A Free Tints.dev Alternative
tints.dev, built by Simeon Griggs, is a polished Tailwind palette generator: give it one hex and it produces an 11-stop 50–950 scale, with serious control over how the lightness curve behaves — and both it and HexTints are free with no signup. The difference is approach. tints.dev generates custom scales; HexTints precomputes the official Tailwind v3 palette with class names, and adds tint/shade ramps, lightness/hue/chroma scales for any hex, and WCAG contrast data on every page.
What Tints.dev Does Well
From its public page, tints.dev is the specialist for custom Tailwind scales:
- 50–950 palettes from one hex — the full 11-stop Tailwind-shaped scale, generated instantly.
- Curve control — adjust the hue, saturation, and lightness distribution, set minimum/maximum lightness, and toggle between linear and perceived lightness modes.
- Modern export formats — output as OKLCH, hex, HSL, or Tailwind CSS variable syntax.
- A free API — fetch palettes programmatically from just a hex value, useful for design tools.
- Honest positioning — it credits its design principles to Refactoring UI and openly notes that automated tools accelerate rather than replace manual palette design.
No pricing, accounts, or ads appear on its page. It is a genuinely good free tool.
What HexTints Does Differently
- The official values, precomputed. A generated scale from a Tailwind color won't reproduce Tailwind's own hand-tuned values. The HexTints library ships the actual Tailwind v3 palette — #DC2626 is red-600, #3B82F6 is blue-500 — each page with its class name, 50–950 ramp, tints, shades, and RGB/HSL values.
- Contrast on every page. WCAG AA/AAA data is part of every library page, plus a dedicated contrast checker — so you know which stops work for text without leaving the page.
- Percentage ramps, not just stops. The tint and shade generator gives 10%-step ramps in both directions for any hex — handy for hover states and one-off adjustments where a full 50–950 scale is overkill.
- Scales beyond lightness. The scale explorer walks lightness, hue, and chroma from any hex with copy-on-click.
- Everything is static. Pages are plain HTML — instant to load, easy to bookmark and share as URLs.
HexTints vs Tints.dev at a Glance
| Feature | HexTints | tints.dev |
|---|---|---|
| Free to use | Yes | Yes |
| No signup | Yes | Yes |
| Custom 50–950 scale from any hex | Partial — lightness scales for any hex; 50–950 pages for Tailwind colors | Yes |
| Official Tailwind v3 values + class names | Yes | — generates custom scales instead |
| Tint + shade ramps in % steps | Yes | — not mentioned |
| WCAG contrast data | Yes | — not mentioned |
| OKLCH export | — hex, RGB, HSL | Yes |
| Public API | — static pages only | Yes |
The tints.dev column reflects what tints.dev publicly showed when we checked in August 2026; "—" means we did not find the feature mentioned there.
A Real 50–950 Ramp
This is Tailwind v3's red scale exactly as it appears in the HexTints library page for red-600 — official values, not a regeneration:
#FEF2F250#FEE2E2100#FECACA200#FCA5A5300#F87171400#EF4444500#DC2626600#B91C1C700#991B1B800#7F1D1D900#450A0A950Every Tailwind color has a page like this in the color library, and the tint and shade generator ramps any hex that isn't in a palette yet.
When to Use Which
Use tints.dev when you're designing a new brand scale: you have one brand hex and want a full 50–950 palette shaped around it, with control over the lightness curve, OKLCH output, or API access from a design tool. That's exactly what it's built for, and it does it very well.
Use HexTints when you need the official Tailwind values with class names right now, want to check WCAG contrast as part of the same lookup, or need simple percentage tints and shades of an arbitrary hex rather than a full scale.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Is HexTints really free?
Yes — free with no signup, no paid tier, and no ads. To be fair, tints.dev's page shows no pricing or signup either; both tools are free to use. The difference is in approach, not price.
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Do I need an account to use HexTints?
No. Nothing on HexTints requires a login — every tool and every color page works immediately.
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What does tints.dev do better?
Custom palette generation. tints.dev builds an 11-stop 50–950 scale from one hex with fine control over hue, saturation, and lightness distribution, linear versus perceived lightness modes, exports in OKLCH, hex, HSL, or Tailwind CSS variable syntax, and a free API. If you are designing a new brand scale and want to shape its curve, tints.dev is the specialist.
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Can I get Tailwind values from HexTints?
Yes — and they are the official Tailwind v3 values, not generated approximations. The color library includes every Tailwind v3 color with its class name, 50–950 ramp, tints, shades, RGB/HSL values, and WCAG contrast data.
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Does HexTints have an API like tints.dev?
No. HexTints is a static site with no API. The trade-off is that every page is precomputed and instant, and any color page can be bookmarked or linked directly. If you need programmatic palette generation, tints.dev's API is the right tool.
Related tools: color library · Tailwind red-600 · Tailwind blue-500 · tint and shade generator · contrast checker
More comparisons: HexColorTool · MakeTintsAndShades · UIColors · Coolors · ColorHexa