webhint

A customizable linting tool that checks websites for accessibility, speed, compatibility and security problems.

FreeOpen sourceBrowser extensionCommand line
Official websitewebhint.ioDocumentationwebhint.io

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About webhint

webhint checks a site's code against a set of hints for best practices and common errors. It covers accessibility, performance, cross-browser compatibility and more. It can run at several stages of development: as a VS Code extension that gives feedback while you write code, as a browser DevTools extension for testing a live page, and as a command-line tool for CI/CD pipelines. Microsoft Edge ships it inside its DevTools.

You can configure it to ignore third-party code and target the browsers your users actually run. The contributor guide explains how to write your own hints. It is an OpenJS Foundation project.

Strengths

  • Same checks available in the editor, the browser and CI
  • Built into Microsoft Edge DevTools
  • Can ignore third-party code and target specific browsers
  • Custom hints can be written for your own rules

Limitations

  • The CLI requires Node.js and npx
  • Aimed at developers rather than site owners who want a one-click report

Details

Pricing
FreeFree open-source project hosted by the OpenJS Foundation.
License
Open source, license not stated
Developer
The webhint contributors
Platforms
Browser extension, Command line
How it runs
Downloadable app, Browser extension
Account
Not required
Best suited for
Web developers who want best-practice checks in their editor, browser and build pipeline
Last verified
Added
Provenance
Facts checked against the developer's own pages and store listings, 1 sources on file.

Alternatives to webhint

Compare all

Software that can replace webhint for an important use case, and what changes if you switch.

  • SiteOne Crawler

    Open-source website crawler that produces audit reports, offline mirrors and Markdown exports of a site.

    FreeOpen sourceWindowsmacOSLinuxCommand line

    SiteOne Crawler audits whole sites for SEO, security, accessibility and performance with a desktop GUI and CLI, but has no editor integration.

  • Yellow Lab Tools

    An open-source tool that audits a webpage for performance and front-end code quality issues.

    FreeOpen sourceWebSelf-hostedCommand line

    Yellow Lab Tools focuses on performance and front-end code quality under GPL-2.0, as an online tool, CLI and self-hostable service, though development has slowed.

  • Unlighthouse

    Open-source command-line tool that runs Google Lighthouse on every page of a site in parallel.

    FreeOpen sourceCommand line

    Unlighthouse runs Google Lighthouse across every page of a site in parallel under MIT, but requires Node 22 or later and has no browser extension.

  • Lighthouse CI

    A set of tools that runs Lighthouse audits on every commit and tracks results over time.

    FreeOpen sourceCommand line

    Lighthouse CI runs Lighthouse audits on every commit and tracks results between builds, but needs a CI pipeline and lacks editor checks.

  • SortSite

    Website quality scanner testing accessibility, broken links, browser compatibility and SEO against over 1200 checkpoints.

    FreemiumProprietaryWeb

    SortSite scans for accessibility, broken links, compatibility and SEO against over 1200 checkpoints as a freemium web product, with full scans paid.

webhint as an alternative

Listings that name webhint as an alternative.

  • axe DevTools

    Accessibility testing tools and browser extension from Deque, built on the axe-core rules engine.

    FreemiumProprietaryWebBrowser extension

    webhint is an open-source linter covering accessibility with speed, compatibility and security in the editor, browser and CI, requiring Node.js for the CLI.

  • IBM Equal Access Accessibility Checker

    IBM's open-source browser extension and toolkit for automated accessibility checks of web pages.

    FreeOpen sourceBrowser extensionCommand line

    webhint is an open-source linter covering accessibility plus speed, compatibility and security, available in the browser, editor and CI and built into Edge DevTools.

  • Lighthouse

    Automated audits for performance, accessibility, SEO and best practices.

    FreeOpen sourceWindowsmacOSLinuxWebCommand line

    webhint lints sites for accessibility, speed, compatibility and security in the editor, browser and CI, and needs Node.js for its CLI.

  • Pa11y

    Open-source command-line and dashboard tools that test web pages for accessibility issues automatically.

    FreeOpen sourceSelf-hostedCommand line

    webhint is an open-source linter covering accessibility, speed, compatibility and security across editor, browser and CI, needing Node.js for the CLI.

Similar software

Related functionality, not necessarily a direct replacement.

  • Can I use

    A searchable web tool with browser support tables for HTML, CSS, JavaScript and other front-end features.

    FreeProprietaryWeb

  • HTTP Observatory

    Mozilla's web tool that grades a site's HTTP security headers and gives fix recommendations.

    FreeProprietaryWeb

  • PageSpeed Insights

    Google's free web tool that reports Core Web Vitals and Lighthouse results for any URL.

    FreeProprietaryWeb

  • Nu Html Checker

    The W3C's online checker that tests HTML documents against current HTML conformance rules.

    FreeProprietaryWeb

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