Short answer
WAVE and axe are excellent free tools for finding accessibility problems a machine can detect, such as low contrast, missing alt text and unlabelled form fields. They cannot tell you whether your site is usable. Automated tools catch only a portion of WCAG issues, so a clean scan is a good start, not proof of AODA compliance. The rest takes a person with a keyboard and a screen reader.
We use WAVE and axe on every project. We also never stop there. Here is what each tool is good at, where they run out of road, and how to use them on your own site today.
What is WAVE?
WAVE is a free evaluation tool from WebAIM, a non-profit based at Utah State University. It overlays icons on your page to show errors, contrast problems, structure and ARIA. It is visual, which makes it great for seeing where on the page a problem lives.
What is axe?
axe is an open-source testing engine made by Deque. Most people use it through the axe DevTools browser extension. It is developer-focused, points to the exact line of code, and is built to avoid false alarms.
Why use both?
They check many of the same rules but present results differently, and each occasionally flags something the other reports another way. Running both gives a fuller first pass in a few minutes.
What do automated scans catch well?
The 2026 WebAIM Million study scanned the home pages of the top one million websites and found detectable WCAG failures on 95.9% of them, with an average of 56.1 errors per page. The most common were:
- Low-contrast text, on 83.9% of home pages
- Missing alt text on images, on 53.1%
- Missing form labels, on 51%
- Empty links and empty buttons
- Missing page language
All of those are things a scanner finds reliably. You can read the study at WebAIM (opens in a new tab).
What do they miss?
| A scanner can tell you | Only a person can tell you |
|---|---|
| An image has alt text | Whether the alt text describes the image |
| A button exists | Whether a keyboard user can reach and use it |
| Headings are present | Whether they are in an order that makes sense |
| A form field has a label | Whether the error message helps you fix a mistake |
| A popup has ARIA attributes | Whether focus gets trapped inside it |
This is also why overlay widgets struggle. They rely on the same automated detection, so they inherit the same blind spots.
How to run a quick check yourself
- Install the WAVE or axe DevTools browser extension.
- Open your home page, a product or service page, and your contact form.
- Run the tool and note the errors.
- Now put your mouse aside. Press Tab repeatedly. Can you see where you are? Can you open the menu, fill in the form and submit it?
Step four takes two minutes and tells you more than any scan.
How we use them
Scans are step one of four. We scan every unique template, test by hand, fix the code, and then re-test every fix with the tools and manually. Here is the full process.
Want to know where your site stands?
Send us your web address. We will test it by hand and reply with a fixed quote for real, code-level fixes. No overlay, no subscription.
This article is general information for Ontario organizations, not legal advice. For advice on your specific obligations, speak with a lawyer.