Freedom251 › Website Accessibility Tools
WCAG Crawler
What WCAG Crawler is
WCAG Crawler is a free, open-source scanner for website accessibility issues against WCAG 2.1 AA. It is available through the web, an API, or self-hosted deployment, with Docker support for running it on your own infrastructure. The project advertises more than 100 checks using automated axe-core analysis mapped to WCAG success criteria. Concurrent crawling with throttling is designed to avoid overwhelming sites, while grouping similar component findings reduces repeated reports. Reports include severity breakdowns, trend analysis, and remediation guidance, and scheduled scans can track changes over time. A GitHub Action supports CI/CD testing. Documented API endpoints start, list, retrieve, delete, and cancel scans and export reports as HTML. Scans run in isolated environments, with scan data kept under the user's control. The Free Forever plan costs nothing; anonymous hosted scans cover up to 10 pages and two crawl levels. Automated checks cover only part of WCAG and do not certify compliance or replace expert evaluation.
Who it suits
It suits government agencies, web agencies, enterprises, and developers who need repeatable accessibility scans. Self-hosting and CI/CD options support teams controlling their own environments.
What it does well
- Open-source and free
- Offers web, API, and self-hosting
- Advertises 100+ WCAG checks
- Includes remediation guidance and trends
- Provides CI/CD GitHub Action
What to know first
- Anonymous scans cover 10 pages
- Anonymous scans reach two crawl levels
- Automated checks do not certify compliance
- Expert manual evaluation remains necessary
Plans
| Plan | Billed and limits | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Free Forever | Anonymous scan: up to 10 pages · 2 levels deep | Free |
As wcag.thegridbase.com lists them, read 12 Oct 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.
Verdict
WCAG Crawler combines broad automated checks with reporting, scheduling, and deployment choices. Treat its findings as part of accessibility work rather than a compliance certification.
Facts from WCAG Crawler's own pages
- API
- The repository documents API endpoints to start, list, retrieve, delete, and cancel scans and export reports as HTML. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
- API access
- Yes · github.com, 22 Sept 2026
- Checks
- The site advertises 100+ WCAG checks and automated axe-core analysis mapped to WCAG 2.1 AA success criteria. · wcag.thegridbase.com, 12 Oct 2026
- CI/CD
- The repository provides a GitHub Action for automated accessibility testing in a CI/CD pipeline. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
- CI/CD integration
- Yes · github.com, 22 Sept 2026
- Crawling
- Concurrent crawling with intelligent throttling is intended to scan quickly without overwhelming the site. · wcag.thegridbase.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Deduplication
- It groups similar component issues across a site to reduce redundant reports. · wcag.thegridbase.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Intended users
- The repository names government agencies, web agencies, enterprises, and developers as intended users. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Monitoring
- The site lists scheduled recurring scans for tracking accessibility improvements over time. · wcag.thegridbase.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Open source
- The project repository describes WCAG Crawler as an open-source accessibility scanner. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Privacy
- The site says scans run in isolated environments and that scan data does not leave the user's control. · wcag.thegridbase.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- Scans websites for accessibility issues against WCAG 2.1 AA. · wcag.thegridbase.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Reports
- Reports include severity breakdowns, trend analysis, and remediation guidance. · wcag.thegridbase.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Scan limits
- Anonymous scans are limited to 10 pages and 2 crawl levels; the hosted page states those limits for anonymous scans. · wcag.thegridbase.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Scan scope
- site · github.com, 22 Sept 2026
- Self-hosting
- The repository documents Docker support for running the scanner on the user's own infrastructure. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Testing limits
- The repository says automated checks cover only a subset of WCAG criteria and do not certify compliance or replace expert manual evaluation. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
- WCAG version
- wcag 2.1 · github.com, 22 Sept 2026
Where WCAG Crawler stands on Freedom251
- Website Accessibility Tools#35 of 133
- Accessibility Testing Software#91 of 169