Website accessibility checker free: the five worth using and what they miss
The best free website accessibility checkers are WAVE, the axe DevTools extension, Lighthouse in Chrome, Accessibility Insights for Web and the WebAIM contrast checker. All are free, none needs an account, and they find the same kinds of error that sit behind most accessibility complaints: missing image descriptions, low colour contrast, links and buttons with no name, form fields with no label. None of them can tell you your site is accessible, because automated tools test only part of what the guidelines ask. Here is how to use each, how they differ, and when a free scan is not enough.
The free checkers compared
| Tool | Where it runs | Strong at | Limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| WAVE (WebAIM) | Website and browser extension | Shows errors as icons on the page itself; easy for beginners | One page at a time |
| axe DevTools (Deque) | Chrome, Edge and Firefox extension | Precise rule names, the code element, a fix hint; few false alarms | One page at a time; guided tests are on paid tiers |
| Lighthouse | Built into Chrome DevTools | A score plus a list; also checks speed and SEO | A small subset of rules; a score of 100 does not mean accessible |
| Accessibility Insights for Web (Microsoft) | Chrome and Edge extension | A fast scan plus a guided manual "assessment" walk of the whole standard | Slower; needs patience |
| WebAIM Contrast Checker | Website | Pass or fail for any two colours at 4.5 to 1 and 3 to 1 | Colours only |
How to scan a page in five minutes
- Open your home page in Chrome or Edge.
- Install the axe DevTools extension from the browser's store, open the browser's developer tools (F12), pick the axe tab and press the scan button.
- Read the issue list. Each entry names the rule, how many places it occurs, the HTML element and a plain-language fix.
- Run WAVE on the same page. It marks the problems on the page itself, which makes it easy to see which image or button is meant.
- Run Lighthouse's accessibility audit in the DevTools Lighthouse tab for a second opinion.
- Write down the counts and the date. This is your baseline.
Repeat for your contact page, your booking or checkout page and one inner page. Four pages covers most templates on a small site.
What the free checkers find
These are the errors we see most on small business homepages when we scan them with axe-core, the same engine inside the axe extension:
- Colour contrast. Text that fails 4.5 to 1 for normal size or 3 to 1 for large text (18 pt, or 14 pt bold). Light grey text on white and white text on pastel buttons are the usual causes.
- Images without a text description. An image with no alt attribute, or a link whose only content is such an image.
- Links with no discernible name. An icon link to Facebook with no label, or a link that says only "click here" many times.
- Buttons with no name. A hamburger menu button made of an icon with no text.
- Form fields with no label. A search or email box with placeholder text but no real label.
- Page language and title. A page with no language attribute or an empty title.
Most of these are one-line fixes in a theme or the page builder. See the guide to what an audit costs if you would rather pay for a list than make one.
What the free checkers cannot find
A program can tell that an image has an alt attribute. It cannot tell whether the words are right. Things only a person can judge include:
- Whether an image description is useful ("Pepperoni pizza on a wooden board" versus "IMG_0042").
- Whether the page can be used with a keyboard alone: every link and button reachable with Tab, a visible focus outline, no trap inside a pop-up.
- Whether headings follow a sensible order and describe their sections.
- Whether a screen reader reads the content in a sensible order.
- Whether videos have captions and audio has a transcript.
- Whether error messages on a form say what went wrong in text, not just by colour.
Do a 3-minute keyboard test yourself: put the mouse aside, press Tab repeatedly from the top of the page, and see whether you can reach and use the menu, the main button and the form. If you lose track of where you are, that is an error no scanner will list.
How to read a result: three examples
"Elements must have sufficient colour contrast"
This means text and its background fail 4.5 to 1. The tool reports the two colours and the ratio it measured, for example 3.2 to 1. Fix: darken the text or the background until the ratio passes, then check the new pair in the WebAIM Contrast Checker. A mid-grey like #999999 on white measures about 2.8 to 1; #767676 on white is about 4.5 to 1, the lightest grey that passes.
"Links must have discernible text"
A link has no words a screen reader can say. Typical cause: an icon-only link to Instagram. Fix: add visible text, or an accessible name such as aria-label="Our Instagram page".
"Form elements must have labels"
A field has a placeholder but no label. A placeholder disappears when you type and may not be read as a label. Fix: add a real label element tied to the field's id.
A 3-minute keyboard test, step by step
- Click the address bar, then press Tab once to move into the page.
- Keep pressing Tab. A visible outline should move from link to link in a sensible order.
- Press Enter on the menu. Does it open? Can you reach every item and close it with Escape?
- Reach your main button (order, book, call). Press Enter. Does it work?
- Fill the form using only the keyboard. Can you submit it and read the confirmation?
- If at any point you cannot see where focus is, or cannot move on, write down the page and the step. That is a real error to fix.
Free tools versus a written audit
Free tools give a raw list for one page. A written audit tests many pages, adds the keyboard walk, and tells you what to change in your platform. If you have a few pages and can edit your theme, the free route is a good start. If you have a dozen templates, a web person who needs exact instructions, or a letter on your desk, a dated written record saves hours. Our own is Site Record, $499 once: up to 25 pages, each fix written out, a ready accessibility statement, monthly rechecks for twelve months.
Free website accessibility checker for WordPress or Shopify
The checkers above run in your browser, so they work on any platform, including WordPress and Shopify. WordPress also has plugins that scan inside the dashboard; they are convenient but each adds code to your site and some are overlays under another name, so read what a plugin does before installing it. On Shopify, scan your live store pages, not the theme editor, and check the product, cart and checkout templates, because themes differ most there.
How often should you rescan?
Scan after any change to the theme, a new plugin, a new banner or a redesigned page, and at least once a month if you publish often. A single clean scan from March says little about a page edited in May. Keep each result with the date so you can show a pattern of care.
Common mistakes with free checkers
- Treating a Lighthouse score of 100 as proof. It runs only a handful of rules.
- Scanning only the home page. Booking, order and contact pages hold the forms where errors cost most.
- Fixing the count, not the problem. Adding "image" as an alt text clears the rule but helps nobody.
- Scanning with an overlay running and believing the result. See accessiBe alternatives for why the source code matters.
- Skipping the date. A record without dates proves little.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best free website accessibility checker?
For beginners, WAVE, because it shows problems on the page. For developers and web people, axe DevTools, because it names the rule and the element. Run both.
Can a free checker tell me if my site is ADA compliant?
No. No law lists a tool-based test as proof, and automated checks cover only part of the guidelines. Use them to find and fix errors and keep dated records.
Is there a Chrome extension for accessibility checking?
Yes: axe DevTools, WAVE and Accessibility Insights for Web are all free Chrome extensions.
Which WCAG version should I test against?
WCAG 2.1 level AA is the usual target in the United States; WCAG 2.2 adds a few more checks and is backward compatible.
Do free checkers work on Wix, Squarespace or GoDaddy?
They scan the pages those platforms publish, but on hosted builders you can fix only what the builder lets you edit. Some errors come from the platform itself.
How many errors is normal?
Many small business homepages have more than ten on a first scan, often from contrast and unnamed links and buttons. A long list is common and usually fixable.
Once you have a scan, use the ADA compliant website checklist to cover what tools miss.
Want the scan-and-score view? See ADA website compliance checker, and WCAG color contrast checker for the most common error.
Sources
- W3C, Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 and 2.2 (contrast ratios, success criteria).
- WebAIM, WAVE and the WebAIM Contrast Checker.
- Deque, axe DevTools and axe-core documentation.
- Google, Lighthouse accessibility audits; Microsoft, Accessibility Insights for Web.