Catching accessibility bugs before they ship
Accessibility testing has traditionally been split between two extremes: automated scanners that only catch a fraction of problems, and manual audits that require deep expertise and careful note-taking. axe DevTools Pro sits in the middle, combining a familiar browser extension with guided tests that walk you through what automated tools can't detect.
Where the automated scan ends
The browser extension installs like any other and appears as a tab alongside your existing DevTools panels. A scan of the current page catches roughly 57% of accessibility issues automatically. Each finding includes an explanation of the problem and guidance for fixing it directly in the extension. For those who want more depth, Deque University links from each issue to detailed write-ups covering who is affected and the appropriate remediation.
As an example, an <iframe> missing a title attribute is the kind of thing a static scan catches instantly:
Screen reader users have the option to pull up a list of titles for all frames on a page. Adding descriptive, unique titles allows users to quickly find the frame they need. If no titles are present, navigating through frames can quickly become difficult and confusing.
But static scans have a hard ceiling. Interactive components like modals are logically impossible to evaluate by reading the code alone. The modal needs to be opened, focus behavior checked, and escape paths verified. These scenarios require step-by-step confirmation from someone actually exercising the UI.
That's where the Intelligent Guided™ Tests in axe DevTools Pro come in. These tests walk you through exactly the manual checks you'd otherwise have to remember on your own: what element opened the modal (since focus must return there), whether the modal traps focus once open, and whether it can be closed properly. Using the Pro tier, teams are able to address 83% of all accessibility issues across both automated and guided testing.
The discipline argument
Treating accessibility bugs like syntax errors — something that gets checked before code enters the codebase — is a workflow change more than a tooling change. A quick scan before pushing new commits keeps accessibility problems from accumulating in the first place. The underlying principle is straightforward: don't knowingly ship code that excludes users when a check costs two minutes. Friends don't let friends ship inaccessible code.
