World-class WCAG coverage to reduce your manual testing burden
A11y Pulse is committed to being the most comprehensive accessibility testing solution available, with more coverage than any other tool.
- 44%Current coverage
- 71%Planned 2027 coverage
- 29%Needs human judgment
How coverage is measured
We count a WCAG 2.2 success criterion as being covered if at least one of our automated audits tests it. Our coverage is constantly evolving as we add new audits and improve existing ones. You can see exactly which criteria are covered in this grid, or in the Success criteria table at the bottom of this page.
Every WCAG 2.2 Level A and AA success criterion
- Covered today: 24
- Planned by the end of 2027: 15
- Always needs human review: 16
- Automation ceiling: 39 of 55 criteria (71%)
Coverage for issues that static testing can't see
The A11y Pulse scanner runs axe-core, the industry-standard accessibility engine as a baseline. It also runs our own interaction audits that emulate real user interaction to test things like focus visibility, skip links, reflow at narrow widths, and unexpected changes on focus.
- Coverage of WCAG success criteria that normally require human interaction
- Automated page state exploration to find hidden issues
- Find text flow issues during zooming or resizing
- axe-coreChecks the page in its initial state, so cannot verify how elements behave when a user interacts with them.
- A11y PulseTabs to the button like a real keyboard user and finds the cookie banner covering it. Fails 2.4.11 Focus Not Obscured.
A11y Pulse's coverage is increasing
Our roadmap is packed full of new audits that will increase our coverage to the theoretical maximum by the end of 2027. We aim to provide more automated WCAG coverage than any other tool.
Level A and AA criteria with automated checks: 24 of 55 today, 28 by Q4 2026, 30 by Q1 2027, 36 by Q2 2027, 39 by Q3 2027. The automation ceiling is 39 of 55 criteria (71%). 16 criteria need human review.
- Today24 criteria checked today
- Q4 2026+4 criteriakeyboard traps, focus order
- Q1 2027+2 criterianon-text contrast, drag alternatives
- Q2 2027+6 criteriacontent on hover, status messages
- Q3 2027+3 criteriamultiple ways, consistent help
Dates are estimates and may change.
Accessibility testing still needs human judgement
Some WCAG criteria can't be checked automatically. Only a human can judge whether captions are accurate, whether instructions rely on shape or color, or whether a form helps people avoid mistakes. Use A11y Pulse alongside thorough manual testing to help you work towards WCAG compliance.
How A11y Pulse compares
The following table shows how many WCAG 2.2 success criteria each tool checks using its default settings.
| Tool | Success criteria checked |
|---|---|
| A11y Pulse today | 24 of 55 (44%) |
| A11y Pulse in 2027 | 39 of 55 (71%) |
| IBM Equal Access | 32 of 55 (58%) |
| Siteimprove (estimated) | 23 of 55 (42%) |
| axe-core | 19 of 55 (35%) |
| Alfa | 19 of 55 (35%) |
| Lighthouse | 17 of 55 (31%) |
| WAVE (estimated) | 16 of 55 (29%) |
| Pa11y | 12 of 55 (22%) |
How we measured
- IBM Equal Access: accessibility-checker-engine 4.0.34 rule list, counting violations and potential violations.
- Siteimprove (estimated): Estimated from the open-source Alfa engine it is built on, plus media checks that ask a reviewer to confirm.
- axe-core: axe-core 4.13 rules enabled by default.
- Alfa: @siteimprove/alfa-rules 0.119 active rules, excluding media rules that need a reviewer to answer questions.
- Lighthouse: Lighthouse 13.5 accessibility audits (a curated subset of axe-core).
- WAVE (estimated): Estimated from WebAIM's published error, contrast and alert types.
- Pa11y: html_codesniffer 2.5 sniffs that report errors, which is what Pa11y reports by default.
Measured in October 2026. Other tools change over time, and some check more when configured beyond their defaults, so verify any figure with the vendor before making a purchasing decision. Tools built on axe-core with default settings match the axe-core figure, and tools built on the WAVE engine match WAVE. No automated tool, including A11y Pulse, can tell you a site conforms to WCAG on its own.
