ToolBox Image vs Coolors.
Coolors is the most popular color palette generator on the web — used by millions of designers for creating, exploring, and sharing color schemes. ToolBox Image is a browser-based image workspace. Both can extract colors from images, but they serve fundamentally different workflows. Here is how they compare for color extraction.
Quick comparison
| Feature | ToolBox Image | Coolors |
|---|---|---|
| Price | 100% free — no paywalls | Free tier + Pro ($36/yr) |
| Extract colors from image | Full auto-extraction, free | Auto-extract, but save/export limited on free |
| Color count | 3–12 colors | Up to 5 colors (free), 10+ (Pro) |
| Color formats | HEX, RGB, HSL | HEX, RGB, HSL, CMYK, HSV |
| Color harmonies | Not available | Full harmony rules (complementary, analogous, triadic, etc.) |
| Trending palettes | Not available | 5M+ community palettes |
| Privacy | 100% browser — no uploads | Browser-based extraction |
| Account required | No account needed | Account required to save palettes |
| CSS export | Free | Pro feature |
| PNG export | Free | Free |
| Palette sharing | Not available | Share links (free), collaboration (Pro) |
| Related tools | 14 image tools (compressor, resizer, cropper, converter, etc.) | Color-focused only |
What Coolors does well
Coolors is the gold standard for color palette generation. Its palette generator uses color theory rules — complementary, analogous, triadic, tetradic, split-complementary, and square — to create harmonious color schemes from scratch. The platform hosts over 5 million community palettes, making it the largest color inspiration library on the web. Its image picker lets you upload a photo and extract colors by clicking individual pixels or auto-generating a palette. The export options are extensive: CSS, SVG, PDF, PNG, SCSS, LESS, and Adobe Swatch Exchange. Shareable palette links make collaboration easy, and the iOS/macOS apps extend the workflow to mobile and desktop. For designers who work extensively with color theory and need a full palette management platform, Coolors is the established leader.
Where Coolors falls short for extraction
Coolors is a palette generation platform, not a dedicated image color extraction tool. Its image picker is a secondary feature, and many of the most useful extraction capabilities require a Pro subscription ($36/year): larger palettes, CSS variable export, PDF export, and saving extracted palettes. The free tier limits you to 5 colors per palette and basic export options. For designers who simply need to "upload a photo and get the dominant colors" without building an account or reaching for a credit card, Coolors creates unnecessary friction. There is also no batch extraction — every image must be processed individually — and the platform lacks any image editing tools beyond color picking, so you cannot resize, compress, or convert images in the same workflow.
What ToolBox Image offers for color extraction
ToolBox Image's Dominant Color Extractor is purpose-built for one thing: extracting the most representative colors from any image, instantly, for free. Upload a photo, logo, screenshot, or artwork, and the tool analyzes every pixel using color quantization to identify 3–12 dominant colors ranked by how much of the image they occupy. Each color is displayed with its HEX, RGB, and HSL values. Click any swatch to copy the code to your clipboard. Export the full palette as CSS custom properties or a PNG swatch image — all free, no account, no paywalls.
The extraction runs entirely in your browser using the Canvas API. Your image never leaves your device. And because ToolBox Image is a full image workspace, you can immediately use the extracted colors alongside other tools — resize the source image, convert it to another format, or compress it for the web — all in one tab without switching between different websites or services.
Color extraction: free vs freemium
The single biggest difference between these two tools is the pricing model for color extraction. Coolors offers image-based palette extraction as a free feature, but many export and save capabilities sit behind the Pro paywall. If you want to extract 10 colors from a photo and export them as CSS variables or a palette link, you need to pay. ToolBox Image gives you the complete color extraction workflow — upload, extract up to 12 colors, copy codes, export CSS, download PNG — all without spending a cent. For designers who extract colors from images occasionally, ToolBox Image is the more practical and cost-effective choice. For understanding which image format works best alongside your color palette, see our best image format guide.
When to use each tool
The best tool depends on what you are trying to do. Use ToolBox Image when you need to quickly extract dominant colors from an image — grabbing brand colors from a logo, building a palette from a hero photo, or analyzing color distribution in a screenshot. Use Coolors when you need to generate color harmonies from scratch, explore trending community palettes, or manage a library of color schemes for ongoing projects. Many designers use both: extract source colors from images with ToolBox Image, then refine and explore harmonies in Coolors. Both are free to start with, but ToolBox Image keeps the extraction workflow entirely free with no feature gating.
Frequently asked questions
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Is Coolors better than ToolBox Image for extracting colors?
Coolors is a well-known color palette generator with a built-in image picker. However, extracting a color palette from an image requires a paid Coolors Pro subscription ($36/year). ToolBox Image's Dominant Color Extractor is completely free with no paywalls — extract up to 12 colors, get HEX/RGB/HSL values, copy individual swatches or the whole palette, all without uploading to a server. For one-off color extraction from images, ToolBox Image is faster, free, and equally accurate.
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Does ToolBox Image have a color palette generator like Coolors?
Coolors is primarily a palette generation platform with color theory rules (complementary, analogous, triadic, etc.). ToolBox Image focuses on extracting real colors from real images — upload a photo, screenshot, or logo and get the actual dominant colors with precise HEX/RGB/HSL codes. For generating harmonies from scratch, we recommend using Coolors or Adobe Color. For extracting accurate colors from an image, ToolBox Image is more direct and free.
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Is the ToolBox Image Dominant Color Extractor secure?
Yes. ToolBox Image processes all images entirely in your browser using the Canvas API — no files are ever uploaded to any server. Your image stays on your device. Coolors also processes images locally for palette extraction. Both are privacy-respecting, but Coolors requires an account for saving palettes while ToolBox Image requires no account or sign-up at all.
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How many colors can I extract with each tool?
ToolBox Image's Dominant Color Extractor supports 3–12 colors with adjustable extraction and sorting by dominance, hue, or brightness. Coolors' image picker lets you manually click to sample colors or auto-extract, but many features (export, larger palettes, saving) require Pro. ToolBox Image gives full control for free with no feature limitations.
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Can I export extracted colors from ToolBox Image?
Yes. ToolBox Image lets you copy individual HEX/RGB/HSL codes with one click and export the full palette as CSS variables or a PNG swatch image. Coolors also supports multiple export formats (CSS, SVG, PDF, PNG, SCSS, LESS) but most are Pro-only. ToolBox Image keeps exports free and unlimited.
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Which tool should I use for color extraction?
For extracting dominant colors from an image, ToolBox Image is the better choice — it is completely free with no paywalls, processes locally in your browser, supports up to 12 colors, and exports to CSS/PNG. Use Coolors when you need to generate color harmonies from scratch, explore trending palettes, or build a palette from color theory rules. Both tools complement each other — extract from images with ToolBox Image, then refine harmonies in Coolors.
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