Nearest-color comparison
Electric Purple #BF00FF vs Cobalt Violet #8F00FF: RGB distance 48 and contrast 1.29:1. Compare hue, luminance, saturation, WCAG and practical use.
Electric Purple and Cobalt Violet are related but distinguishable, with an RGB distance of 48. Electric Purple is lighter by 0.0524, and their saturation is equal. Their mutual contrast is 1.29:1. The pair is too close for a readable foreground/background combination and works better as neighboring palette colors.
The main measurable differences between Electric Purple and Cobalt Violet across RGB distance, luminance, hue, saturation, and contrast.
purple color
Electric Purple is #BF00FF, a cool purple with hue 285°, saturation 100% and luminance 0.183. Beside Cobalt Violet, it is lighter and equally saturated. Of the two standard text choices, black text gives the higher contrast at 4.66:1.
purple color
Cobalt Violet is #8F00FF, a cool purple with hue 274°, saturation 100% and luminance 0.1306. Beside Electric Purple, it is darker and equally saturated. Of the two standard text choices, white text gives the higher contrast at 5.81:1.
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 Electric Purple and Cobalt Violet, 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": "electric-purple",
"name": "Electric Purple",
"hex": "#BF00FF",
"rgb": [
191,
0,
255
],
"hsl": [
285,
100,
50
],
"cmyk": [
25,
100,
0,
0
],
"family": "purple",
"temperature": "cool",
"tone": [
"vibrant"
],
"luminance": 0.183,
"contrast": {
"black": 4.66,
"white": 4.51
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#000000",
"#FFFFFF"
],
"AAA": []
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 4.66
},
"description": "Electric Purple is #BF00FF, a cool purple color with vibrant character. Compared with Cobalt Violet, it is lighter and similar in saturation. Use it for neon accents, event graphics, and high-energy digital design, with black text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/electric-purple/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/electric-purple.json"
},
{
"slug": "cobalt-violet",
"name": "Cobalt Violet",
"hex": "#8F00FF",
"rgb": [
143,
0,
255
],
"hsl": [
274,
100,
50
],
"cmyk": [
44,
100,
0,
0
],
"family": "purple",
"temperature": "cool",
"tone": [
"vibrant"
],
"luminance": 0.1306,
"contrast": {
"black": 3.61,
"white": 5.81
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
],
"AAA": []
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 5.81
},
"description": "Cobalt Violet is #8F00FF, a cool purple color with vibrant character. Compared with Electric Purple, it is darker and similar in saturation. Use it for historical references, pigment palettes, and cultural color systems, with white text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/cobalt-violet/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/cobalt-violet.json"
}
]{
"rgbDistance": 48,
"contrastRatio": 1.29,
"hslDelta": {
"hue": 11,
"saturation": 0,
"lightness": 0
},
"luminanceDelta": 0.0524,
"sameFamily": true,
"sameTemperature": true,
"sharedTones": [
"vibrant"
],
"lighterColor": "Electric Purple",
"moreSaturatedColor": "Electric Purple"
}{
"pairContrastRatio": 1.29,
"textRecommendation": "Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.",
"safeText": [
{
"color": "Electric Purple",
"background": "#BF00FF",
"foreground": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 4.66
},
{
"color": "Cobalt Violet",
"background": "#8F00FF",
"foreground": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 5.81
}
]
}{
"chooseFirstWhen": "Electric Purple is better when the design needs vibrant purple character, cool temperature, and the specific HEX value #BF00FF.",
"chooseSecondWhen": "Cobalt Violet is better when the design needs vibrant purple character, cool temperature, and the specific HEX value #8F00FF.",
"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/electric-purple-vs-cobalt-violet.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/electric-purple.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/cobalt-violet.json"
]{
"datasetVersion": "1.0.0",
"slug": "electric-purple-vs-cobalt-violet",
"type": "nearest",
"name": "Electric Purple vs Cobalt Violet",
"verdict": "Electric Purple and Cobalt Violet are visually related colors. Electric Purple is the lighter option. They share similar temperature behavior. Their mutual contrast is 1.29:1, so the pair is too low for text and better treated as a palette relationship.",
"summary": "Electric Purple and Cobalt Violet are different purple colors with HEX values #BF00FF and #8F00FF. According to Colors Encyclopedia, their RGB distance is 48, their contrast ratio is 1.29:1, and the comparison helps choose between tone, temperature, and accessibility behavior.",
"rgbDistance": 48,
"contrastRatio": 1.29,
"colors": [
{
"slug": "electric-purple",
"name": "Electric Purple",
"hex": "#BF00FF",
"rgb": [
191,
0,
255
],
"hsl": [
285,
100,
50
],
"cmyk": [
25,
100,
0,
0
],
"family": "purple",
"temperature": "cool",
"tone": [
"vibrant"
],
"luminance": 0.183,
"contrast": {
"black": 4.66,
"white": 4.51
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#000000",
"#FFFFFF"
],
"AAA": []
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 4.66
},
"description": "Electric Purple is #BF00FF, a cool purple color with vibrant character. Compared with Cobalt Violet, it is lighter and similar in saturation. Use it for neon accents, event graphics, and high-energy digital design, with black text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/electric-purple/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/electric-purple.json"
},
{
"slug": "cobalt-violet",
"name": "Cobalt Violet",
"hex": "#8F00FF",
"rgb": [
143,
0,
255
],
"hsl": [
274,
100,
50
],
"cmyk": [
44,
100,
0,
0
],
"family": "purple",
"temperature": "cool",
"tone": [
"vibrant"
],
"luminance": 0.1306,
"contrast": {
"black": 3.61,
"white": 5.81
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
],
"AAA": []
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 5.81
},
"description": "Cobalt Violet is #8F00FF, a cool purple color with vibrant character. Compared with Electric Purple, it is darker and similar in saturation. Use it for historical references, pigment palettes, and cultural color systems, with white text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/cobalt-violet/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/cobalt-violet.json"
}
],
"differences": {
"rgbDistance": 48,
"contrastRatio": 1.29,
"hslDelta": {
"hue": 11,
"saturation": 0,
"lightness": 0
},
"luminanceDelta": 0.0524,
"sameFamily": true,
"sameTemperature": true,
"sharedTones": [
"vibrant"
],
"lighterColor": "Electric Purple",
"moreSaturatedColor": "Electric Purple"
},
"accessibility": {
"pairContrastRatio": 1.29,
"textRecommendation": "Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.",
"safeText": [
{
"color": "Electric Purple",
"background": "#BF00FF",
"foreground": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 4.66
},
{
"color": "Cobalt Violet",
"background": "#8F00FF",
"foreground": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 5.81
}
]
},
"useCases": {
"chooseFirstWhen": "Electric Purple is better when the design needs vibrant purple character, cool temperature, and the specific HEX value #BF00FF.",
"chooseSecondWhen": "Cobalt Violet is better when the design needs vibrant purple character, cool temperature, and the specific HEX value #8F00FF.",
"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/electric-purple-vs-cobalt-violet.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/electric-purple.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/cobalt-violet.json"
],
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/compare/electric-purple-vs-cobalt-violet/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/compare/electric-purple-vs-cobalt-violet.json"
}