Online Tool Store
· 5 min read
Top 3 Gradient Palette Maker Alternatives Worth Using
Manesh Jayawardhana
CIO & Co-founder
You’ve got two brand colors and want to turn them into a smooth gradient — plus a discrete color palette of evenly spaced steps between them — for a design system, a background, or a set of swatches.
Every tool here generates a working CSS gradient; the differences are whether you get discrete palette swatches alongside the gradient (not just a smooth CSS background), how many colors you can blend, and what export formats are available beyond CSS.
How to judge a gradient palette maker tool
Outputs discrete palette swatches, not just a smooth gradient. A CSS background gradient and an evenly spaced set of color swatches solve different problems — check the tool actually gives you both if you need a stepped palette.
Supports the angle and step count you need. Adjustable gradient angle and control over how many color steps are generated matter for matching a specific design need.
Copies clean, ready-to-use CSS. The output should paste directly into a stylesheet without cleanup.
Offers more than one export format if you need it. CSS is the default, but SVG, PNG, or a direct URL matter for different use cases beyond web development.
The comparison
| Tool | Best for | Free tier | Watch out |
|---|---|---|---|
| ColorSpace | Simple two or three-color gradient generation with clean CSS export | Free, no signup | Focused on gradient generation rather than discrete palette swatches |
| CSS Gradient | Linear and radial gradients with adjustable angle, plus pre-made gradient swatch library | Free, no signup | Palette/swatch section is separate from the custom generator tool |
| Grabient | Curated palette categories plus multiple export formats (CSS, SVG, PNG, URL) | Free, browsable without signup | Login exists for saving, though core browsing and export don’t require it |
| Gradient Palette Maker | CSS gradient plus evenly spaced color palette between two colors | Free, no signup | Two-color input only, no three-plus color blending |
Facts checked August 2026; tools change their plans.
ColorSpace
ColorSpace generates a CSS color gradient from your input colors with customizable orientation, supporting both a standard two-color gradient and a newer three-color blend option, exporting clean CSS like linear-gradient(to right top, #051937, #004d7a, ...).
It isn’t for someone who wants discrete palette swatches generated alongside the gradient — its focus is the smooth gradient itself, with palette generation offered as a separate section of the site rather than integrated into this specific tool.
CSS Gradient
CSS Gradient lets you build linear and radial gradients with full control over colors, angle, and color-stop positions, includes a live preview with multiple color format options (Hex, RGBA), and offers a separate swatches section with pre-made gradient collections ready to copy, all free with no signup.
It isn’t for someone who wants a single unified tool — the custom generator and the pre-made swatch library are distinct sections rather than one combined feature.
Grabient
Grabient offers browsable palette categories (alchemy, festive, spring, tropical, and more) alongside gradient generation, with multiple gradient styles (linear, angular, radial), customizable color count and angle, and export options spanning CSS, SVG, PNG, and direct URL.
It isn’t for someone who wants to start from their own exact two colors — it leans toward browsing curated palettes and adjusting from there rather than a from-scratch two-color input workflow.
Gradient Palette Maker
Our tool generates a CSS gradient and an evenly spaced color palette between two colors, with adjustable angle and step count — entirely in your browser.
A real limitation: it accepts exactly two input colors — for blending three or more colors into a single gradient, ColorSpace’s multi-color support covers more ground.
Which one to pick
If you have two specific colors and want both a CSS gradient and discrete palette swatches from them, use our Gradient Palette Maker.
If you’re blending three or more colors into a single gradient, use ColorSpace.
If you want radial gradients or a pre-made swatch library to browse, use CSS Gradient.
If you want export formats beyond CSS, like SVG or PNG, use Grabient.
How to do it with Gradient Palette Maker
- Open the Gradient Palette Maker.
- Enter your two colors.
- Adjust the angle and step count, then copy the CSS gradient and palette swatches.
Browse the full tools directory for more free, browser-based design and color tools.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a free gradient palette maker that doesn’t need an account?
Yes. Our Gradient Palette Maker, ColorSpace, and CSS Gradient all work without requiring signup.
What’s the difference between a CSS gradient and a color palette generated from the same two colors?
A CSS gradient is a continuous, smooth blend rendered directly by the browser between your two colors, used as a background or fill — while a color palette is a set of discrete, individually usable swatches sampled at even intervals along that same blend, useful when you need specific hex values for buttons, charts, or a design system rather than a smooth visual transition.
How many steps should a gradient-derived color palette have?
It depends on the use case — 5 steps gives a clear light-to-dark progression suitable for something like a data visualization scale, while more steps (8-10) give finer gradation for a more nuanced UI color system. Too few steps can look choppy when used as a scale, while too many can make individual swatches visually indistinguishable from their neighbors.
Final thought
Decide whether you actually need a smooth CSS gradient, a discrete palette, or both before picking a tool — some generators are built around one or the other, and matching the tool to your actual output need saves a conversion step later.