Guide · Shopify
Free Shopify accessibility checkers compared: WAVE, axe, Lighthouse, Accessibility Insights
Updated
Short answer: four free tools you can run yourself on a Shopify store are the WAVE browser extension, the axe DevTools browser extension, the Lighthouse accessibility audit in Chrome, and Accessibility Insights for Web. Each one runs in your browser on a page you have open. Each one finds some issues and none of them finds all of them. The W3C says: "Tools cannot check all accessibility aspects automatically. Human judgement is required." Use a checker as a first pass, then test the key pages with a keyboard.
Want us to check your store? Send your store link to [help@vibe-fixer.com](mailto:help@vibe-fixer.com) and we'll send your free accessibility report within one business day. It is an automated, read-only check of your store's public homepage, not a full audit with a person testing by keyboard and screen reader. It tests only what software can test of WCAG 2.0 and 2.1, Levels A and AA. It doesn't test the newer WCAG 2.2 criteria, such as target size. It finds some issues, not all of them. The report is not legal advice.
What is WAVE?
WAVE is made by WebAIM. WebAIM's page says the Chrome, Firefox and Edge extensions "allows you to evaluate web content for accessibility issues" (WAVE browser extensions). The same page says "the extension runs entirely within your web browser, no information is sent to the WAVE server."
How to run it on your store:
- Install the WAVE extension for your browser from the link above.
- Open your home page. Click the WAVE icon beside the address bar (or press Control + Shift + U, Command + Shift + U on a Mac).
- Repeat on a product page.
- For the cart drawer, add an item, open the drawer, then run WAVE again so it sees the open drawer.
What it shows: WAVE's help page says red icons "indicate accessibility errors that need to be fixed," yellow alert icons "highlight other elements that you should look at," and green icons "indicate accessibility features" (WAVE help). Other icons help you review the structure of the page.
Limits: WebAIM says "WAVE cannot tell you if your web content is accessible." It also says only a human can decide that.
What is axe DevTools?
The axe DevTools extension is made by Deque Systems. Deque's page calls the Chrome extension "Free automated accessibility testing for your web apps in Chrome" (Deque, axe DevTools extension).
How to run it on your store:
- Install the extension in Chrome.
- Open your home page, open your browser's developer tools, and go to the axe DevTools tab.
- Click "Scan all of my page."
- Do the same on a product page. For the cart drawer, open the drawer first, then scan.
What it shows: Deque says each result gives "issue descriptions, locations, sources, and level of impact."
Limits: Deque's page says the tool helps catch "57% of accessibility issues," so the rest need other testing. The page lists saving and exporting results, and Intelligent Guided Tests, as part of a separate Pro version. The free scan is the part described above.
What is the Lighthouse accessibility audit?
Lighthouse is, in the words of Chrome's documentation, "an open-source, automated tool to help you improve the quality of web pages." It audits "performance, accessibility, SEO, and more" (Chrome for Developers, Lighthouse overview). The project lives on GitHub under GoogleChrome.
How to run it on your store:
- Open your home page in Chrome and open Chrome DevTools.
- Select the Lighthouse tab, choose "Analyze page load," and keep the Accessibility category enabled.
- Click "Run audit." The page says this takes about 30 to 60 seconds.
- Repeat on a product page.
The page we read describes the page-load mode. For an open cart drawer, use one of the other three tools.
What it shows: a score and a list of audits. Chrome's documentation says "The Lighthouse Accessibility score is a weighted average of all accessibility audits" and "Each accessibility audit is pass or fail" (Lighthouse accessibility scoring).
Limits: the same page says "Manual audits and low-impact / best-practices audits aren't included in the table because they don't affect your score." A score is not a statement that the page works for everyone.
What is Accessibility Insights for Web?
Accessibility Insights for Web is "an extension for Chrome and the new Microsoft Edge" (Accessibility Insights, overview). The page footer and its GitHub project carry Microsoft's name.
How to run it on your store:
- Install the extension in Chrome or Edge.
- Open your home page and start the extension. Choose FastPass (FastPass steps).
