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WCAG Checker

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What WCAG Checker is

WCAG Checker is a free local web application for auditing web pages, HTML snippets, and PDFs against WCAG 2.2 Level AA. URL and HTML scans use axe-core in headless Chromium through Playwright. PDF checks use veraPDF for PDF/UA-1 and connect failed rules with related WCAG success criteria. Results can be exported as self-contained HTML or machine-readable JSON reports. URLs, HTML, and documents stay on the user’s machine, with the server bound to 127.0.0.1 by default; HOST=0.0.0.0 can expose another interface. It runs on Linux, macOS, Windows, web, or self-hosted setups and is MIT-licensed. Node.js 18 or newer is required, while PDF scans additionally need Java 11 or newer. URL pages must return HTTP 200 and finish within 45 seconds. Automated checks find only roughly 30–50% of accessibility issues, so the project describes itself as a first pass.

Who it suits

It suits developers and accessibility reviewers who want local WCAG and PDF checks without sending documents off-device.

What it does well

Free MIT-licensed project
Audits URLs, HTML, and PDFs
HTML and JSON report exports
Local processing by default
Supports WCAG 2.2 Level AA

What to know first

No manual review tools
No browser extension or CI/CD integration
PDF scans require Java 11 or newer
Automated checks cover only part of issues

Plans

Plan	Billed and limits	Price
WCAG Checker	Local web app · URL, HTML, and PDF audits · HTML and JSON reports	Free

As github.com lists them, read 11 Oct 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.

Verdict

WCAG Checker provides local automated checks and portable reports for web content and PDFs. It is useful for an initial pass, but its stated coverage and coarse PDF mapping do not replace a complete audit.

Facts from WCAG Checker's own pages

Audit limitation: The README says automated tools catch roughly 30–50% of accessibility issues and describes this tool as a first pass rather than a replacement for a full audit. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
Automated scans: Yes · github.com, 25 Sept 2026
Browser extension: No · github.com, 25 Sept 2026
CI/CD integration: No · github.com, 25 Sept 2026
Default network exposure: The server binds to 127.0.0.1 by default, with an option to bind to another interface using HOST=0.0.0.0. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
Free plan: Yes · github.com, 25 Sept 2026
License: The project is MIT-licensed. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
Local processing: The project says URLs, HTML, and documents never leave the user's machine. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
Manual review tools: No · github.com, 25 Sept 2026
PDF availability: Without Java, web and HTML scans still work, but PDF scans fail until Java is available. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
PDF mapping limitation: The PDF/UA-to-WCAG mapping is described as coarse-grained rather than a rigorous Matterhorn Protocol mapping. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
PDF scans: It uses veraPDF to validate PDFs against PDF/UA-1 and maps failing rules to relevant WCAG 2.2 success criteria. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
Platforms: The README lists Windows, macOS, and Linux as supported operating systems. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
Purpose: WCAG Checker is a local web app for auditing web pages, HTML snippets, and PDFs against WCAG 2.2 Level AA. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
Remediation guidance: No · github.com, 25 Sept 2026
Reports: Scans can be exported as a self-contained HTML report or machine-readable JSON. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
Requirements: It requires Node.js 18 or newer; Java 11 or newer is needed for PDF scans. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
URL scan limit: A URL page must return HTTP 200 and load within 45 seconds; pages behind logins or with heavy JavaScript may not finish. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
WCAG coverage: wcag 2.2 · github.com, 25 Sept 2026
Web scans: It uses axe-core in headless Chromium via Playwright to scan URLs and HTML. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026

Where WCAG Checker stands on Freedom251

Accessibility Testing Software#32 of 169