No. 8 of 34 ·Color Palette Generators

qualpal

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Freedom report

Two barsScore 5.6

Free tierNo free tier on record
Open codeNo open-source code on record
Runs widely4 of 6 device platforms
DocumentedPlans, terms and facts published

qualpal is ranked #8 of 34 in color palette generators on Freedom251. It runs on Linux, macOS, Web, Windows.

Compared on color palette generators

Free plan: Yes
Palette methods: generate

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The record

Purpose: Qualpal is a C++ library for generating qualitative color palettes with maximum perceptual distinctiveness, especially for data visualization.
Palette inputs: It accepts RGB colors, HSL or LCHab color spaces, and predefined palettes as inputs.
Color accessibility: It simulates color vision deficiencies using the Machado et al. model and supports deuteranomaly, protanomaly, and tritanomaly.
Background color: You can specify a background color so generated colors are selected to remain distinct from it.
Palette extension: The library can extend an existing palette while keeping specified colors fixed.
CLI: Qualpal includes a command-line interface for generating and analyzing palettes.
Web app: A browser-based web app generates palettes but has slightly limited functionality compared with the library and R package.
R integration: The project provides an R package called qualpalr for generating palettes in R workflows.
Python integration: The project README lists a Python package called qualpal.
Platforms: Prebuilt binaries are available for Linux, macOS, and Windows.
Requirements: Building from source requires CMake 3.15 or later and a C++17-compatible compiler; OpenMP is optional for parallelization.
Algorithm: The algorithm uses a heuristic based on farthest-point sampling and describes its selected colors as approximately maximally distinct.
Limit: Qualpal does not consider aesthetic factors such as color harmony or complementary colors when choosing colors.
License: The source repository states that Qualpal is available under the MIT License.

Where it ranks on Freedom251

Best Color Palette Generators in 2026#8 of 34

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Sources

jolars.github.io/qualpal/· checked 4 Oct 2026
jolars.github.io/qualpal/getting-started.html· checked 4 Oct 2026
github.com/jolars/qualpal· checked 4 Oct 2026
jolars.github.io/qualpal/algorithm.html· checked 4 Oct 2026