Alfa

Alfa is a free accessibility testing engine for web projects built with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. It is best suited to developers who want to put accessibility checks into their own code and testing workflows. Its customizable rules and machine-readable reports are useful strengths; the main caution is that most integrations are experimental.

Overview

Alfa checks web content against accessibility standards, including WCAG 2.2. It uses the ACT Rules Format, ships with WCAG-based rules, and lets developers add rules of their own or filter findings by conformance level and WCAG version. That flexibility favors teams adapting checks to a codebase, rather than people looking for a self-contained audit interface.

Results are encoded as JSON-LD using the Evaluation and Report Language (EARL) Schema, which suits workflows that need structured audit output. Alfa is distributed as separate npm packages under the MIT license. The project says code capable of affecting test results resides within Alfa, rather than with a third party, a useful property for teams assessing their testing dependencies.

Key features

• Page and site audits: The command-line interface audits a single page and saves results as JSON. A scraper fetches page representations, while a crawler discovers and scrapes linked pages across a website or subdomain. The CLI fits targeted checks; crawling helps broaden coverage beyond one page.
• Developer integrations: Packages cover frameworks and tools including Angular, React, Vue, Cypress, Jest, Playwright, Puppeteer, Selenium, and WebdriverIO. This breadth can bring checks closer to development and test workflows, but most integrations are experimental and subject to change, so teams should verify stability before making one central to a pipeline.
• Rules and reporting: Pluggable ACT-format rules, a WCAG-based default set, and filters by conformance level or WCAG version give teams room to shape evaluations. EARL JSON-LD and JSON CLI output are practical for downstream processing, though the product's appeal depends on a developer workflow able to consume those results.
• Runtime and licensing: Alfa runs in ECMAScript 2022-compatible JavaScript environments, including recent Node.js and major browser versions. Building from source requires Node.js 20 or later and Yarn. Older environments may be targetable from source, but are not explicitly supported.

Pricing

Alfa costs nothing. Its free plan is open-source software under the MIT license, distributed as separate npm packages; there are no paid tiers described. That makes it a straightforward option for teams able to integrate and maintain their own checks. The plan's value is in access to the engine, not a separate audit interface or a supported integration tier.

Platforms

Alfa is listed for API, Linux, macOS, self-hosted, web, and Windows use. Its JavaScript runtime compatibility is more specific: ECMAScript 2022-compatible environments, including recent Node.js, Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge versions. Developers building from source need Node.js 20 or later and Yarn.

Who it's for

Alfa suits developers and engineering teams that want standards-based checks inside their own build, test, or site-auditing workflows, especially when customizable rules and structured output matter. It is a weaker fit for readers who want a standalone accessibility audit product or need every integration to be stable and explicitly supported.

Pros and cons

• Pro: Custom rules and filters let teams tailor checks to their codebase and chosen WCAG scope.
• Pro: A CLI, scraper, crawler, and integrations provide several ways to audit pages or connect checks to development tools.
• Pro: MIT licensing and EARL JSON-LD results support use in custom workflows and machine-readable reporting.
• Con: Most integrations are experimental, making them a less dependable foundation for workflows that cannot absorb change.
• Con: Source builds require Node.js 20 or later and Yarn, while older environments are not explicitly supported.

Alternatives

Alfa is an accessibility testing engine, while the linked alternatives are terminal file managers; choose among them only if file navigation, rather than web accessibility checks, is the job. Rat Commander is a free, self-contained terminal file manager with no paid tiers or usage limits stated. nnn is a free, open-source terminal file manager and adds Android support. FileManagerTUI is MIT-licensed and provided as-is without warranty. Broot offers source and precompiled binaries under the MIT license. Clifm is GPL version 2 or later software for Linux, macOS, and Android. elio has no paid plan or usage limits stated. Newt is free software. pointer is an Unlicense public-domain single binary.

For related browsing, see Accessibility Testing Software, Terminal File Managers, and File Manager Software.

Verdict

Choose Alfa if you are a developer who wants a free, standards-based accessibility engine that can be adapted to your rules and integrated into your own workflows. Its main reason to choose it is that flexibility; look elsewhere if you need a standalone audit experience or depend on integrations that must be stable and explicitly supported.