What tools help identify problems which may be restricting the use of your website? The right tools let you take action and quickly resolve accessibility issues. Here is a curated list of reliable, actively maintained tools to get you started.
Automated Testing Tools
- WAVE Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool:A free browser-based tool from WebAIM that visualises accessibility issues directly on your page.
- axe DevTools:A powerful browser extension and API from Deque that finds WCAG issues with zero false positives. Available for Chrome and Firefox.
- Pa11y:An open-source command-line tool and dashboard for automated accessibility testing at scale.
- SortSite:Tests entire websites for accessibility, broken links, and other quality issues.
Colour Contrast Checkers
- WebAIM Contrast Checker:Check foreground/background colour combinations against WCAG AA and AAA ratios.
- WebAIM Link Contrast Checker:Specifically checks that link text has sufficient contrast from both the background and surrounding body text.
Guidelines and Checklists
- WebAIM WCAG Checklist:A plain-English summary of WCAG 2 requirements, great for developers and QA teams.
- W3C WCAG 2.2 Quick Reference:The official W3C reference for all success criteria, with filters by level and topic.
- ExceedAbility WCAG Criteria Search:Our own searchable tool to quickly find relevant WCAG criteria.
Screen Reader Software
- NVDA:A free, open-source screen reader for Windows. An essential testing tool for web developers.
- JAWS:The world's most widely used commercial screen reader, used extensively by people with vision impairments in workplace settings.
- VoiceOver: Apple's built-in screen reader on Mac and iOS; no download required. Enable it via System Settings > Accessibility.
- TalkBack: Google's built-in screen reader for Android devices.
Browser Extensions
Platform Accessibility Resources
For a professional assessment of your website's accessibility, our team can help. We combine automated testing with expert manual review to give you a complete picture of your compliance gaps and a clear remediation plan.