What it does
WAVE is an accessibility-evaluation suite that adds indicators to a web page for contextual review. It offers a free online tool and browser extensions, plus paid automated-testing options.
Enter a page URL in WAVE’s online form to add accessibility indicators to the page. Inspect a flagged item in context, open its explanation or the Reference panel, then use Code to locate the markup. Disabling styles can make reading order and hidden elements easier to examine.
Green indicators still need verification, and yellow alerts call for judgment. WAVE can reveal alternative text, for example, without deciding whether that text describes the image appropriately. An error-free result is not an accessibility certificate.
The online evaluator and browser extensions are free. The Chrome, Firefox and Edge extensions check rendered content in the browser, including local or password-protected pages, and handle scripted pages more fully than the online version.
Automated bulk testing uses separate paid options. The hosted service is a paid API, which lets other software request WAVE checks. It requires an account and credits, returning JSON or XML data. New API accounts receive 100 credits; a basic page check uses one credit and advanced requests can use two or three. A separately licensed stand-alone engine can run within your own infrastructure.
Strengths
- Indicators expose accessibility information beside the page content.
- Extensions can evaluate local and password-protected pages.
- The API can return either JSON or XML for automated analysis.
Watch out for
- An absence of errors does not establish accessibility or compliance.
Best for
- Designers and developers conducting contextual accessibility reviews
Sources
- WAVE Web Accessibility Evaluation Tools (Oct 27, 2026)
- WAVE Help (Oct 27, 2026)
- About WAVE (Oct 27, 2026)
- WAVE API (Oct 27, 2026)