As digital accessibility becomes increasingly important, ensuring websites and applications are usable for people with disabilities has become a challenge. Manually checking every part of a website for WCAG compliance is slow, error-prone, and costly — especially for large or frequently updated sites.
Automated accessibility testing tools offer an efficient solution by quickly scanning web pages to identify common accessibility issues. These tools can assess multiple pages, pinpointing elements that may create barriers for users with disabilities, such as low color contrast, missing alt text, and incorrect ARIA attributes.
What Is Automated Accessibility Testing?
Automated accessibility testing uses tools to check applications for accessibility issues, such as low color contrast or missing form field labels. These accessibility testing tools test app features against specific standards to identify issues, helping developers fix them early in the development cycle without relying on extensive manual checks.
Why It Matters:
Ensuring digital accessibility is a social responsibility, benefiting both businesses and the community by promoting inclusivity.
Many countries mandate accessible digital products, helping organizations remain compliant and avoid legal risks.
Automated accessibility testing enables inclusive design, allowing people with disabilities to use digital products more easily.
Automation provides a faster, more cost-effective, and accurate alternative to manual testing, which can be time-consuming and error-prone.
Automated testing allows for broad coverage across multiple web pages, apps, and digital products, ensuring thorough detection of accessibility issues.
Top Automated Accessibility Testing Tools
Here are the top automated accessibility testing tools to be considered for your software projects:
LambdaTest
LambdaTest is a powerful automated accessibility testing tool that simplifies detecting and resolving accessibility issues in web applications. It integrates seamlessly into your existing workflows, enabling automated checks and delivering clear, actionable reports for faster resolution. LambdaTest Accessibility Automation is designed to streamline testing, integrate with your builds, and reduce maintenance time, helping you maintain compliance and inclusivity effortlessly.
Below are the key features of the LambdaTest automated accessibility testing tool:
Full Page Scan: Run complete scans to ensure accessibility across all elements.
Partial Page Scan: Target specific elements for focused accessibility checks.
Multi-Page Scan: Perform accessibility scans across multiple URLs at once for consistency.
Workflow Scan: Automate accessibility scans for dynamic interactions and page updates.
Swift Issue Discovery: Quickly identify and resolve accessibility issues per WCAG standards.
Critical Concern Resolution: Grouped error analysis for efficient issue identification.
Effortless Monitoring: Manage accessibility health with a centralized dashboard.
Chrome Extension: Instantly enhance accessibility with the Accessibility DevTools extension.
Accessibility Checker
Accessibility Checker is an automated accessibility testing tool that tests web pages to ensure they meet WCAG guidelines. It scans websites to identify and highlight areas that do not comply with accessibility standards, providing clear, step-by-step instructions for meeting these guidelines. This tool, available online, works with formats like XHTML, HTML, and CSS and evaluates accessibility on both desktop and mobile devices.
Below are the key features of the Accessibility Checker automated accessibility testing tool:
Automated Scans: Conduct full domain and multi-URL scans with detailed recommendations for fixing identified issues.
Manual Audits: Address accessibility challenges that automated scans may miss through in-depth manual audits.
File Remediation: Ensure your documents are fully accessible and compliant with accessibility standards.
Education: Equip your team with training on best practices for web accessibility.
Axe-core-maven-html
Axe-core-maven-html is an automated accessibility testing tool that integrates with testing frameworks like JUnit, Selenium, and Playwright. It streamlines the process of performing accessibility tests on your web applications, ensuring they adhere to essential accessibility standards. Automating the testing process helps you easily identify and resolve accessibility issues, improving your application’s overall accessibility and compliance.
Below are the key features of the Axe-core-maven-html automated accessibility testing tool:
Selenium Integration: Uses Selenium to automate accessibility testing for web applications.
Playwright Support: Uses Playwright for fast, reliable cross-browser accessibility testing.
Automated Testing: Automatically run accessibility tests with customizable rules, ensuring no false positives and compatibility with modern browsers.
Digital Equality: Promote digital equality by ensuring web applications are accessible to all users.
Mainstream Adoption: A fast, reliable, and widely used tool for professional developers to integrate into their accessibility testing workflows.
