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WAVE Evaluation Tool

WebAIM's accessibility checker. It adds icons and indicators to the page you are viewing, so you can see issues in place.

Reviewed by Xplorekit's independent developer · Last checked · How we choose

Add to Chrome No price listed · Chrome Web Store · Official site

Why it's a strong pick

WAVE is made by WebAIM, based at Utah State University. It shows accessibility problems as icons on the page itself, and the store says its errors line up with WCAG 2.2 failures. The store version is 3.3.1.0, updated 8 May 2026. It supports Manifest V3. The trade-off: WebAIM says no automated tool can tell you a page is accessible.

What it does

WAVE checks the rendered page, including content that scripts create, and overlays icons and indicators where it finds issues. You start it from the toolbar icon or from "WAVE this page" in the right-click menu. It also checks contrast, including foreground alpha values. WebAIM says the analysis runs in your browser.

Key features

  • On-page icons. Issues appear in place on the page, not only in a list.
  • Rendered page. Checks the page as the browser shows it, including script-generated content.
  • Contrast checking. Includes foreground alpha values, per the store listing.
  • Two ways to start. Toolbar icon, or "WAVE this page" in the context menu.
  • Updated panels. The October 2025 release merged the Summary and Details panels and added a collapsible sidebar. The May 2026 release updated the AIM score.
  • Local files and incognito. Both work once you turn them on in the extension settings.

Who it's for

WAVE suits people who are learning accessibility, testers, and content editors who want to see problems on the page without reading code. If you want results aimed at developers, with a free tier and a paid Pro plan, see axe DevTools. For an open-source checker built on the axe-core engine, see Accessibility Insights for Web.

Is WAVE Evaluation Tool free?

The store listing and the extension page show no price, so we say: no price listed. We found no statement about needing an account. We do not claim the extension is free, because the developer does not say so on the pages we read. Check the official page before you install.

Does WAVE send my page to a server?

WebAIM says no information is sent to the WAVE server and the analysis runs in your browser. That means you can use it on intranet, local and password-protected pages. The store listing says the developer will not collect or use your data. Those are the developer's own statements, not an audit by us.

Does WAVE work with Manifest V3?

Yes. The store listing says earlier releases added Manifest V3 support, so the current version is built for Chrome's present extension format. The store shows version 3.3.1.0, updated 8 May 2026. The October 2025 and May 2026 releases both came after that change, per the listing.

Is WAVE open source?

The developer does not state a source licence on the pages we read. The extension page says the code is copyright WebAIM. So we do not call it open source. If you need open source, see Accessibility Insights for Web in the same category, which is MIT-licensed. We did not find a permission list on the store page.

FAQ

Can WAVE tell me my page is accessible? No. WebAIM says no automated tool can. Use WAVE to support a human review.

How do I test a local file or an incognito window? Turn on local-file or incognito evaluation in the extension settings first.

Who makes it? WebAIM, at Utah State University.

Good to know

Run WAVE, then look at what it cannot judge: whether alt text makes sense, whether headings are in a useful order, whether a form is clear. Those need your eyes. Tab through the page with only the keyboard as well. (Xplorekit's own tip, building on WebAIM's note that automated tools cannot prove accessibility.)

Other accessibility tools to compare

WAVE is one of 6 picks in our accessibility tools guide:

Official sources

This is a third-party extension, not built or maintained by Xplorekit. We link to the official Chrome Web Store listing — install and permissions are entirely between you and the extension's own publisher.