Success criteria table
| Success criterion | Level | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 1.1.1 Non-text ContentChecks that text alternatives exist. Whether they are accurate needs human or AI review. | A | Checked today |
| 1.2.1 Audio-only and Video-only (Prerecorded)Audio and video elements can be detected, but whether a transcript exists elsewhere on the page needs human review. | A | Planned for Q3 2027 (partially) |
| 1.2.2 Captions (Prerecorded)Checks that native video has a captions track. Caption accuracy needs human review. | A | Checked today (partially) |
| 1.2.3 Audio Description or Media Alternative (Prerecorded)Judging whether audio description is needed requires watching the video. | A | Needs human testing |
| 1.2.4 Captions (Live)A scan cannot reliably tell live media from prerecorded media. | AA | Needs human testing |
| 1.2.5 Audio Description (Prerecorded)Judging whether audio description is needed requires watching the video. | AA | Needs human testing |
| 1.3.1 Info and Relationships | A | Checked today |
| 1.3.2 Meaningful SequenceReading order of static content is a meaning judgment. | A | Needs human testing |
| 1.3.3 Sensory CharacteristicsInstructions that rely on shape, size or location need human review. | A | Needs human testing |
| 1.3.4 Orientation | AA | Planned for Q2 2027 |
| 1.3.5 Identify Input Purpose | AA | Checked today |
| 1.4.1 Use of ColorOnly links distinguished from surrounding text by color alone are checked today. | A | Checked today (partially) |
| 1.4.2 Audio Control | A | Checked today |
| 1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum)Text over images and gradients is reported for review. | AA | Checked today |
| 1.4.4 Resize TextOnly checks that zoom is not blocked. Text is never actually resized. | AA | Checked today (partially) |
| 1.4.5 Images of Text | AA | AI review planned for Q3 2027 |
| 1.4.10 Reflow | AA | Checked today |
| 1.4.11 Non-text Contrast | AA | Planned for Q1 2027 |
| 1.4.12 Text Spacing | AA | Checked today |
| 1.4.13 Content on Hover or Focus | AA | Planned for Q2 2027 |
| 2.1.1 KeyboardOnly iframes, scrollable regions and server-side image maps are checked today. | A | Checked today (partially) |
| 2.1.2 No Keyboard Trap | A | Planned for Q4 2026 |
| 2.1.4 Character Key ShortcutsWhether a shortcut can be turned off or remapped needs human review. | A | Needs human testing |
| 2.2.1 Timing AdjustableOnly meta refresh timers are checked. Script-driven time limits need human review. | A | Checked today (partially) |
| 2.2.2 Pause, Stop, HideOnly blink and marquee elements are checked. Carousels and animations need human review. | A | Checked today (partially) |
| 2.3.1 Three Flashes or Below Threshold | A | Needs human testing |
| 2.4.1 Bypass Blocks | A | Checked today |
| 2.4.2 Page Titled | A | Checked today |
| 2.4.3 Focus OrderFindings are review signals. Whether an order preserves meaning needs human review. | A | Planned for Q4 2026 (partially) |
| 2.4.4 Link Purpose (In Context) | A | Checked today |
| 2.4.5 Multiple WaysCompares pages across your site. | AA | Planned for Q3 2027 |
| 2.4.6 Headings and LabelsCatches names that are code or placeholders. Whether a fluent name is descriptive needs human or AI review. | AA | Planned for Q4 2026 (partially) |
| 2.4.7 Focus Visible | AA | Checked today |
| 2.4.11 Focus Not Obscured (Minimum) | AA | Checked today |
| 2.5.1 Pointer Gestures | A | Needs human testing |
| 2.5.2 Pointer Cancellation | A | Needs human testing |
| 2.5.3 Label in Name | A | Planned for Q4 2026 |
| 2.5.4 Motion Actuation | A | Needs human testing |
| 2.5.7 Dragging Movements | AA | Planned for Q1 2027 |
| 2.5.8 Target Size (Minimum) | AA | Checked today |
| 3.1.1 Language of Page | A | Checked today |
| 3.1.2 Language of PartsOnly validates lang attribute values. | AA | Checked today (partially) |
| 3.2.1 On Focus | A | Checked today |
| 3.2.2 On Input | A | Planned for Q2 2027 |
| 3.2.3 Consistent NavigationCompares pages across your site. | AA | Planned for Q2 2027 |
| 3.2.4 Consistent IdentificationCompares pages across your site. | AA | Planned for Q2 2027 |
| 3.2.6 Consistent HelpCompares pages across your site. | A | Planned for Q3 2027 |
| 3.3.1 Error IdentificationChecking error messages means submitting forms, which a scan must never do on a live site. | A | Needs AI or human judgment |
| 3.3.2 Labels or InstructionsOnly fields with more than one label are checked today. Whether instructions are clear needs human review. | A | Checked today (partially) |
| 3.3.3 Error SuggestionChecking error suggestions means submitting forms, which a scan must never do on a live site. | AA | Needs AI or human judgment |
| 3.3.4 Error Prevention (Legal, Financial, Data) | AA | Needs human testing |
| 3.3.7 Redundant Entry | A | Needs human testing |
| 3.3.8 Accessible Authentication (Minimum) | AA | AI review planned for Q3 2027 |
| 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value | A | Checked today |
| 4.1.3 Status Messages | AA | Planned for Q2 2027 |
No. Passing every automated check is a strong start, but automated tools can't check every success criterion, and some checks only cover part of one. Use A11y Pulse alongside thorough manual testing to help you work towards WCAG compliance.
Many success criteria depend on meaning and context. A tool can confirm an image has alt text, but not that the alt text describes the image. It can't judge whether captions are accurate or whether instructions make sense without seeing a shape or color. These need a person.
Yes. Some of the audits we count are experimental while we validate them against more real-world sites. You can switch them on for any site under Include experimental audits in its settings. Read more in the audits docs.
The coverage figures on this page are for Level A and AA, which is the level most laws and policies reference. Some of our checks also apply to Level AAA criteria.
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