WAVE
The Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool (WAVE) is an automated accessibility testing tool designed to help make online content more accessible for people with disabilities. It identifies issues that don’t meet WCAG standards directly in your web browser. It also incorporates human evaluations to provide a comprehensive assessment of your content’s accessibility.
Below are the key features of the WAVE automated accessibility testing tool:
**Browser Extensions: **Available for Chrome, Firefox, and Microsoft Edge, allowing you to test accessibility directly in your browser.
**Stand-alone API: **The API and Testing Engine scan your entire website, including private and secure pages, for accessibility issues.
**Accessibility Reports: **The API analyzes your web pages and provides an accessibility report.
**Accessibility Impact Report (AIM): **This report combines your WAVE data, giving you a clear picture of your web pages’ accessibility.
Google Lighthouse
Google Lighthouse is a free tool that automates the process of enhancing webpage quality. It can be utilized on any website to receive ratings on general performance, accessibility, SEO, and other factors. The accessibility score combines various audits using axe user impact assessments and manual checks.
Below are the key features of the Google Lighthouse automated accessibility tool:
Accessibility Audit: Determine if all users can access content and navigate your site effectively.
Pass or Fail Statements: Identify where your web pages do not meet WCAG guidelines.
Manual Accessibility Checks: Evaluate complex accessibility issues, like ARIA roles, tab order, focus order, and others.
Easy-to-View Results: View results in a straightforward format for easy understanding.
Accessibility Insights
Accessibility Insights for Web is an automated accessibility testing tool available as an extension for Chrome and Microsoft Edge. It helps developers identify and resolve accessibility issues on websites and web apps.
Below are the key features of the Accessibility Insights automated accessibility testing tool:
FastPass: A quick two-step process that detects common accessibility issues in under five minutes.
Assessment: A detailed evaluation to determine whether your site meets the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA.
Tab Stops: Provides visual instructions to identify and fix keyboard access issues like missing tab stops or incorrect tab orders.
Automated Checks: Conducts automated checks for common accessibility requirements, ensuring compliance with accessibility standards.
Early Issue Detection: FastPass helps detect accessibility problems early in the development process, allowing quick fixes.
Detailed Reports: Automatically generates clear reports listing accessibility issues, their impacts, and suggested fixes.
Seamless Integration: Easily integrates with Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge.
Sa11y
Sa11y (Salesforce Automated Accessibility Testing Libraries) ) is an automated accessibility testing tool built on axe-core, seamlessly integrating with Jest unit tests, WebdriverIO integration tests, and more. This makes it a flexible solution for ensuring applications meet accessibility standards.
Below are the key features of the Sa11y automated accessibility testing tool:
Jest Integration: Includes a to*BeAccessible()* matcher that works with Jest’s assertion API for easy accessibility checks.
WebdriverIO Integration: Offers assertAccessible() and *assertAccessibleSync() *APIs to evaluate how accessible web pages are in browsers.
Flexible APIs: Use the *assertAccessible *API to check DOM or HTML elements for any accessibility problems.
Results Formatter: Changes raw JSON output of accessibility issues from an axe into a more user-friendly format.
Preset Rules: Comes with base, extended, and full preset rules for accessibility as axe configurations, which you can adjust as needed.
Pa11y
Pa11y is an automated accessibility testing tool from Nature Publishing Group that checks how accessible websites are and displays the results on a dedicated dashboard. This free, open-source program works with images, HTML, and CSS, helping ensure that your website meets accessibility standards.
Below are the key features of the Pa11y automated accessibility testing tool:
Command Line Interface (CLI): **It can be used through the command line (CLI), which allows for installing, running tests, and generating reports.**
**Pa11y Dashboard: **It provides a user-friendly web interface through its Pa11y Dashboard, which is especially helpful for those who are not familiar with using the command line.
Configurable Flags: It supports customizable options via flags, such as –reporter, which allows users to generate different types of reports, like . CSV files, for easier data handling.
Level Access
Level Access is an automated accessibility testing tool that helps organizations identify and fix accessibility issues across digital platforms. It uses AI-powered scanning and automated testing to quickly detect violations of accessibility standards, ensuring compliance with WCAG and other guidelines. By integrating into existing workflows, it streamlines accessibility testing and provides actionable insights for developers to address issues efficiently.
