WAVE

Overview

WAVE is a web accessibility evaluation tool for people who need to check pages and fold those checks into development workflows. It suits individual reviewers and teams that want automated findings alongside support for human evaluation; its page-level focus is less suited to anyone seeking a single scan to represent an entire site.

Its mix of browser extensions, API access and stand-alone tooling gives it several ways into an accessibility review. The central trade-off is scale: free credits make it possible to begin with API checks, while larger or ongoing workloads can require meaningful recurring or annual spending.

For a broader category view, compare Accessibility Testing Software and Website Accessibility Tools.

Key features

Page checks with room for human judgment

WAVE identifies many accessibility and WCAG errors and facilitates human evaluation of web content. That combination is more useful than treating an automated result as the whole assessment: the scan can surface issues, while people still evaluate the content. WAVE states WCAG 2.2 coverage, but the scan scope is a page and its scan limit is 250, so it should be understood as a page-checking tool rather than a promise of exhaustive site-wide coverage.

Browser extensions for difficult pages

Extensions for Chrome, Firefox and Edge can test password-protected, locally stored and highly dynamic pages. Support for most authentication types, including intranet pages, makes WAVE relevant to teams checking content that is not publicly reachable. Custom viewport sizes also let reviewers inspect mobile responsive breakpoints, though this is breakpoint checking rather than a separate mobile platform claim.

API and recurring workflows

The API returns JSON or XML through GET requests containing an API key and page URL. Basic analysis costs one credit; advanced features may consume two or three, so credit budgets stretch further on simple checks than on richer API use. Stand-alone tools support CI workflows, including Selenium and Puppeteer, as well as scheduled site audits. They run on Linux, Mac or Windows web servers with PHP and Node; minimum requirements are 1 CPU, 1 GB memory and 100 MB storage. This flexibility helps teams automate repeat checks, but requires a suitable server environment.

Pricing

WAVE is freemium, with 100 free API credits for every new account. That is a practical starting allowance, not an unlimited free scanning tier: each basic analysis uses one credit, and advanced features can cost two or three.

• API credits: 250–999 credits cost $0.04 per credit, with a 250-credit ($10) minimum purchase. 1,000–9,999 credits cost $0.03 per credit. Purchases of 10,000 or more are billed at $0.025 per credit. These one-time purchases suit occasional batches, with lower per-credit costs at larger volumes.
• Subscription API: 250–999 credits costs $10 a month, with a 250-credit ($10) minimum purchase. The 1,000–9,999-credit tier has custom pricing and a 1,000-credit minimum; the 10,000+ tier has custom pricing and a 10,000-credit minimum. Subscriptions fit recurring API workloads, but the larger tiers require a higher minimum commitment.
• Stand-alone API — Basic: $4,000 a year buys 100,000 API requests, up to 3 domains and 1 installation. It is the more contained annual option for a single installation and a small domain footprint.
• Stand-alone API — Expanded: $8,000 a year covers 300,000 requests, up to 10 domains and 3 installations. Teams with multiple deployments and domains get more room, at twice Basic's annual price.
• Stand-alone API — Unlimited: $12,000 a year provides unlimited requests, domains and installations, with licensee-only or authorized data distribution. It is the broadest option for substantial multi-domain use; the higher price is difficult to justify for limited scanning needs.

The Basic and Expanded stand-alone plans restrict data distribution to the licensee. The Unlimited plan is the only one described as allowing authorized distribution as well. No seat allowances are stated for these plans.

Platforms

WAVE spans API, browser extension, web, Linux, macOS and Windows. The extensions cover Chrome, Firefox and Edge, while the stand-alone API runs on Linux, Mac or Windows servers with PHP and Node installed. That range supports both direct browser review and server-side automation, but the latter entails maintaining the required runtime environment.

Who it's for

WAVE is a strong fit for accessibility reviewers and development teams that need page-level checks, including on authenticated or dynamic content, and want to connect repeat checks to CI or scheduled audits. The API credit model gives smaller users a low-commitment way to begin. Organizations that need high request volumes, multiple domains or data distribution should weigh the annual stand-alone licenses carefully; a team wanting broad site coverage from a simple, inexpensive scan should look elsewhere.

Pros and cons

• Pro: Extensions can reach password-protected, local and highly dynamic pages, extending checks beyond public pages.
• Pro: Human evaluation support complements automated error identification, rather than presenting scans as a complete judgment of web content.
• Pro: API, CI integration and scheduled audits give teams options for both one-off and repeatable checks.
• Con: Page-level scope means teams must account for the pages they check; a scan should not be mistaken for whole-site coverage.
• Con: API credits can be used faster by advanced features, and subscription tiers impose minimum credit purchases.
• Con: Stand-alone licensing starts at $4,000 a year, a substantial commitment for modest workloads.

Alternatives

Choose Stark if Figma-focused automated detection and remediation or browser WCAG scans and reports are a better fit; its listed platforms include web, iOS and Android, with a Premium Pack at $198 a year.

Axe DevTools is worth considering for a free extension that checks one page at a time, or for its Pro extension if AI-enhanced features and guided testing are priorities.

Welcoming Web may suit readers looking for an accessibility widget: its free tier includes core and basic widget features, while Pro starts at $19 a month.

A11yInspect offers a free option with unlimited webpage testing and bookmarklets for readers who want those specific tools without a login or credit card.

AccessLint is another freemium option for readers comparing API, extension and macOS or web platforms.

IBM Equal Access Accessibility Checker is a free API alternative.

Accessibility Cloud may fit organizations seeking a broader site and document monitoring plan: its Starter plan costs €1,980 a year and includes one site, 500 pages, 500 documents and two named seats.

AllyShield offers a free web plan capped at three scans per month, one page per scan and one domain, making it a limited-scope alternative for light scanning.

Verdict

Choose WAVE if you need page-level accessibility checks that can reach authenticated content and connect to API, CI or scheduled workflows, with human evaluation kept in view. Its useful range of access methods is balanced by page-level scope and potentially steep costs for substantial stand-alone use. For occasional checking, start with the free credits; for broader or more integrated needs, confirm that the request, domain and installation limits justify the annual license.