Nearest-color comparison
Aqua #00FFFF vs Cyan #00FFFF: RGB distance 0 and contrast 1:1. Compare hue, luminance, saturation, WCAG and practical use.
Aqua and Cyan are very close, with an RGB distance of 0. Their luminance is equal, and their saturation is equal. Their mutual contrast is 1:1. The pair is too close for a readable foreground/background combination and works better as neighboring palette colors.
The main measurable differences between Aqua and Cyan across RGB distance, luminance, hue, saturation, and contrast.
cyan color
Aqua is #00FFFF, a cool cyan with hue 180°, saturation 100% and luminance 0.7874. Beside Cyan, it is equal in luminance and equally saturated. Of the two standard text choices, black text gives the higher contrast at 16.75:1.
cyan color
Cyan is #00FFFF, a cool cyan with hue 180°, saturation 100% and luminance 0.7874. Beside Aqua, it is equal in luminance and equally saturated. Of the two standard text choices, black text gives the higher contrast at 16.75:1.
Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.
Downloadable color comparison infographic
Save a high-resolution comparison infographic with both HEX colors, visual distance, mutual contrast, and accessibility guidance.
A compact visual strip showing the two compared colors with nearby harmony and variant context.
Machine-readable data
Structured comparison data for Aqua and Cyan, including color systems, RGB distance, HSL deltas, contrast, accessibility guidance, use cases, and API links.
Colors Encyclopedia
colorsBoth named color records with HEX, RGB, HSL, CMYK, luminance, WCAG, and linksdifferencesRGB distance, HSL deltas, luminance delta, contrast, and shared attributesaccessibilityPair contrast and safer text choices for each coloruseCasesWhen to choose each color and when to use them togetherrelatedApiMachine-readable comparison and color endpoints[
{
"slug": "aqua",
"name": "Aqua",
"hex": "#00FFFF",
"rgb": [
0,
255,
255
],
"hsl": [
180,
100,
50
],
"cmyk": [
100,
0,
0,
0
],
"family": "cyan",
"temperature": "cool",
"tone": [
"vibrant"
],
"luminance": 0.7874,
"contrast": {
"black": 16.75,
"white": 1.25
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A",
"#36454F"
],
"AAA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A",
"#36454F"
]
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 16.75
},
"description": "Aqua is #00FFFF, a cool cyan color with vibrant character. Compared with Cyan, it is similar in luminance and similar in saturation. Use it for web design, css color systems, and ui prototyping, with black text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/aqua/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/aqua.json"
},
{
"slug": "cyan",
"name": "Cyan",
"hex": "#00FFFF",
"rgb": [
0,
255,
255
],
"hsl": [
180,
100,
50
],
"cmyk": [
100,
0,
0,
0
],
"family": "cyan",
"temperature": "cool",
"tone": [
"vibrant"
],
"luminance": 0.7874,
"contrast": {
"black": 16.75,
"white": 1.25
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A",
"#36454F"
],
"AAA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A",
"#36454F"
]
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 16.75
},
"description": "Cyan is #00FFFF, a cool cyan color with vibrant character. Compared with Aqua, it is similar in luminance and similar in saturation. Use it for web design, css color systems, and ui prototyping, with black text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/cyan/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/cyan.json"
}
]{
"rgbDistance": 0,
"contrastRatio": 1,
"hslDelta": {
"hue": 0,
"saturation": 0,
"lightness": 0
},
"luminanceDelta": 0,
"sameFamily": true,
"sameTemperature": true,
"sharedTones": [
"vibrant"
],
"lighterColor": "Aqua",
"moreSaturatedColor": "Aqua"
}{
"pairContrastRatio": 1,
"textRecommendation": "Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.",
"safeText": [
{
"color": "Aqua",
"background": "#00FFFF",
"foreground": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 16.75
},
{
"color": "Cyan",
"background": "#00FFFF",
"foreground": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 16.75
}
]
}{
"chooseFirstWhen": "Aqua is better when the design needs vibrant cyan character, cool temperature, and the specific HEX value #00FFFF.",
"chooseSecondWhen": "Cyan is better when the design needs vibrant cyan character, cool temperature, and the specific HEX value #00FFFF.",
"useTogetherWhen": "Use these colors together as related palette neighbors, subtle material differences, or tonal alternatives rather than readable foreground/background pairs."
