WAVE logo

WAVE

Freemium

Web accessibility evaluation tool from WebAIM — visual feedback overlaid on the page itself.

Visit website

Pricing

Freemium

Type

Manual

// VERDICT

Reach for WAVE when you want a visual, in-page accessibility evaluation that's great for manual review and understanding issues in context. Skip it as your CI engine - for automated pipelines, axe-core or Pa11y fit better; WAVE's automation comes via its paid API/Testing Engine.

Best for

WebAIM's visual, in-browser accessibility checker - it overlays icons directly on the page showing errors, alerts and good features, making it excellent for manual evaluation and learning. (Automation needs the paid WAVE API/Testing Engine.)

Avoid when

You want an automated, CI-first workflow as your primary approach - an embeddable engine (axe-core) or CLI scanner (Pa11y) fits that better.

CI/CD fit

Manual/visual extension - automation via the paid WAVE API / Testing Engine

Team fit

Manual accessibility testers · Designers/content authors · Teams learning a11y in context

Setup

Easy

Maintenance

Low

Learning

Beginner

Licence

Freemium

// BEST FOR

  • Visually evaluating a page's accessibility in the browser
  • In-page icons showing errors, alerts, ARIA and structural features
  • Manual review where seeing issues in context matters
  • A free, no-account browser extension (Chrome/Firefox/Edge) and online tool
  • Helping designers and content authors learn accessibility
  • Private evaluation - the extension runs entirely in your browser

// AVOID WHEN

  • You want an automated, CI-first workflow (axe-core/Pa11y)
  • You need to embed checks in your test code
  • You want to scan a whole site/sitemap headlessly for free
  • Automated gating is the goal (WAVE automation is the paid API)
  • You need manual screen-reader / assistive-tech testing specifically
  • You expect any single tool to cover all of WCAG

// QUICK START

Install the WAVE extension (Chrome/Firefox/Edge), or paste a URL at
wave.webaim.org -> review the in-page icons for errors, alerts and features.
For automation, use the paid WAVE API / Testing Engine with a headless browser.

// ALTERNATIVES TO CONSIDER

ToolChoose it when
axe-coreYou want a free, embeddable engine for automated CI checks.
Pa11yYou want a free CLI/CI scanner over URLs or a sitemap.
LighthouseYou want a quick automated a11y audit alongside performance.

// FEATURES

  • Visual icons overlaid on the rendered page
  • Browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox, Edge
  • Online evaluator for any public URL
  • Structure, contrast, ARIA, and alt-text checks
  • WAVE API for batch and CI usage (paid)
  • Subscription tier for private/local testing

// PROS

  • Beginner-friendly visual feedback
  • Excellent for design and content reviewers
  • WebAIM's authority — trusted in education and government

// CONS

  • Manual workflow — not built for CI
  • API and bulk testing behind paid subscription
  • Less precise rule mapping than axe-core

// EXAMPLE QA WORKFLOW

  1. Install the WAVE extension or open the online tool

  2. Evaluate the page - read the in-page error/alert/feature icons

  3. Inspect details and structure to understand each issue in context

  4. Fix issues and re-check visually

  5. For automation, adopt the paid WAVE API / Testing Engine

  6. Pair manual WAVE review with automated axe-core/Pa11y gates