Free Accessibility Checker — Scan Any Website Instantly

Web accessibility is no longer optional. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires websites to be accessible to people with disabilities, and courts use WCAG 2.1 Level AA as the benchmark. Over 10,000 ADA-related digital lawsuits were filed in 2023 alone, with average settlements ranging from $5,000 to $25,000. The April 24, 2026 ADA Title II deadline adds urgency for government-related websites, while the European Accessibility Act extends requirements across the EU.

A free accessibility checker is the essential first step: understand where you stand before investing in fixes. Many site owners assume their website is accessible because it looks fine in a browser, but visual appearance tells you nothing about screen reader compatibility, keyboard navigation, or ARIA implementation. An automated scan reveals issues invisible to the naked eye.

CompliScan's free accessibility checker runs the full axe-core rule library — the same industry-standard engine used by Google Lighthouse, Deque, and thousands of development teams worldwide. The scan tests over 100 accessibility rules covering WCAG 2.1 Level A and AA criteria:

• Images — missing alt text, decorative images without empty alt, image maps, SVG accessibility
• Color and contrast — text contrast ratios, link color distinction, focus indicator visibility
• Forms — label associations, error handling, required field indicators, fieldset grouping
• Navigation — keyboard operability, focus order, skip links, landmark regions
• Structure — heading hierarchy, list markup, table headers, page language
• ARIA — proper roles, states, properties, required ARIA attributes, prohibited attributes

Automated tools catch approximately 30-40% of WCAG issues. CompliScan is transparent about this: we call it an Automated Compliance Score, not a certification. The scan identifies everything machines can detect and flags areas that need human review.

Most free accessibility tools offer basic scanning without the context needed to actually fix issues. Here is how CompliScan's free tier compares to other free options and to paid plans:

• CompliScan Free — unlimited single-page scans, full axe-core rules, AI-powered fix suggestions, compliance score. No signup required
• WAVE Extension — free Chrome extension, visual overlay of issues, no fix suggestions, no monitoring
• Lighthouse Audit — free in Chrome DevTools, partial axe-core rules (~50 of 100+), basic descriptions, no AI
• axe DevTools Free — free Chrome extension, full axe-core rules, no fix suggestions, no monitoring

CompliScan's free tier includes something no other free tool offers: AI-generated code fix suggestions for every violation found. This transforms a list of problems into an actionable fix-it checklist, saving hours of manual WCAG documentation research.

CompliScan's free checker is powerful for ad-hoc scanning, but businesses with ongoing accessibility obligations benefit from paid features:

• Shield ($49/month) — 3 sites, weekly automated scans, AI fix suggestions, compliance score tracking, scan history dashboard
• Shield Pro ($149/month) — 10 sites, daily scans, PDF compliance reports, priority scanning
• Agency ($299/month) — 50 sites, white-label reports, priority scanning, ideal for web agencies managing client portfolios

The key differentiator between free and paid is monitoring. Free scans give you a snapshot; paid plans track compliance over time and catch regressions after site updates, plugin changes, and content additions. For businesses facing ADA compliance deadlines, ongoing monitoring demonstrates good-faith effort — a legally significant posture.

Start with the free scan right now. Enter any URL and see your accessibility score in seconds. No signup, no credit card, no commitment.