CompliaScan vs WAVE
WAVE is a well-respected free tool for manual page-by-page accessibility checks. CompliaScan is a full-featured scanning platform with automated multi-page scanning, monitoring, and AI recommendations. Both are legitimate tools — here is how they compare.
Manual Checking vs Automated Scanning
WAVE, built by WebAIM, is one of the most well-known accessibility evaluation tools. Its free browser extension and web service visually annotate accessibility issues directly on your page with colored icons and indicators. WAVE is excellent for quick, manual spot-checks and is widely recommended in the accessibility community.
However, WAVE has limitations for teams that need to manage accessibility at scale:
- The free version only evaluates one page at a time — you must manually navigate to each page
- No scheduled monitoring or alerts — you must remember to re-check pages after changes
- No PDF report generation for stakeholders or compliance documentation
- The WAVE API uses per-credit pricing (roughly $0.025–$0.04 per credit, about one credit per page), which adds up at scale
- No AI-powered fix recommendations or enhanced scanning features like color vision deficiency simulation
CompliaScan complements manual tools like WAVE by providing automated multi-page scanning, scheduled monitoring with alerts, detailed fix instructions with AI recommendations, PDF reports, and a developer API — all the features needed for ongoing accessibility management.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | CompliaScan | WAVE |
|---|---|---|
| Approach | Automated code-level scanning | Manual visual annotation |
| Free Tier | Yes (no account needed) | Yes (browser extension) |
| Multi-Page Scanning | Up to 1,500 pages (automated) | One page at a time (manual) |
| Automatic Crawling | ||
| Fix Instructions | Detailed, per-element | Brief descriptions |
| AI Fix Recommendations | Yes (BYOK — your own API key) | |
| Monitoring & Alerts | Daily / Weekly / Monthly | |
| PDF Reports | ||
| Developer API | REST API (included in plans) | Credit-based (per credit) |
| CI/CD Integration | ||
| Enhanced Scanning | Lighthouse-style, CVD sim, heading map | Contrast, structure, ARIA checks |
| Visual Issue Annotations | ||
| WCAG 2.2 Level AA | ||
| Keyboard Navigation Testing | ||
| Screen Reader Readiness | Automated readiness checks |
Pricing Comparison
CompliaScan
- Free: $0 — Single-page scan, no account needed
- Starter: $69/mo — Multi-page, reports, monitoring
- Pro: $179/mo — API, weekly monitoring, 10 team members
- Business: $349/mo — 1,000 pages, daily monitoring, unlimited
WAVE
- Browser extension: Free
- Web service: Free (single page)
- WAVE API: ~$0.025–$0.04 per credit
- At scale: ~1 credit per page (~$25–$40 for 1,000 pages)
- API pricing is credit-based, with a 250-credit / $10 minimum and 100 free credits to start. Per-credit rates drop at higher volume — see WebAIM's WAVE API pricing for current rates.
Both CompliaScan and WAVE offer free tools for single-page checks. The two tools are priced for different jobs: a raw pass over 1,000 pages with WAVE's API costs roughly $25–$40 in credits, but WAVE offers no scheduled monitoring, alerts, PDF reports, or AI recommendations at any price. CompliaScan's Business plan covers 1,000 pages for $349/mo and bundles automatic crawling, monitoring, alerts, PDF reports, AI recommendations, and full API access — the ongoing platform WAVE's API is not built to be.
Key Advantages of CompliaScan over WAVE
Automated Multi-Page Scanning
CompliaScan automatically crawls and scans up to 1,500 pages per scan. Enter your URL and CompliaScan discovers and evaluates linked pages automatically. With WAVE, you must manually navigate to each page and run the evaluation one at a time. For sites with dozens or hundreds of pages, this time difference is significant.
Ongoing Monitoring and Alerts
CompliaScan schedules automatic re-scans on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis and sends email alerts when new accessibility issues are detected. This means you catch regressions as they happen. WAVE has no monitoring or alerting capabilities — you have to remember to re-check pages manually after every content or code change.
Detailed Fix Instructions and AI Recommendations
CompliaScan provides specific, per-element fix instructions for every violation found, including the affected HTML, the WCAG criterion, and step-by-step guidance. With AI recommendations enabled (BYOK), you get intelligent code suggestions. WAVE identifies issues with visual annotations and brief descriptions but does not provide the same level of detailed, actionable fix guidance.
Professional Reports and Compliance Documentation
CompliaScan generates downloadable PDF reports suitable for stakeholders, clients, legal teams, and compliance documentation. Export scan data as JSON, CSV, or PDF for integration with other tools. WAVE does not generate downloadable reports or compliance documentation in any format.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between CompliaScan and WAVE?
Both are legitimate accessibility evaluation tools. WAVE is a free browser extension from WebAIM that visually annotates issues on one page at a time. CompliaScan is a full-featured scanning platform with automated multi-page scanning, scheduled monitoring, PDF reports, AI recommendations, and a developer API. WAVE is great for quick manual checks; CompliaScan is built for ongoing accessibility management at scale.
Is WAVE free to use?
WAVE's browser extension and single-page web checker are free. The WAVE API for programmatic access is credit-based — roughly $0.025–$0.04 per credit, about one credit per page (a 250-credit / $10 minimum, with 100 free credits to start), so around $25–$40 to evaluate 1,000 pages. CompliaScan also offers a free tier for single-page scans, with paid plans from $69/mo that include multi-page scanning and monitoring.
Can WAVE scan multiple pages automatically?
WAVE's free tools only evaluate one page at a time manually. The WAVE API allows programmatic access but uses per-credit pricing. CompliaScan automatically crawls and scans up to 1,500 pages per scan with no per-page credit system.
Does WAVE provide fix instructions?
WAVE identifies and annotates accessibility issues with brief descriptions of each issue type. CompliaScan provides detailed, per-element fix instructions with the specific HTML, WCAG criterion, and step-by-step remediation guidance, plus optional AI-powered code recommendations.
Should I use WAVE or CompliaScan?
They serve different purposes and can complement each other. WAVE is excellent for quick, visual spot-checks on individual pages. CompliaScan is better for ongoing automated scanning, monitoring, professional reporting, and developer workflow integration. Many teams use WAVE for quick checks and CompliaScan for their primary scanning and monitoring platform.
Go Beyond Manual Checking
Try CompliaScan free and see what automated multi-page scanning, monitoring, and AI-powered fix recommendations can do for your accessibility workflow. No account needed.
Feature data based on publicly available information as of early 2026. Competitors' features and pricing may change.