Best WCAG Accessibility Checkers Compared (2026)

Choosing an accessibility checker depends on what you need: quick scans during development, CI integration, guided remediation, or enterprise-grade reporting. This comparison covers five of the most widely used tools in 2026, evaluated on detection capabilities, pricing, developer experience, and how actionable their output is.

What We Compared

We tested each tool against a set of pages containing known WCAG 2.2 Level A and AA violations, including missing alt text, color contrast failures, missing form labels, empty links, and incorrect heading hierarchy. Here is how they compare across the dimensions that matter most to development teams.

1. WAVE (WebAIM)

WAVE is one of the oldest and most trusted accessibility evaluation tools, developed by WebAIM at Utah State University. It works as a browser extension (Chrome, Firefox, Edge) and as an online tool at wave.webaim.org.

• Engine: Custom rule engine (not axe-core).
• Detection: Solid coverage of structural issues, contrast, ARIA misuse, and HTML validation. Distinguishes between errors, alerts, and informational items.
• Output style: Visual overlay that injects icons directly onto the page. Clicking an icon reveals the violation details and relevant WCAG criterion.
• Pricing: Free for individual use. WAVE API access for bulk scanning starts at paid tiers.
• Strengths: Highly visual, great for quick spot-checks, includes structural outline and contrast views.
• Limitations: The page overlay can become cluttered on complex layouts. No built-in fix suggestions or code examples. No CI integration in the free tier.

2. axe DevTools (Deque)

axe DevTools is built on axe-core, the open-source accessibility testing engine maintained by Deque Systems. axe-core is the de facto standard engine — it powers Lighthouse, Google's Accessibility Scanner, and many other tools.

• Engine: axe-core (open-source, actively maintained, 400+ rules).
• Detection: Comprehensive WCAG 2.2 A/AA coverage. Low false-positive rate by design — axe-core only reports violations it is confident about.
• Output style: Results panel inside Chrome DevTools. Highlights affected elements in the DOM and links to Deque University documentation.
• Pricing: Free tier covers the core ruleset. Pro tier ($$$) adds Intelligent Guided Tests, issue grouping, and team dashboards.
• Strengths: Industry-standard engine, excellent documentation, strong CI ecosystem (axe-core/cli, @axe-core/playwright, @axe-core/webdriverio).
• Limitations: Free version is scan-only with no guided fixes. The Pro tier is expensive and geared toward enterprise teams. The DevTools panel integration can feel cramped.

3. Lighthouse (Google)

Lighthouse is Google's open-source auditing tool, built into Chrome DevTools. Its accessibility audit runs a subset of axe-core rules and produces a score from 0 to 100.

• Engine: Subset of axe-core rules (approximately 50 of the full 80+ rules).
• Detection: Good baseline coverage, but misses some violations that the full axe-core ruleset catches. Focuses on high-impact, low-noise rules.
• Output style: Scored report with pass/fail items grouped by impact. Links to web.dev documentation for each rule.
• Pricing: Completely free. Available in DevTools, as a Node CLI, and as a CI module.
• Strengths: Zero setup (already in Chrome), excellent for quick baseline checks, integrates well with PageSpeed Insights and CI workflows.
• Limitations: The accessibility score can be misleading — a score of 100 only means you passed the rules Lighthouse tests, not that your site is accessible. Uses a smaller rule subset than full axe-core. No fix guides or code examples.

4. Accessibility Insights (Microsoft)

Accessibility Insights is Microsoft's free accessibility testing tool suite, available as a Chrome/Edge extension and a Windows desktop application. It is built on axe-core and adds guided manual testing workflows.

• Engine: axe-core for automated checks, plus manual assessment checklists.
• Detection: Full axe-core ruleset for automated scans, plus a unique “Assessment” feature that walks you through manual WCAG testing with structured checklists.
• Output style: Clean results panel with detailed violation cards. The Assessment mode is a step-by-step guided process for full WCAG conformance evaluation.
• Pricing: Completely free (open-source under MIT license).
• Strengths: Best guided manual testing experience of any free tool. Tab Stops visualization shows the keyboard focus order on the page. Excellent for thorough audits.
• Limitations: The full Assessment workflow is time-intensive (suitable for formal audits, not quick checks). FastPass mode is limited to two automated rule categories. No built-in code fix examples.

5. A11yMate

A11yMate is a free Chrome extension designed to close the gap between finding accessibility issues and actually fixing them. It runs the full axe-core engine and pairs every violation with a fix guide that includes code examples.

• Engine: axe-core (full ruleset, bundled locally).
• Detection: Full WCAG 2.2 A/AA coverage via axe-core. Violations are grouped by severity (critical, serious, moderate, minor) with affected element counts.
• Output style: Side panel interface with a score summary, violation list, and expandable fix guides. Each guide explains what the violation means, why it matters, and how to fix it with before/after code snippets.
• Pricing: Free. No account required, no data collection.
• Strengths: 37 built-in fix guides with code examples covering the most common WCAG violations. Zero setup (scan any page in one click). All processing happens locally in the browser. Bilingual support (English and Korean).
• Limitations: Browser extension only (no CI integration yet). No guided manual testing workflow. Newer tool with a smaller user base than established alternatives.

Feature Comparison

Which Tool Should You Use?

The honest answer: use more than one. Each tool has different strengths, and combining them gives you better coverage than any single tool alone. Here is a practical recommendation based on common scenarios:

• Quick scan during development: A11yMate or Lighthouse. Both require zero setup. A11yMate adds fix guides; Lighthouse adds performance data.
• CI pipeline protection: axe-core CLI or @axe-core/playwright. These are purpose-built for automated build checks.
• Formal accessibility audit: Accessibility Insights Assessment mode. Its guided manual testing workflow is the most thorough free option available.
• Learning and remediation: A11yMate. If your team is new to accessibility, the built-in fix guides with code examples reduce the gap between “you have a violation” and “here is exactly how to fix it.”
• Enterprise with compliance requirements: axe DevTools Pro or a dedicated audit firm. Enterprise features like team dashboards, issue tracking integration, and compliance reporting matter at scale.

Try A11yMate

A11yMate is free, requires no account, and works entirely in your browser with no data collection. Install it, open any page, and scan. Every violation comes with a fix guide and code example so you can start improving accessibility immediately.

Try A11yMate free →