WAVE alternative: when WAVE is the right tool, and when it is not
WAVE is excellent and free. If you are a developer who wants to see accessibility problems drawn onto the page itself, keep using it.
Look elsewhere when you need something WAVE is not built for: a result a shop owner can read without knowing HTML, fix code for your shop platform, a check inside WordPress, or a written record of what was checked and when.
No automated tool, WAVE included, finds more than roughly a third of barriers. Whichever you choose, finish with a keyboard and a screen reader.
What WAVE is
WAVE is made by WebAIM at Utah State University, one of the most respected names in web accessibility. It comes as a browser extension for Chrome, Firefox and Edge, which checks the page as your browser rendered it and sends nothing to WebAIM's server, and as a website where you enter an address. It marks errors, contrast errors and alerts directly on the page with icons, which makes it a superb teaching and debugging tool. An API for checking many pages is sold by the credit.
When to use something else
- You are not a developer. WAVE's icons and its structure and ARIA panels assume you can read the markup behind them. A shop owner usually needs a plain list: what is broken, where, and what to change.
- You need the fix, not just the finding. WAVE explains each problem in general terms. It does not tell you which Shopify template or WooCommerce hook to edit.
- You work in WordPress. A plugin that checks pages from wp-admin fits that workflow better than a browser extension.
- You need a record. If you have received a demand letter or an Abmahnung, or must publish an accessibility statement, you need a dated report of what was checked, not a page with icons on it.
WAVE, Lighthouse and Limen compared
| Question | WAVE | Lighthouse | Limen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Made by | WebAIM (Utah State University) | Google, built into Chrome DevTools | Limen (us) |
| Where it runs | Browser extension; website for public URLs | Chrome DevTools, command line | Website for public URLs; Chrome extension; WordPress plugin |
| Result | Icons drawn on the page, plus panels | A score from 0 to 100 and a list of failed audits | A list of confirmed failures with their WCAG criterion; checks that need a person are listed separately and never counted |
| Best for | Developers learning and debugging | Developers, alongside performance and SEO | Shop owners and the people who build their shops |
| Fix code for your platform | No | No | In the paid Fix Pack: Shopify, WooCommerce, Shopware, WordPress, plain HTML |
| Cost | Free; API sold by the credit | Free | Free check; Fix Pack $99 one-off |
One caution about scores: a Lighthouse accessibility score of 100 means the page passed the audits Lighthouse runs, not that it is accessible. The same is true of any tool's result, ours included, which is why we never call a page "compliant".
Try it on your own page
Run the same page through WAVE and through our free check and compare. Where they agree, you have a confirmed problem; where they differ, look at the element yourself. Two tools that catch different things are better than one.
If your shop runs on Shopify, also see how 49 Shopify themes did, since the theme's failures come with it. Disclosure: Limen is our product.
Sources
- WebAIM, WAVE browser extensions and WAVE API, read 10 October 2026
- Google, Lighthouse accessibility audits (Chrome DevTools documentation)
- W3C, Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1