Nearest-color comparison
Indigo #4B0082 vs Purple #800080: RGB distance 53 and contrast 1.37:1. Compare hue, luminance, saturation, WCAG and practical use.
Indigo and Purple are related but distinguishable, with an RGB distance of 53. Purple is lighter by 0.0304, and their saturation is equal. Their mutual contrast is 1.37:1. The pair is too close for a readable foreground/background combination and works better as neighboring palette colors.
The main measurable differences between Indigo and Purple across RGB distance, luminance, hue, saturation, and contrast.
purple color
Indigo is #4B0082, a cool purple with hue 275°, saturation 100% and luminance 0.0311. Beside Purple, it is darker and equally saturated. Of the two standard text choices, white text gives the higher contrast at 12.95:1.
pink color
Purple is #800080, a warm pink with hue 300°, saturation 100% and luminance 0.0615. Beside Indigo, it is lighter and equally saturated. Of the two standard text choices, white text gives the higher contrast at 9.42:1.
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 Indigo and Purple, 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": "indigo",
"name": "Indigo",
"hex": "#4B0082",
"rgb": [
75,
0,
130
],
"hsl": [
275,
100,
25
],
"cmyk": [
42,
100,
0,
49
],
"family": "purple",
"temperature": "cool",
"tone": [
"jewel-tone"
],
"luminance": 0.0311,
"contrast": {
"black": 1.62,
"white": 12.95
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
],
"AAA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
]
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 12.95
},
"description": "Indigo is #4B0082, a cool purple color with jewel tone character. Compared with Purple, it is darker and similar in saturation. Use it for web design, css color systems, and ui prototyping, with white text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/indigo/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/indigo.json"
},
{
"slug": "purple",
"name": "Purple",
"hex": "#800080",
"rgb": [
128,
0,
128
],
"hsl": [
300,
100,
25
],
"cmyk": [
0,
100,
0,
50
],
"family": "pink",
"temperature": "warm",
"tone": [
"balanced"
],
"luminance": 0.0615,
"contrast": {
"black": 2.23,
"white": 9.42
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
],
"AAA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
]
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 9.42
},
"description": "Purple is #800080, a warm pink color with balanced character. Compared with Indigo, it is lighter and similar in saturation. Use it for web design, css color systems, and ui prototyping, with white text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/purple/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/purple.json"
}
]{
"rgbDistance": 53,
"contrastRatio": 1.37,
"hslDelta": {
"hue": 25,
"saturation": 0,
"lightness": 0
},
"luminanceDelta": 0.0304,
"sameFamily": false,
"sameTemperature": false,
"sharedTones": [],
"lighterColor": "Purple",
"moreSaturatedColor": "Indigo"
}{
"pairContrastRatio": 1.37,
"textRecommendation": "Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.",
"safeText": [
{
"color": "Indigo",
"background": "#4B0082",
"foreground": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 12.95
},
{
"color": "Purple",
"background": "#800080",
"foreground": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 9.42
}
]
}{
"chooseFirstWhen": "Indigo is better when the design needs jewel tone purple character, cool temperature, and the specific HEX value #4B0082.",
"chooseSecondWhen": "Purple is better when the design needs balanced pink character, warm temperature, and the specific HEX value #800080.",
"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/indigo-vs-purple.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/indigo.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/purple.json"
]{
"datasetVersion": "1.0.0",
"slug": "indigo-vs-purple",
"type": "nearest",
"name": "Indigo vs Purple",
"verdict": "Indigo and Purple are visually related colors. Purple is the lighter option. Purple reads warmer. Their mutual contrast is 1.37:1, so the pair is too low for text and better treated as a palette relationship.",
"summary": "Indigo and Purple are different purple and pink colors with HEX values #4B0082 and #800080. According to Colors Encyclopedia, their RGB distance is 53, their contrast ratio is 1.37:1, and the comparison helps choose between tone, temperature, and accessibility behavior.",
"rgbDistance": 53,
"contrastRatio": 1.37,
"colors": [
{
"slug": "indigo",
"name": "Indigo",
"hex": "#4B0082",
"rgb": [
75,
0,
130
],
"hsl": [
275,
100,
25
],
"cmyk": [
42,
100,
0,
49
],
"family": "purple",
"temperature": "cool",
"tone": [
"jewel-tone"
],
"luminance": 0.0311,
"contrast": {
"black": 1.62,
"white": 12.95
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
],
"AAA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
]
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 12.95
},
"description": "Indigo is #4B0082, a cool purple color with jewel tone character. Compared with Purple, it is darker and similar in saturation. Use it for web design, css color systems, and ui prototyping, with white text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/indigo/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/indigo.json"
},
{
"slug": "purple",
"name": "Purple",
"hex": "#800080",
"rgb": [
128,
0,
128
],
"hsl": [
300,
100,
25
],
"cmyk": [
0,
100,
0,
50
],
"family": "pink",
"temperature": "warm",
"tone": [
"balanced"
],
"luminance": 0.0615,
"contrast": {
"black": 2.23,
"white": 9.42
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
],
"AAA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
]
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 9.42
},
"description": "Purple is #800080, a warm pink color with balanced character. Compared with Indigo, it is lighter and similar in saturation. Use it for web design, css color systems, and ui prototyping, with white text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/purple/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/purple.json"
}
],
"differences": {
"rgbDistance": 53,
"contrastRatio": 1.37,
"hslDelta": {
"hue": 25,
"saturation": 0,
"lightness": 0
},
"luminanceDelta": 0.0304,
"sameFamily": false,
"sameTemperature": false,
"sharedTones": [],
"lighterColor": "Purple",
"moreSaturatedColor": "Indigo"
},
"accessibility": {
"pairContrastRatio": 1.37,
"textRecommendation": "Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.",
"safeText": [
{
"color": "Indigo",
"background": "#4B0082",
"foreground": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 12.95
},
{
"color": "Purple",
"background": "#800080",
"foreground": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 9.42
}
]
},
"useCases": {
"chooseFirstWhen": "Indigo is better when the design needs jewel tone purple character, cool temperature, and the specific HEX value #4B0082.",
"chooseSecondWhen": "Purple is better when the design needs balanced pink character, warm temperature, and the specific HEX value #800080.",
"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/indigo-vs-purple.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/indigo.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/purple.json"
],
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/compare/indigo-vs-purple/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/compare/indigo-vs-purple.json"
}