−20%

#D04436−10%

#E74C3Cbase

#E95E50+10%

#EC7063+20%

#EE8277+30%

#F1948A+40%

#F3A69E+50%

#F5B7B1+60%

Get the full 10-step ramp in both directions for any color in the tint and shade generator, or go past lightness entirely with the hue, chroma, and lightness scale explorer.

When to Use Which

Stay with Make Tints and Shades when you're processing several colors at once, need the ramp exported as CSS or JSON in one action, want to hand a palette to someone as a link, or work inside its Figma plugin. Those are real strengths, and it does them cleanly.

Use HexTints when you need to know whether a step passes WCAG contrast, want the Tailwind class name for a value, want to explore hue and chroma variations rather than only lighter/darker, or prefer precomputed pages you can bookmark and print.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is HexTints really free?

Yes. All tools and all 280+ precomputed color pages are free, with no signup, no paid tier, and no ads. The site is static HTML, so everything loads instantly.
Do I need an account to use HexTints?

No. There is no login or registration anywhere on the site — paste a hex code and copy the values you need.
What does maketintsandshades.com do better?

It handles several colors at once — paste multiple hex codes separated by spaces and get a ramp for each — lets you choose 5, 10, or 20 steps per side, exports palettes as Hex, RGB, CSS, or JSON, generates shareable links, and has a dark mode and a Figma plugin. For batch-exporting whole palettes into code, it remains an excellent choice.
Does HexTints generate 10% steps like maketintsandshades.com?

Yes. The tint and shade generator produces 10 tints and 10 shades of any hex in 10% steps, each with a copy button, and other tools offer 5% steps. The tint percentage chart lays the 10–90% scale out in a print-ready table.
Can I get Tailwind values from HexTints?

Yes. The color library precomputes the full Tailwind v3 palette with class names — for example the page for #DC2626 identifies it as red-600 and shows its 50–950 ramp, tints, shades, and WCAG contrast data.

More comparisons: HexColorTool · tints.dev · UIColors · Coolors · ColorHexa