Below are the key features of the Level Access automated accessibility testing tool:
Real-Time Monitoring: Provides real-time scanning for instant feedback, enabling developers to address accessibility issues during development.
**Actionable Reports: **Generates easy-to-understand reports that highlight accessibility violations and offer specific recommendations for resolution.
Continuous Compliance Tracking: Tracks accessibility issues over time to ensure ongoing compliance, making it easier to manage accessibility across large projects.
Customizable Testing: Allows users to configure tests for specific accessibility guidelines, offering flexibility to meet various compliance needs.
Siteimprove
Siteimprove is a web-based automated accessibility testing tool that thoroughly tests your website for accessibility issues. It scans your site to identify problems such as broken links, missing alt text, and color contrast violations, providing actionable reports. It helps ensure compliance with accessibility standards, allowing you to maintain a fully accessible and user-friendly online presence.
Below are the key features of the Siteimprove automated accessibility testing tool:
**Audit Report: **Delivers both graphical and text-based reports of the accessibility audit.
Personalized Dashboard: Gives access to audit details, reports, fixes, and ongoing monitoring in one place.
**Issue Sorting: **Sorts issues by role so developers can focus on coding, not content editing.
Visual Insights: Shows graphics illustrating where accessibility issues occur.
**Page Reports: **Lets users flag accessibility concerns directly in the source code or on the web page.
**Regular Scanning: **Checks your site every five days for any new issues.
User Roles: Offers two roles: Report Recipients, who can view summaries, and Users, who have full report access.
Microsoft UI Automation
Microsoft UI Automation is an automated accessibility testing tool that enables Windows apps to share and utilize UI information in an accessible way. It allows assistive technologies, such as screen readers, to access and interact with UI elements, providing users with a seamless experience without relying on traditional input methods. This framework ensures that applications meet accessibility standards by automating the interaction and communication of UI elements.
Below are the key features of the Microsoft UI automation automated accessibility testing tool:
Inspect Tool: Allows users to access detailed accessibility data for any UI element, test navigation structure, and ensure properties and control patterns are set correctly.
UI Automation API: Provides a provider API for developers to make controls accessible and a client API for applications to interact with controls in other apps, supporting automated accessibility checks.
Navigation: Offers reliable, automated navigation for UI elements, ensuring dropdowns and pop-ups appear once in the UIA structure for more efficient testing.
Flexible Positioning: Enables automated accessibility testing by allowing UI elements to be placed anywhere in the hierarchy without being restricted by window ownership rules.
AChecker
AChecker is a free, open-source, automated accessibility testing tool that helps developers and designers evaluate web pages for accessibility issues. It automatically checks websites against standards like WCAG to ensure compliance, making it easier to identify and resolve accessibility problems and ensuring digital content is accessible to all users.
Below are the key features of the AChecker automated accessibility testing tool:
Multi-Domain Audits: Allows automated accessibility checks across multiple domains, providing a versatile solution for large-scale accessibility testing.
Automated Reports: Generates automated accessibility reports, keeping you informed about your website’s compliance status without manual effort.
Detailed Reports with Status Charts: Provides automated, detailed reports with status charts, visually representing accessibility issues for easier identification and resolution.
Clear Visuals for Key Issues: Highlights key accessibility issues with clear visuals, making it simple to address potential problems through automated testing.
SortSite
SortSite is an automated accessibility testing tool that evaluates websites for compliance with accessibility standards. It scans for issues related to accessibility, device compatibility, broken links, secure connections, and SEO, helping ensure your website is fully accessible and optimized across all platforms.
Below are the key features of the SortSite automated accessibility testing tool:
**Automated Accessibility Scanning: **It automatically scans websites to identify accessibility issues across all pages, ensuring compliance with accessibility standards.
**Device Compatibility: **It checks how well websites perform across different devices, ensuring accessibility on all platforms.
Comprehensive Site Audits: It can scan entire websites, identifying accessibility issues on multiple pages, making it efficient for large-scale projects.
**Customizable Accessibility Reports: **It provides detailed, easy-to-understand reports that highlight accessibility problems and offer clear guidance on required fixes.