}[
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/compare/aqua-vs-cyan.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/aqua.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/cyan.json"
]{
"datasetVersion": "1.0.0",
"slug": "aqua-vs-cyan",
"type": "nearest",
"name": "Aqua vs Cyan",
"verdict": "Aqua and Cyan are very close colors. They have nearly identical luminance. They share similar temperature behavior. Their mutual contrast is 1:1, so the pair is too low for text and better treated as a palette relationship.",
"summary": "Aqua and Cyan are different cyan colors with HEX values #00FFFF and #00FFFF. According to Colors Encyclopedia, their RGB distance is 0, their contrast ratio is 1:1, and the comparison helps choose between tone, temperature, and accessibility behavior.",
"rgbDistance": 0,
"contrastRatio": 1,
"colors": [
{
"slug": "aqua",
"name": "Aqua",
"hex": "#00FFFF",
"rgb": [
0,
255,
255
],
"hsl": [
180,
100,
50
],
"cmyk": [
100,
0,
0,
0
],
"family": "cyan",
"temperature": "cool",
"tone": [
"vibrant"
],
"luminance": 0.7874,
"contrast": {
"black": 16.75,
"white": 1.25
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A",
"#36454F"
],
"AAA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A",
"#36454F"
]
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 16.75
},
"description": "Aqua is #00FFFF, a cool cyan color with vibrant character. Compared with Cyan, it is similar in luminance and similar in saturation. Use it for web design, css color systems, and ui prototyping, with black text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/aqua/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/aqua.json"
},
{
"slug": "cyan",
"name": "Cyan",
"hex": "#00FFFF",
"rgb": [
0,
255,
255
],
"hsl": [
180,
100,
50
],
"cmyk": [
100,
0,
0,
0
],
"family": "cyan",
"temperature": "cool",
"tone": [
"vibrant"
],
"luminance": 0.7874,
"contrast": {
"black": 16.75,
"white": 1.25
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A",
"#36454F"
],
"AAA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A",
"#36454F"
]
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 16.75
},
"description": "Cyan is #00FFFF, a cool cyan color with vibrant character. Compared with Aqua, it is similar in luminance and similar in saturation. Use it for web design, css color systems, and ui prototyping, with black text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/cyan/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/cyan.json"
}
],
"differences": {
"rgbDistance": 0,
"contrastRatio": 1,
"hslDelta": {
"hue": 0,
"saturation": 0,
"lightness": 0
},
"luminanceDelta": 0,
"sameFamily": true,
"sameTemperature": true,
"sharedTones": [
"vibrant"
],
"lighterColor": "Aqua",
"moreSaturatedColor": "Aqua"
},
"accessibility": {
"pairContrastRatio": 1,
"textRecommendation": "Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.",
"safeText": [
{
"color": "Aqua",
"background": "#00FFFF",
"foreground": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 16.75
},
{
"color": "Cyan",
"background": "#00FFFF",
"foreground": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 16.75
}
]
},
"useCases": {
"chooseFirstWhen": "Aqua is better when the design needs vibrant cyan character, cool temperature, and the specific HEX value #00FFFF.",
"chooseSecondWhen": "Cyan is better when the design needs vibrant cyan character, cool temperature, and the specific HEX value #00FFFF.",
"useTogetherWhen": "Use these colors together as related palette neighbors, subtle material differences, or tonal alternatives rather than readable foreground/background pairs."
},
"relatedApi": [
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/compare/aqua-vs-cyan.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/aqua.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/cyan.json"
],
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/compare/aqua-vs-cyan/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/compare/aqua-vs-cyan.json"
}