Dracula vs Solarized
Which should you use? A side-by-side look at what each one does, who it suits, what it costs, how hard it is to set up, and where each falls short.
Open source · MIT
A dark and light color scheme that gets applied to code editors, terminals, and other apps.
Open source · MIT
A 16-color palette for terminals and code editors, with matched dark and light modes.
The short answer
Choose Dracula if you need…
- Developers who want a consistent color scheme across several editors and terminals
- People looking for a well-known dark theme with a published color palette
- Designers or developers who want to reuse the published hex colors in other tools
- Contributors who want to build a theme for an app that is not yet supported
Choose Solarized if you need…
- Developers who spend long hours in a terminal or code editor and want a low-glare color scheme
- People who switch between dark and light backgrounds and want them to look consistent
- Users of Vim, Emacs, IntelliJ, Visual Studio or a supported terminal emulator who want a ready-made theme
- Designers who want a palette of five or more colors with matched tones
Side-by-side
| Dracula | Solarized | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Other | Other |
| Price | Free and open source | Free and open source |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| GitHub stars | 23.6k | 16k |
| Setup difficulty | Beginner | Beginner |
| How you get it | See the README | See the README |
| Main language | — | Vim Script |
| Last code update | 5 days ago | 2 years ago |
What each one is
Dracula
Dracula is a color theme, meaning a set of colors that changes how an app looks, especially code editors and terminals. This repository is the main home for the project and its shared color palette, which includes dark (Dracula) and light (Alucard) variants. Each supported application has its own theme, usually maintained in a separate repository within the Dracula GitHub organization.
Solarized
Solarized is a color scheme: a fixed set of 16 colors (eight neutral tones and eight accent colors) that you apply to terminals, text editors and other apps so text and code are easier to read. It is built around CIELAB lightness relationships and color-wheel hue relationships, and it is designed so the dark and light versions feel like one scheme. Ports exist for many editors and terminal emulators, with the Vim version being the most prominent.
Best for
Dracula
- Developers who want a consistent color scheme across several editors and terminals
- People looking for a well-known dark theme with a published color palette
- Designers or developers who want to reuse the published hex colors in other tools
- Contributors who want to build a theme for an app that is not yet supported
Solarized
- Developers who spend long hours in a terminal or code editor and want a low-glare color scheme
- People who switch between dark and light backgrounds and want them to look consistent
- Users of Vim, Emacs, IntelliJ, Visual Studio or a supported terminal emulator who want a ready-made theme
- Designers who want a palette of five or more colors with matched tones
Strengths
Dracula
- Covers a large number of applications, with the README listing over 400 supported apps
- Published color palette with hex, RGB, and HSL values for both dark and light variants
- Released under the MIT license and states that its colors meet WCAG 2.1 AA contrast for foreground and background
Solarized
- The README describes a deliberate, documented design based on CIELAB lightness and color-wheel hues
- Covers many applications, including Vim, Emacs, IntelliJ, Visual Studio and several terminal emulators
- Dark and light modes are designed to match each other
Not ideal for
Dracula
- People who need a theme for an app that is not on the supported list, unless they build it themselves, since the README says support depends on community contributions
- Users who want a single install that works everywhere, because each app needs its own installation steps from draculatheme.com
- Anyone expecting a software program with features; this is a visual theme and palette
Solarized
- People who want a high-contrast scheme; the README says Solarized deliberately reduces brightness contrast
- Users of editors or terminals with no listed port, unless they are willing to build one from the published values
- Anyone looking for a software application or library; this is a set of color values and themes
Trade-offs
Dracula
- The README does not say how every individual theme is maintained; each theme lists its own maintainer in its own repository
- Installation details for each app are not in this README and must be found on draculatheme.com
- The README is truncated here, so some details may be missing from this analysis
Solarized
- The README says the TextMate dark theme is a work in progress and Xcode ports are not yet merged
- The README's release information is dated; the current release is listed as v1.0.0beta2 and the file header shows 2011 dates
- Its low brightness contrast may not suit users who need strong readability or accessibility contrast
Getting started
Dracula
Clone this repository
git clone https://github.com/dracula/dracula-theme.gitSolarized
Clone the full repository
git clone git://github.com/altercation/solarized.gitFrequently asked questions
What is the difference between Dracula and Solarized?
Dracula: A dark and light color scheme that gets applied to code editors, terminals, and other apps. Solarized: A 16-color palette for terminals and code editors, with matched dark and light modes. Dracula suits developers who want a consistent color scheme across several editors and terminals, while Solarized suits developers who spend long hours in a terminal or code editor and want a low-glare color scheme.
Are Dracula and Solarized free?
Dracula: Free and open source. Solarized: Free and open source.
Is Dracula or Solarized more popular?
Dracula has more GitHub stars (23.6k) than Solarized (16k). Popularity isn't the same as fit — check which one matches your use case above.
Keep comparing
Built from our catalogue entries for both products: open-source details come from each project's README (AI-assisted, refreshed weekly) and GitHub data; AI-tool details are editorial. Spotted something wrong? Let us know from either product's page.