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Free ADA compliance checker for websites

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One page, WCAG 2.2 AA, about a minute. Automated check, not a full audit. Not legal advice.

  • No signup
  • WCAG 2.2 A and AA
  • Result in about a minute

Updated October 14, 2026

An ADA compliance checker opens a web page and tests it against the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), the technical criteria US courts, settlements and the Department of Justice refer to for websites. Enter the address of one page above: we load it in a real browser, run the automated WCAG 2.2 A and AA checks and show every issue found with the criterion it relates to and how to fix it. It is free and takes about a minute. This is an automated check, not a full audit, and not legal advice.

No tool can certify ADA compliance

There is no official ADA website checker. The Americans with Disabilities Act does not contain a technical checklist for business websites, and no agency approves scanners or issues certificates. The DOJ's guidance on web accessibility points to existing technical standards — WCAG and the Section 508 Standards — and says that automated checkers can be helpful, but that a "clean" report does not mean a site is fully accessible. It recommends pairing automated checkers with a manual review.

So treat any result, ours included, as a list of barriers to fix, not as a verdict. Be careful with tools that promise a badge, a certificate or protection from lawsuits; the background, including the FTC order against an overlay vendor, is in our overview of ADA website compliance.

Which standard the scan uses

The checker tests WCAG 2.2 levels A and AA. Why this level:

  • Title II (state and local government): the DOJ web rule adopts WCAG 2.1 Level AA, with compliance dates of 26 April 2027 for governments serving 50,000 people or more and 26 April 2028 for smaller ones and special districts.
  • Title III (businesses open to the public): there is no DOJ technical regulation; WCAG 2.1 or 2.2 AA is the usual reference in practice.
  • Section 508 (federal agencies): the Revised 508 Standards incorporate WCAG 2.0 AA. See our Section 508 checker.

WCAG 2.2 AA contains every WCAG 2.1 and 2.0 AA criterion except 4.1.1 Parsing, which was removed. Each finding shows its criterion number, so you can read the same result against 2.0, 2.1 or 2.2.

What the ADA website checker finds

The scan runs axe-core, the open-source rules engine by Deque Systems that also powers Lighthouse and axe DevTools, and explains each finding with a card from our rule library. Typical findings on US store and service sites:

  • Images without alternative text, and image links or buttons that have no name (1.1.1, 2.4.4) — the "ADA compliance checker for images" use case;
  • Colour contrast of text below 4.5:1 (1.4.3); to test a single colour pair, use the contrast checker;
  • Form fields without a label, for example in checkout or contact forms (1.3.1, 4.1.2);
  • Buttons and links with no accessible name, such as icon-only cart or menu buttons (4.1.2, 2.4.4);
  • a missing page language (3.1.1) and missing or empty page titles (2.4.2);
  • touch targets that are too small (2.5.8, new in WCAG 2.2).

For each issue you see a plain-language explanation, the element (selector, code and, where possible, a screenshot) and how to fix it, with tips for Shopify, WooCommerce, PrestaShop and Shoptet.

Critical trail-shop.eu/products/trail-2

The cart button has no name

What this means for your visitors

A shopper using a screen reader only hears “button” and cannot tell that it adds the product to the cart.

How to fix it in Shopify

In the product template, give the icon button the text “Add to cart”, visible or as an aria-label.

Element: .product-form > button.cart-icon

Rule: button-name · WCAG 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value (A) · EN 301 549 9.4.1.2

Example: one problem from a result. A real result lists every problem found on your page, grouped by severity, with a screenshot of the element.

What needs manual testing

Automated rules catch typical code mistakes. They cannot judge meaning, order or experience. After the scan, check by hand:

  1. Keyboard: reach and operate every link, button and field with Tab, Enter and Space, without getting stuck (2.1.1, 2.1.2, 2.4.7).
  2. Screen reader: listen to the page with VoiceOver, NVDA or TalkBack; headings, buttons and error messages should make sense (1.3.1, 3.3.1, 4.1.3).
  3. Alternative text quality: does the text describe what the image shows or does?
  4. Zoom: at 200 % and 400 % nothing should be cut off (1.4.4, 1.4.10).
  5. Video and audio: captions and transcripts (1.2.2), no sound that plays on its own (1.4.2).
  6. Documents: PDFs linked from the site need their own check — see how to check PDF accessibility.

The full routine is in our ADA website compliance checklist and in how to test WCAG.

Online scanner or browser extension?

This online checker needs nothing installed and tests public pages. For pages behind a login, a staging site or localhost, use the free browser extension for Chrome, Edge and Firefox: it runs the same checks in your own browser. Other free and paid tools, including WAVE and Lighthouse, are compared in accessibility testing tools.

What makes a checker the "best free ADA compliance checker" for you is less the engine — many use axe-core — than what you get after the test: a named WCAG version and level, the criterion for each issue, a fix your developer can act on, and an honest statement of what was not tested.

Selling to government or federal buyers?

Public buyers often ask vendors for an Accessibility Conformance Report. A scan is useful input, but it is not that report: read VPAT and ACR explained.

Check every page, every week

One page is a sample. Problems repeat across templates — collection, product, cart, checkout, account — and return after theme and app updates. With a plan, Pandus scans every page of your site each week, keeps dated reports that document your remediation work over time and alerts you when new issues appear. Agencies get the reports under their own brand.

Sources

  • ADA.gov, Guidance on Web Accessibility and the ADA: https://www.ada.gov/resources/web-guidance/
  • ADA.gov, Fact sheet on the Title II web and mobile app rule (with the April 2026 extension): https://www.ada.gov/resources/2024-03-08-web-rule/
  • U.S. Access Board, Revised 508 Standards (E205.4, 702.10.1): https://www.access-board.gov/ict/
  • W3C, WCAG 2.2: https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG22/

Frequently asked questions

Is there an official ADA compliance checker?

No. The Department of Justice does not run or certify a website checker. Tools sold as ADA checkers test WCAG success criteria, usually level AA, and only the part a machine can test.

Is this ADA compliance checker free?

Yes. You enter the address of one page, no account is needed and the e-mail address is optional. Checks are limited per hour to prevent abuse. Only check sites you are entitled to check.

Can a scan tell me my website meets the ADA?

No. No tool can certify that a website meets the ADA. A scan finds a subset of WCAG issues; keyboard, screen reader and content checks by a person are still needed, and only a lawyer can assess your legal position.

Which WCAG version does the checker use?

WCAG 2.2 levels A and AA. They include every WCAG 2.1 A and AA criterion except the removed 4.1.1 Parsing, so the result also covers the automated part of WCAG 2.1 AA, which the DOJ Title II rule adopts. The differences are in WCAG 2.1 vs 2.2.

Is there an ADA compliance checker extension for Chrome?

Yes. Our free browser extension for Chrome, Edge and Firefox runs the same WCAG checks in your own browser, including pages behind a login and local development sites.

Can it check images for ADA issues?

It finds images, image links and image buttons that have no text alternative at all. Whether an alternative text describes the image well needs a person.