Testim Accessibility
Testim is an automated accessibility testing tool integrated within a test automation framework, allowing users to perform accessibility checks alongside their regular tests. It enables the creation, execution, and management of automated accessibility tests, ensuring your web applications meet accessibility standards. It enhances the accuracy of these checks, providing faster identification and resolution of accessibility issues across your web pages.
Below are the key features of the Testim automated accessibility testing tool:
**AI-Powered Accessibility Testing: **The AI-driven engine ensures stable, reliable accessibility tests, reducing maintenance efforts and improving accuracy.
**Customizable Accessibility Checks: **Testim allows users to customize accessibility tests to meet specific compliance standards and requirements.
**Detailed Accessibility Reporting: **Generates comprehensive reports, clearly outlining accessibility issues, their impact, and suggested fixes, with references to relevant guidelines.
**Cross-Browser Accessibility Testing: **Supports testing across multiple browsers, ensuring consistent accessibility performance and compliance.
Cypress-axe
Cypress-axe integrates the popular Cypress testing framework with the Axe accessibility testing toolkit, enabling developers to run automated accessibility tests as part of their end-to-end testing process. This combination allows for seamless identification and reporting of accessibility issues directly within the testing workflow, ensuring your web applications meet accessibility standards consistently.
Below are the key features of the Cypress-axe automated accessibility testing tool:
Automated Accessibility Tests: Integrates accessibility checks directly into Cypress test scripts, automating the process of accessibility testing during UI tests.
Detailed Issue Reports: Generates comprehensive accessibility violation reports within the Cypress test runner, offering insights on issues and suggested fixes.
Dynamic Content Testing: Supports accessibility testing for dynamic content and single-page applications (SPAs), ensuring that modern web apps meet accessibility standards.
Customizable Testing Parameters: Allows users to adjust Axe’s rules and parameters, enabling tailored accessibility tests to meet specific compliance needs.
AXE
AXE is an automated accessibility testing tool that helps identify and resolve web accessibility issues by reviewing code and providing actionable recommendations. It seamlessly integrates with popular browsers like Google Chrome and can be connected to a cloud-based platform like LambdaTest for comprehensive testing. You can automate accessibility checks and receive detailed reports, ensuring your website meets accessibility standards for all users.
Below are the key features of the AXE automated accessibility testing tool:
Free and Open-Source: It is a free, open-source tool created by Deque Systems, compatible with Chrome and Firefox for seamless accessibility testing.
Comprehensive Reports: It generates detailed automated reports, listing accessibility issues found along with direct links to guidelines, making it easier to understand and fix problems.
Actionable Fixes: It provides specific insights into the code causing accessibility issues, offering clear recommendations on how to resolve them, automating the process of accessibility remediation.
ARC Toolkit
ARC Toolkit is an automated accessibility testing tool that helps ensure websites and apps are accessible to all users. It allows for the evaluation of one page at a time, seamlessly integrating into the DevTools tab in your browser for easy access. The toolkit automatically organizes page elements like images and headings, making it easier to identify and resolve accessibility issues efficiently.
Below are the key features of the ARC Toolkit automated accessibility testing tool:
Automated Scanning: Automatically scans your website or app for accessibility issues, streamlining the process and saving time.
Detailed Reports: Generates comprehensive reports that highlight accessibility problems, offering clear explanations and suggestions for fixes.
Integration: Integrates with other tools, enhancing workflow efficiency for teams working on accessibility.
Customizable Checks: Users can customize the accessibility checks to meet specific compliance needs and guidelines.
Real-Time Feedback: Provides real-time feedback during updates, ensuring your website or app remains accessible and compliant throughout the development process.
Quality Logic
QualityLogic is an automated accessibility testing tool that scans websites and applications to identify accessibility issues. It ensures that platforms comply with accessibility standards, providing a seamless experience for both technical and non-technical users. By automating the testing process, it helps improve web accessibility efficiently and effectively.
Below are the key features of the QualityLogic automated accessibility testing tool:
Automated Issue Detection: Quickly identify issues such as structural problems, HTML errors, and contrast violations, streamlining the detection process.
**Quick Compliance Reporting: **Generates detailed accessibility compliance reports, summarizing detected issues and offering actionable recommendations for resolution.
Accessibility Scanning: Continuously scans websites to uncover accessibility issues, ensuring adherence to web accessibility standards.
