The following list of high level accessibility tools contains two mainstream favorite automated scans, but we also include two lesser known, but quite nice tools including a checklist aid and Chrome extension. The last tool is a project management platform and what teams will love is that it’s audit-based (not scan-based) and the integrated AI application has access to all of our audit report data so the AI can speed up fixes even if your team is new to accessibility.
| Your Situation | Recommended Tool & Why |
|---|---|
| New to accessibility testing | WAVE – Free, visual, educational approach teaches while testing |
| Planning a new project | NEWT – Creates customized WCAG checklist based on your specific features |
| Active development team | axe DevTools – Integrates with developer workflow, enables CI/CD testing |
| Non-technical team members | DigitalA11Y Tublets – Visual overlays make issues apparent without code knowledge |
| Have audit, need fixes | Accessibility Tracker – Transforms audits into managed projects with AI assistance |
Table of Contents
WAVE: Visual Accessibility Education
WAVE, from WebAIM at Utah State University, provides free accessibility evaluation via web interface and browser extensions. Its strength lies in transparent automated testing that maximizes what automation can achieve while acknowledging its limitations.
The tool overlays colored icons directly on webpage elements. Red icons mark definite WCAG violations, yellow alerts require human judgment, and green icons indicate positive features. This visual approach helps understand issues in context. When testing a NASA page, WAVE identified missing alt text as an error but flagged unusually long alt text as an alert for human review—acknowledging that context determines appropriate alt text length.
The browser extension catches dynamically loaded content the web version misses, essential for JavaScript-heavy sites. The code panel links any identified issue directly to its HTML source, eliminating the typical search through code. Each issue includes detailed explanations about user impact, remediation guidance, and WCAG criteria, making WAVE an educational tool that teaches while testing.
NEWT: Custom Checklists from Complex Guidelines
NEWT (Nifty Evaluator for WCAG Testing) solves WCAG’s overwhelming complexity through intelligent filtering. Instead of presenting all 78 success criteria, it asks about your specific features and generates a customized checklist.
The question-based approach is straightforward. Indicate whether your site uses animation, forms, or videos, and NEWT filters guidelines to show only applicable requirements. Each result includes practical explanations, WCAG reference numbers, and resource links. For sites with animation, NEWT identifies three specific guidelines, explains them practically, and indicates which team roles handle each requirement.
Results remain bookmarkable through URL parameters and export as CSV files for project management integration. This transforms WCAG from an intimidating specification into an actionable project plan tailored to your specific implementation.
axe DevTools: Developer-Integrated Testing
Deque’s axe DevTools Chrome extension integrates accessibility testing directly into developer workflows, achieving over 80% test coverage through combined automated and guided testing.
A full-page scan provides 57% coverage in seconds, categorizing issues by type and severity. The Intelligent Guided Tests (IGTs) extend coverage through simple questions about keyboard navigation, modal behavior, and form semantics. Once completed, IGTs create repeatable tests requiring minimal interaction, enabling accessibility checks in CI/CD pipelines.
The Pro version enables scan saving and sharing, with direct export to Jira preserving full context. This integration makes accessibility part of standard development rather than a separate phase. Teams report reducing manual testing time from 3-4 hours per sprint to 30 minutes while achieving better coverage.
DigitalA11Y Tublets: Semantic Visibility
DigitalA11Y Tublets makes code semantics visible through visual overlays, perfect for non-developers. This free Chrome extension highlights accessibility issues directly on page elements without requiring code inspection.
The extension identifies images missing alt text, form fields lacking labels, heading hierarchy issues, and CSS background images needing text alternatives. During keyboard testing, clear focus indicators track navigation flow. Abstract concepts like “orphaned form labels” become immediately apparent when visualized on the page.
This approach helps designers, content creators, and QA testers understand accessibility impact during creation rather than after testing, shifting accessibility left in the development process.
Accessibility Tracker: Audit-Based, Not Scan-Based
Accessibility Tracker transforms static audit reports into dynamic project management systems. Starting with manual audit data (since automated scans catch only 25% of issues), it ensures every tracked issue represents a real barrier.
Two prioritization formulas guide remediation: Risk Factor (based on actual lawsuit data) and User Impact (weighing severity and affected populations). Five integrated AI tools provide contextual assistance—simplifying explanations, providing code, suggesting alternatives, explaining WCAG criteria, and answering custom questions. The AI comes pre-prompted with issue context, eliminating complex query crafting.
Key Insights
The accessibility tool landscape has matured beyond simple error detection to address the complete testing and remediation lifecycle. Modern tools acknowledge that automated scanning catches only a quarter of issues, focusing instead on augmenting human judgment with intelligent assistance.
The most effective approach combines multiple tools: NEWT for scoping, axe DevTools during development, WAVE for education, and Accessibility Tracker for remediation management. Each tool’s specialized focus means teams can select based on immediate needs rather than seeking one comprehensive product.
AI integration represents the biggest advancement, with tools like Accessibility Tracker providing contextual assistance that eliminates the expertise barrier. This democratization of accessibility knowledge, combined with visual tools like DigitalA11Y Tublets, means entire teams can contribute to accessibility rather than relying on specialists.
FAQ
Q: Can automated tools replace accessibility audits ? No. Automated tools only flag approximately 25% of WCAG issues. They excel at identifying certain code, but cannot evaluate many considerations including context, user experience, or content appropriateness. Automated tools are best used by practitioners who know their capabilities and limits.
Q: Which tool should I start with if I have no accessibility experience? Begin with WAVE’s free web version. Its visual approach and built-in explanations teach accessibility concepts while identifying issues. Once comfortable with basic concepts, add NEWT to understand which guidelines apply to your specific project.
Q: How do these tools handle dynamic content and single-page applications? Browser extensions (WAVE, axe DevTools, DigitalA11Y Tublets) test after JavaScript execution, catching dynamically loaded content. Web-based versions may miss JavaScript-rendered elements. For SPA testing, use browser extensions and consider axe DevTools’ IGT feature for systematic testing of interactive states.
Q: Do these tools test for all WCAG 2.1 Level AA requirements? No single tool tests all requirements. Automated scanning covers technical criteria, while guided tests and manual review address context-dependent guidelines. NEWT helps identify which guidelines apply to your site, while combinations of tools provide more complete coverage than any individual solution. Tracker is audit-based so it doesn’t test, it uses your audit report data.
