Top 10 of the month · November 2026
Free and paid tools to find, fix and keep track of accessibility problems on your site, from design files to live pages.
The short answer
Accessible pages reach more people, and in many places they are a legal expectation. The European Accessibility Act has applied since June 2025, and Canadian and US rules point to WCAG as the standard to meet.
No single tool covers everything. Automated checkers catch only part of the problems, so this list mixes page checkers, contrast tools, a screen reader for real testing, a design plugin and a monitoring platform. We left out overlay widgets on purpose: many accessibility experts say they do not fix the underlying code and can get in the way of assistive technology.
At a glance
| # | Tool | Best for | Pricing |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | WAVE | Content editors checking pages before publishing | Free plan + paid |
| 2 | axe DevTools New | Developers and web teams who want a widely used engine | Free plan + paid |
| 3 | Pope Tech | Small teams that want ongoing site scans | Free plan + paid |
| 4 | WebAIM Contrast Checker | Checking brand colours and button styles | Free |
| 5 | Stark New | Design teams working in Figma | Free plan + paid |
| 6 | Sa11y | Marketing teams publishing in WordPress or Drupal | Open source |
| 7 | Lighthouse | Teams already running page speed audits | Open source |
| 8 | NVDA New | Manual testing of forms, menus and checkout | Open source |
| 9 | Accessibility Insights for Web | Teams moving from automated checks to manual review | Open source |
| 10 | Colour Contrast Analyser | Checking text over images and non-web assets | Open source |
The list
A web accessibility checker that marks errors, alerts and structure directly on your page, as a website or as a Chrome, Firefox and Edge extension.
Why it made the list It shows issues in place, on top of the page, so a content editor can see which image lacks alt text or which heading is out of order without reading code.
Best for Content editors checking pages before publishing
Visit WAVEA browser extension for Chrome, Firefox and Edge that runs automated accessibility tests, built on the open source axe-core engine. Pro adds guided tests for issues automation cannot judge.
Why it made the list The free extension is a standard first check for developers, and in February 2026 Deque added its Axe MCP Server to the Axe DevTools for Web bundle so AI coding assistants can find and fix issues earlier.
Best for Developers and web teams who want a widely used engine
Visit axe DevToolsA monitoring platform that scans your site on a schedule with the WAVE engine, tracks progress over time and adds manual testing and training options.
Why it made the list Its free plan scans a 25-page sample each month for one site, which is enough for a small team to see whether new content is adding errors.
Best for Small teams that want ongoing site scans
Visit Pope TechA web tool that checks the contrast ratio between two colours and shows pass or fail for normal text, large text and interface elements at WCAG AA and AAA.
Why it made the list Low contrast text is one of the most common errors WebAIM finds in its yearly home page study, and this check takes seconds before a campaign colour goes live.
Best for Checking brand colours and button styles
Visit WebAIM Contrast CheckerAn accessibility suite with a Figma plugin for contrast, focus order and annotations, plus code scanning, browser checks and reporting.
Why it made the list For Global Accessibility Awareness Day in May 2026 it shipped 15 features, including automatic screen reader annotations, CI code scanning and VPAT drafts. Its Figma plugin lets designers catch issues before anything is built.
Best for Design teams working in Figma
Visit StarkAn open source checker that highlights common accessibility issues for content authors, with tips on how to fix each one. It has plugins for WordPress, Drupal and Joomla.
Why it made the list It sits inside the CMS and speaks to writers, not developers, which is where many problems start: missing alt text, vague link text and skipped headings. It is not an overlay.
Best for Marketing teams publishing in WordPress or Drupal
Visit Sa11yAn open source auditing tool built into Chrome DevTools, also available on the command line and through PageSpeed Insights, with an accessibility score next to performance and SEO.
Why it made the list Most marketers already run it for speed, so the accessibility section is a free extra check. Its list of manual checks is a useful reminder of what the score does not cover.
Best for Teams already running page speed audits
Visit LighthouseA free, open source screen reader for Windows, used by many blind and low vision people and by testers to hear how a page is announced.
Why it made the list NV Access ships updates often: version 2026.1, in May 2026, added built-in math reading and a browse mode change that may make some visually hidden content readable, and the 2026.3 series is now current. Listening to your own forms and menus finds issues no scanner can. Mac users can test with the built-in VoiceOver.
Best for Manual testing of forms, menus and checkout
Visit NVDAA browser extension for Chrome and Edge with FastPass, a quick check for common issues, and a guided assessment against WCAG 2.2 AA.
Why it made the list The guided assessment walks you through the manual checks step by step, which helps a team that has outgrown automated scans but cannot hire an auditor yet.
Best for Teams moving from automated checks to manual review
Visit Accessibility Insights for WebA free desktop app for Windows and Mac that measures contrast with an eyedropper, against WCAG 2.0, 2.1 and 2.2 criteria.
Why it made the list The eyedropper picks colours from anywhere on screen, so you can check text on images, PDFs, slides and social graphics, not only web pages.
Best for Checking text over images and non-web assets
Visit Colour Contrast AnalyserBuyer's guide
FAQ
Still have a question? Ask us directly
Most organizations aim for WCAG 2.1 or 2.2 at Level AA, which is the level most laws and policies refer to. WCAG 2.2 is the current W3C recommendation and adds criteria on focus visibility, target size and accessible authentication. Check which version applies in your jurisdiction and contracts.
No. Automated tools reliably catch issues like missing alt attributes, low contrast and empty links, but they cannot judge whether alt text is meaningful or whether a flow makes sense with a keyboard. Use them for a first pass, then test by hand.
Many accessibility experts advise against relying on them. Overlays add a script on top of your site instead of fixing the code, and users of screen readers have reported that they can make sites harder to use. Fixing the source is the more dependable path.
For key pages, yes. A short session with NVDA on Windows or VoiceOver on Mac shows how headings, buttons and forms are announced. Start by tabbing through your main sign-up or checkout flow.
Check new content and designs before they go live, and run a scheduled scan at least monthly. Plan a deeper manual review when you redesign or add a new template.
Top 10 of the month
We set up and run SEO, AEO and GEO programs for growing businesses, with the right tools for your size and budget.
