Compare software

WAVE vs IBM Equal Access Accessibility Checker: catalog facts
WAVE	IBM Equal Access Accessibility Checker
Freemium The online tool and extensions are free; the API and stand-alone testing engine are paid.	Free Free and open source, published by IBM on GitHub.
Web, Browser extension	Browser extension, Command line
Shows issues in place on the page Extensions for Chrome, Firefox and Edge	Same rule engine in the browser and in automated builds Integrations for Cypress, Karma, Vitest and Java
Bulk testing requires the paid API or engine Automated results still need human judgement	Automated checks cannot catch every accessibility problem Build integrations need some setup in a test suite
Web application, Browser extension	Downloadable app, Browser extension
Closed source	Open source
License not stated	License not stated
Not stated if an account is needed	Not stated if an account is needed
Not stated if it works offline	Not stated if it works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 23, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 23, 2026

Catalog facts only. Anything “not stated” is unconfirmed. Check full listings for details.