WAVE Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool
WAVE, from WebAIM at Utah State University, checks a page for accessibility problems and draws them directly on top of the page, so you can see exactly which image lacks alt text or which text fails contrast. The website and browser extensions are free. It is a fast first pass before a manual keyboard and screen reader check.
Tool
Web Development
WebAIM
Minutes per page
Beginner
Free
What it does
WAVE is an accessibility evaluation tool made by WebAIM (Web Accessibility in Mind), a non-profit organisation based at Utah State University. You enter a URL on wave.webaim.org, or run a browser extension, and WAVE marks up the page with icons: errors, contrast errors, alerts, structural elements, ARIA and features. Clicking an icon explains the issue and what to do about it. Because it shows problems in place rather than as a long list, it is especially friendly for people learning accessibility.
Free and paid options (as of 2026-09)
- Online checker: free, for any public page.
- Browser extensions: free for Chrome, Firefox and Edge. The extensions check the page as rendered in your browser, so they work on pages behind a login, local development sites and pages changed by JavaScript, such as a Shopify cart drawer or a WordPress page builder preview.
- API and testing engine: paid options for checking many pages or plugging WAVE into continuous integration. Most freelancers and small agencies do not need them.
What it catches well
On WordPress, Shopify and Webflow sites, WAVE quickly surfaces the usual theme and content problems:
- images without alternative text, or with alt text like "image1.jpg"
- low colour contrast, including text over hero images
- empty links and icon-only buttons with no accessible name
- form fields with no label
- skipped heading levels and missing page structure
- redundant or broken ARIA
Its contrast tab lets you adjust colours and see when they pass, which is handy when you need to suggest a slightly darker brand colour to a client.
What it cannot tell you
WebAIM's own approach stresses human evaluation. An automated tool cannot judge whether alt text is meaningful, whether the focus order makes sense, whether a custom menu can be used with a keyboard, or whether a screen reader user can complete a checkout. Treat zero errors in WAVE as a starting point, then tab through the page with the keyboard and test key flows with a screen reader such as NVDA or VoiceOver.
Prerequisites and time
No setup beyond installing the extension. Checking a page takes minutes; learning to interpret and fix the results comes with practice, and WebAIM's articles and the WCAG quick reference explain each issue in more depth.
A sensible routine for client sites
Check the home page, one template of each type (product, service, blog post, contact form) and the main navigation on mobile width. Fix issues in the theme or template once rather than page by page, and include the before and after results in your handover notes.
Ready to start?
Opens on WebAIM in a new tab.
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