ShipcheckShipcheck vs WAVE
WAVE by WebAIM is one of the best-known free accessibility checkers. It shows icons right on the page so you can see where problems are. Shipcheck covers accessibility too, then checks everything else you need before a page goes live.
| Feature | Shipcheck | WAVE |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free for meta tags and share previews; Pro is $20 once, lifetime | Free extension; WAVE API and site-wide tools are paid |
| Accessibility engine | axe-core, WCAG 2.2 A/AA rulesPro | WebAIM's own WAVE rules |
| Issues shown on the live page | Yes (outlines and tab-order overlay)Pro | Yes (inline icons) |
| Keyboard tab order | Numbered overlay plus missing focus styles and click-only elementsPro | Order panel shows navigation order |
| Meta tags and share previews | Yes, free | No |
| AI search visibility (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude crawlers, llms.txt) | YesPro | No |
| Core Web Vitals (LCP, CLS, INP) | Yes, with real-user field data when availablePro | No |
| Pre-launch checklist (security headers, legal pages, analytics, 404) | YesPro | No |
| Multi-page scan | Up to 25 pages from the extensionPro | Via paid API or partner tools |
| AI fix prompts for Cursor, Claude, ChatGPT | YesPro | No |
| White-label PDF client report | YesPro | No |
Shipcheck features marked Pro need the $20 lifetime license. The free extension shows issue counts for several of them as a preview.
When to pick WAVE
- You only need accessibility checks and want a free, widely trusted tool.
- You teach or learn accessibility and like WAVE's in-context icons and explanations.
When to pick Shipcheck
- You ship sites for yourself or clients and want one pass that covers accessibility, SEO, AI search, speed, and launch basics.
- You fix issues with an AI editor and want each problem as a ready-to-paste prompt.
- You need a branded report to hand to a client.
Using both
They work well together. Many people use WAVE for a second opinion on accessibility, since it uses a different rule set from axe-core.
Comparison based on publicly available information as of October 2026. Check the WAVE website for its latest features and pricing.
Free tools to try now
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Test text and UI colors against WCAG 2.2 AA and AAA and get the nearest passing color.
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Create an accessibility statement for the EAA and WCAG 2.2 in two minutes.
Open tool →Meta tag & social preview checker
See your Google, X, LinkedIn, and Slack previews and fix titles, descriptions, and OG images.
Open tool →