WAVE

Overview

WAVE is a web accessibility evaluation tool for teams and individuals checking pages against accessibility and WCAG concerns. It suits users who want both automated findings and support for human review; its strongest case is the range from browser checks to scheduled and integrated workflows, while its scans remain page-focused.

WAVE identifies many accessibility and WCAG errors and supports human evaluation of web content. Its stated standard is WCAG 2.2. Browser extensions, API access and stand-alone tools give it several ways to fit a review process, but the API’s credit model calls for attention when using advanced analysis.

Browse more options in Accessibility Testing Software or Website Accessibility Tools.

Key features

Page checks and human review

WAVE scans individual pages and identifies many accessibility and WCAG errors, while also offering tools that facilitate human evaluation. That combination makes it more useful than an automated flag list alone for reviewers who need to assess web content. It is not a substitute for that human assessment.

Extensions for complex pages

Extensions are available for Chrome, Firefox and Edge. They can test password-protected, locally stored and highly dynamic pages, and authentication support also covers intranet pages and most authentication types. This is a practical advantage when a page cannot be reached through a simple public URL.

API, scheduled audits and CI

API requests use GET with an API key and page URL, and return JSON or XML. Basic analysis costs one credit; advanced features can cost two or three, so credit balances may go further with basic checks than with more involved API use. Stand-alone tools support scheduled site audits and continuous integration, including Selenium and Puppeteer systems.

Custom viewport sizes let teams check chosen mobile responsive breakpoints. The stand-alone API runs on Linux, Mac or Windows web servers with PHP and Node installed; minimum system requirements are 1 CPU, 1 GB memory and 100 MB storage. Support is provided through a contact channel at Utah State University.

Pricing

WAVE is freemium. The free API credits plan costs nothing and gives each new account 100 credits. One-time API credit purchases start with a 250-credit ($10) minimum: 250–999 credits cost $0.04 per credit, 1,000–9,999 cost $0.03 per credit, and 10,000 or more cost $0.025 per credit. The larger bundles lower the per-credit rate but require a higher initial purchase; advanced API features can consume credits faster.

Subscription API — 250–999 credits costs $10 a month, with a 250-credit minimum purchase. The 1,000–9,999 and 10,000+ credit subscriptions have custom pricing and respective minimums of 1,000 and 10,000 credits.

For organizations that need an installed stand-alone API, Basic costs $4,000 a year and includes 100,000 API requests, up to 3 domains and 1 installation. Expanded costs $8,000 a year for 300,000 requests, up to 10 domains and 3 installations. Unlimited costs $12,000 a year and removes the request, domain and installation caps; it also permits authorized data distribution, unlike the licensee-only distribution terms on the lower tiers. These annual licenses make more sense for sustained organizational use than occasional page review.

Platforms

WAVE supports API, extension, Linux, macOS, web and Windows. The browser extensions cover Chrome, Firefox and Edge, while stand-alone tools support Linux, Mac and Windows servers with PHP and Node. CI integration supports Selenium and Puppeteer systems.

Who it's for

WAVE is a good fit for accessibility reviewers who need to check authenticated, dynamic or local pages, and for teams that want scheduled audits or CI-supported checks. The free credits and browser extensions make it accessible for lighter use. Teams planning high-volume or advanced API use should account for credit consumption and compare that with the annual stand-alone license quotas and domain limits.

Because WAVE focuses on page-level scans, organizations seeking a different kind of accessibility workflow may prefer a tool whose platform and stated plan are a closer match.

Pros and cons

• Pros: Browser extensions can check protected, local and dynamic pages, covering cases that can be difficult to evaluate through ordinary public-page scanning.
• Pros: Human evaluation support complements automated detection, rather than presenting scans as the whole assessment.
• Pros: Scheduled audits, CI support and API access accommodate recurring workflows as well as individual checks.
• Cons: API costs can rise in credit terms for advanced features, which complicates forecasting for frequent use.
• Cons: The scan scope is page-level, so recurring or multi-domain checks may require additional workflow planning or a stand-alone license.
• Cons: The lower stand-alone tiers restrict requests, domains and installations, and permit only licensee data distribution.

Alternatives

Axe DevTools is worth considering for an API-only setup with a free extension option: its free extension is limited to one page at a time, while Pro adds AI-enhanced features and Intelligent Guided Testing at custom pricing.

Stark may suit teams looking for web, iOS and Android platforms; its Premium Pack costs $198 a year and includes automated detection and remediation tooling for Figma, automatic WCAG scans and browser reports.

IBM Equal Access Accessibility Checker is a free, API-platform alternative.

Accessibility Cloud offers an API-based freemium option; its Starter plan costs €1,980 a year and includes one site, 500 pages, 500 documents, two named user seats, one mobile app scan per year and weekly monitoring.

AccessLint is another freemium option, with API, extension, macOS and web platforms and a free trial.

Welcoming Web offers web, API, iOS and Android platforms, with a free plan and a Pro plan at $19 a month.

Total Validator is a freemium option for web, Windows, macOS and Linux.

A11yInspect is a freemium extension and desktop option for Linux, macOS and Windows, with free webpage testing and no login or credit card required.

Verdict

Choose WAVE if you need page-level accessibility checks that can reach protected or dynamic pages, with human review support and routes into scheduled audits or CI. Its broad workflow coverage is the main reason to choose it; look elsewhere if your work depends on a different platform or if advanced API credit use makes costs hard to control.