WAVE

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Introduction

WAVE (Web Accessibility Evaluation Tools) is a suite of tools from WebAIM, based at Utah State University, that helps authors make web content more accessible to people with disabilities. WebAIM says WAVE can identify many accessibility and WCAG errors but also supports human evaluation, and its philosophy is to focus on issues known to affect end users, to support human evaluation and to educate people about web accessibility.

The simplest way to use WAVE is the online tool: enter a page URL on wave.webaim.org and WAVE shows the page with icons and indicators that mark errors, contrast errors, alerts, features, structural elements and ARIA. Because the indicators are embedded in the page itself, people can see exactly where each issue is and read an explanation of why it matters.

WAVE browser extensions are available for Chrome, Firefox and Edge. WebAIM stresses that the extension runs entirely in the browser and sends no information to the WAVE server, so reporting is private and secure. That makes it suitable for intranet, password-protected, dynamically generated or sensitive pages. Because the extension evaluates the rendered page, styles and content generated by scripts are included. A report can be triggered by clicking the icon, pressing Control+Shift+U (Command+Shift+U on Mac) or choosing “WAVE this page” from the context menu.

For automation, WebAIM offers two API options. The WAVE subscription API analyses a page you submit by URL, after CSS and JavaScript have been applied, and returns results in JSON or XML. It uses credits: new accounts get 100 free credits, a basic page analysis costs 1 credit and advanced features can cost 2 or 3. Credits cost $0.04 each for 250 to 999 (with a $10 minimum purchase), $0.03 for 1,000 to 9,999, and $0.025 for 10,000 or more. The WAVE Stand-alone API and Testing Engine can be licensed and installed locally to test intranet, non-public and secure pages, including in continuous integration. The testing engine is a JavaScript framework that can be integrated with browser automation such as Selenium, or run on its own with Node.js and Puppeteer. The stand-alone API analyses pages in headless Chrome, can run scripts before analysis (for example to open dialogs or trigger form errors), supports most types of authentication and can save the rendered DOM.

WebAIM also offers an Accessibility IMpact (AIM) report, combining WAVE data, an AIM score and expert manual test results. For site-wide monitoring, the WAVE site points to Pope Tech, an enterprise platform built on WAVE.

How it compares: WAVE’s in-page visual style is particularly good for content authors and designers, while axe-core and Pa11y focus on developer automation. Accessibility Insights offers more guided manual testing. In the quality loop, WAVE fits quick page checks during development and content publishing, with the APIs supporting CI and scheduled audits.

Features

1. In-page indicators: Icons show errors, contrast problems, alerts, structure and ARIA where they occur.
2. Free online checker: Evaluate any public URL without installing anything.
3. Private browser extensions: Chrome, Firefox and Edge; nothing is sent to WebAIM’s server.
4. Rendered-page evaluation: Includes CSS and JavaScript-generated content.
5. Subscription API: JSON or XML results per URL with credit-based pricing.
6. Stand-alone API and engine: Install locally for CI, intranet and authenticated pages.
7. Scripted interactions: Run scripts before analysis to test dialogs and dynamic states (stand-alone).
8. AIM report: Expert-backed impact score and manual results.

Pros

1. Free for everyday use: Online tool and extensions cost nothing.
2. Great for non-developers: Visual results are easy for designers and content editors to understand.

Cons

1. Single page at a time: The free tools evaluate one page per run; site-wide checks need the API or a partner platform.
2. Paid automation: The API needs credits and the stand-alone engine needs a licence.
3. Not open source: WAVE’s code is proprietary to WebAIM.
4. Automated checks have limits: Like all tools, WAVE cannot detect every WCAG failure.

Usage and Links (Example)

Quick check online: open https://wave.webaim.org/ and enter a page URL.

In the browser extension:

1. Install the WAVE extension for Chrome, Firefox or Edge (links on the WAVE site).
2. Open the page and press Control+Shift+U (Command+Shift+U on Mac).
3. Review the Summary, Details and Contrast panels, and click icons for explanations.

Call the subscription API (JSON results) with your own key:

curl "https://wave.webaim.org/api/request?key=YOUR_API_KEY&url=https://example.com/"

Practical tips:

1. Fix errors and contrast errors first, then review alerts, which need human judgement.
2. Use the extension, not the online tool, for authenticated or local pages.
3. Use the stand-alone engine with your existing Selenium or Puppeteer tests for CI coverage.

Resources:

• WAVE website
• WAVE browser extensions
• WAVE API
• Stand-alone API and Testing Engine

Pricing

The WAVE online tool and browser extensions are free. The subscription API uses credits: 100 free credits for new accounts, then $0.04 per credit (250–999, $10 minimum), $0.03 (1,000–9,999) or $0.025 (10,000+); a basic page analysis costs 1 credit. The Stand-alone API and Testing Engine are licensed separately; see site.

Recommended for?

1. Content authors, designers and developers wanting a quick, visual accessibility check.
2. Teams testing private pages, using the extension, which sends no data to WebAIM.
3. Organisations automating audits, using the API or stand-alone engine.
4. Not a fit for free, open-source CI automation (consider axe-core or Pa11y).

Conclusion

WAVE is one of the best-known accessibility evaluators, thanks to its clear in-page visual feedback, free extensions and a practical path to automation through its APIs.

Pair it with automated CI checks and manual assistive-technology testing for the most complete coverage.