- FastPass has two steps: automated checks, then tab stops. In the tab stops step, you press Tab through the page and watch the visual helper.
- Repeat on a product page. For the cart drawer, open it first, then run the checks.
What it shows: the overview says FastPass "helps developers identify common, high-impact accessibility issues" and is designed to take under five minutes. The Assessment option adds guided manual tests: "approximately 20 tests," next to roughly 50 automated checks.
Limits: FastPass looks for common, high-impact issues. It is not a full audit. Assessment takes more time and works through the steps one at a time.
How do the four compare?
| Tool | Maker | How you run it | What it shows | What it can't do |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WAVE | WebAIM | Browser extension (Chrome, Firefox, Edge); click the icon on the open page | Icons on the page for errors, alerts, features and structure | "WAVE cannot tell you if your web content is accessible" |
| axe DevTools (free) | Deque Systems | Chrome extension; developer tools, axe DevTools tab, "Scan all of my page" | Issue description, location, source and level of impact | Catches a share of issues, 57% by Deque's own wording; saving results and guided tests sit in a separate Pro version |
| Lighthouse | Chrome (open-source project) | Chrome DevTools, Lighthouse tab, "Analyze page load" | A weighted accessibility score and pass or fail audits | Manual audits are not part of the score |
| Accessibility Insights for Web | Microsoft | Extension for Chrome and Edge; FastPass or Assessment | Automated checks, tab stop helper, guided manual tests | FastPass covers common, high-impact issues, not a full audit |
What can no automated checker do?
The W3C says: "Tools cannot check all accessibility aspects automatically. Human judgement is required." It also says tools "can not determine accessibility, they can only assist in doing so" (W3C, Selecting web accessibility evaluation tools).
In practice, a person has to judge whether alt text describes the product, whether the tab order makes sense, and whether the cart drawer can be closed with the keyboard. For more on what a full audit adds, see what a Shopify accessibility audit checks.
Which Shopify pages should you check first?
Start where a customer buys:
- the product page, including the image gallery;
- the variant picker (size, color), and whether you can change it with the keyboard;
- the cart drawer, opened and closed with the keyboard;
- the main menu and any mega menu.
Check the pages your theme controls first. Product photos with no alt text are fixed in your admin, see how to add alt text in Shopify. Run the same tool on the same pages after each change so you can compare. For the full list of criteria, see the WCAG 2.2 checklist for a Shopify theme.
FAQ
Which free checker should I use first?
Any of the four is a fair first pass. Two of them run from the browser's tools and two are extensions you click on the page. Pick the one that is easiest for you, and use a second one to see if it flags different things.
If a checker shows no errors, is my store accessible?
Not necessarily. WebAIM says the absence of errors does not mean your page is accessible (WAVE help). A person still needs to test with a keyboard.
Where do I make the fixes?
Make them on a copy of your theme (in your Shopify admin: Online Store, then Themes, then the three-dot menu next to your theme, then Duplicate, as in Shopify's steps). Run the tool again on the copy, check the pages with a keyboard, then publish it.
Do I need to fix everything at once?
No. Start with the product page, the picker, the cart and the menu, then work outward.
How VibeFix works on a store
Once you choose to go ahead and connect your store, our AI agent works through the issues in your report on an unpublished copy of your theme. We review each change before you preview it, and you publish it yourself. Nothing goes live until you do. The report lists anything still open. How it works for Shopify stores
Want us to check your store?
Send your store link to [help@vibe-fixer.com](mailto:help@vibe-fixer.com) and we'll send your free accessibility report within one business day. It is an automated, read-only check of your store's public homepage, not a full audit with a person testing by keyboard and screen reader: we don't sign in, submit anything or change anything. It tests only what software can test of WCAG 2.0 and 2.1, Levels A and AA. It doesn't test the newer WCAG 2.2 criteria, such as target size. It finds some accessibility issues, not all of them. The report is not legal advice.
Related: Shopify store sued over website accessibility: what to do this week
This page is general information, not legal advice. VibeFix is independent and is not affiliated with any company named here. Shopify is a trademark of Shopify Inc. Other names are trademarks of their owners.
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