Integration Capabilities: Seamlessly integrates with existing testing and development workflows, enabling automated accessibility checks alongside other processes.
**Ongoing Monitoring: **Offers automated daily scans to ensure that your website remains compliant with accessibility standards over time.
QASource
QASource is an automated accessibility testing tool that is designed to help applications meet WCAG standards. Their automated testing tools quickly identify accessibility issues, enabling faster issue resolution and ensuring web applications are fully accessible. By integrating automated accessibility checks into the development workflow, QASource ensures continuous compliance and improved user experience.
Below are the key features of the QASource automated accessibility testing tool:
Automated Testing: Utilizes automated tools to quickly detect and resolve accessibility issues, ensuring efficient testing across all web pages.
Expert Recommendations: Provides actionable advice from accessibility experts based on automated test results.
Continuous Monitoring: Automatically runs accessibility tests at regular intervals to ensure ongoing compliance with WCAG standards.
Customizable Checks: Customize automated accessibility tests to specific requirements, enabling precise evaluations based on unique needs.
EqualWeb
EqualWeb is an automated accessibility testing tool that enhances website usability by combining real-time testing with dynamic adjustments. Through its AI-powered toolbar, it automatically adapts websites to improve accessibility for users with disabilities. The tool allows individuals to personalize their browsing experience by adjusting navigation, colors, and content, ensuring compliance with accessibility standards and addressing conditions like dyslexia.
Below are the key features of the EqualWeb automated accessibility testing tool:
Real-Time Adjustments: Provides an AI-powered widget for automatic accessibility improvements on the website.
Automated and Manual Testing: Combines automated scanning with human review for comprehensive accessibility assessments.
Compliance Assurance: Ensures websites automatically meet global accessibility standards like WCAG.
Continuous Monitoring: Automatically checks and updates the website for ongoing accessibility compliance.
Remediate.co™
Remediate.co™ is an automated accessibility testing tool that continuously monitors your website or web application for compliance. It quickly identifies and helps resolve accessibility issues using automated scans, providing actionable insights and expert recommendations, streamlining the process for developers and organizations.
Below are the key features of the Remediate.co™ automated accessibility testing tool:
Automated Issue Detection: Quickly identifies accessibility issues using automated scans, saving time and effort.
Actionable Fixes: Provides step-by-step instructions for resolving accessibility problems and streamlining remediation.
Continuous Monitoring: Regularly scans your website or web application to ensure ongoing accessibility compliance.
Real-Time Alerts: Automatically notify team members when new accessibility issues are detected, ensuring prompt action.
Remediation Support: Directly assists in resolving accessibility issues, keeping your website compliant with accessibility standards.
Core Metrics for Accessibility Testing
When evaluating the accessibility of websites and applications, certain metrics provide valuable insights into how well they meet the needs of users with disabilities.
Below are the main metrics used in accessibility testing:
**Error Density: **This metric measures the number of accessibility issues found on each page. A lower error density signifies better accessibility, highlighting areas that need attention.
**Compliance with WCAG Levels: **This checks a website’s compliance with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). There are three compliance levels: A, AA, and AAA, with AA being the most commonly targeted level for accessibility.
**Unique Issues: **This counts the different types of accessibility issues present on the site. Addressing these unique issues can significantly enhance user experience by eliminating key barriers.
**User Impact: **This evaluates how accessibility issues affect users, particularly those with disabilities. It helps prioritize which issues to address first based on their potential impact.
**Keyboard Accessibility Score: **This score indicates how easily users can navigate the website using only a keyboard, which is crucial for individuals who cannot use a mouse. A higher score reflects improved accessibility.
**Screen Reader Compatibility: **This assesses the functionality of a website with screen readers, benefiting users with visual impairments. It ensures that all elements are properly labeled so they can be read aloud, providing an accessible online experience.
Conclusion
The automation accessibility testing tools we talked about are important for simplifying the testing process and making sure websites follow accessibility standards. By using these tools in your development workflow, you can quickly identify and fix accessibility issues, which helps improve the experience for users with disabilities. As accessibility becomes more crucial in software development, using these tools will not only improve your product’s quality but also show that you care about inclusivity in your software applications.
Top comments (0)