What is the difference between SortSite and WAVE?

SortSite is a desktop (and optional cloud) application that crawls your entire website and reports WCAG violations across all pages in a single audit run. WAVE is a browser extension and paid API from WebAIM that evaluates one page at a time and overlays visual indicators directly on the page. SortSite is better for full-site audits; WAVE is better for evaluating individual pages interactively or during development. Both are free of overlays — they are audit tools only.

Is WAVE free to use in 2026?

WAVE browser extension is free. The WAVE API — which allows automated, programmatic page testing — starts at approximately $4/month for low volume usage. For high-volume automated testing, WAVE API pricing scales by number of API credits consumed. The browser extension evaluates one page at a time interactively; the API enables bulk or CI/CD pipeline testing.

How much does SortSite cost in 2026?

SortSite (by PowerMapper) costs approximately $299/year for a single user license. A team license for up to 5 users runs approximately $799/year. SortSite also offers a cloud scanning option with per-scan pricing. The desktop version is a one-time download that runs locally; the cloud option enables scanning from any browser.

Can WAVE scan an entire website?

The WAVE browser extension evaluates one page at a time — it does not crawl or bulk-scan a full website. The WAVE API can be used programmatically to test multiple pages, but you must supply the URLs yourself; it does not automatically crawl your site. For full-site automated crawling and bulk reporting, SortSite (or a dedicated site-crawling tool) is better suited.

Which is better for WCAG compliance audits: SortSite or WAVE?

For formal WCAG compliance audits of entire websites, SortSite is generally better because it automatically crawls and scans all pages, generating a comprehensive site-wide report. WAVE is more appropriate for manual page-level inspection, developer debugging, or verifying specific pages during remediation. Many accessibility auditors use both: WAVE for page-level detail during manual testing and SortSite for automated site-wide coverage.

SortSite vs WAVE 2026: Full-Site Crawler vs Browser-Based Accessibility Checker

Updated June 2026 · By RatedWithAI Team

SortSite and WAVE are both WCAG scanning tools — but they work very differently. SortSite is a desktop application that crawls your entire site and generates a multi-page report. WAVE is a browser extension (and paid API) that evaluates one page at a time with visual on-page overlays. Both are audit tools only — no overlays are deployed to your site. The right choice depends on how you work: site-wide audits versus page-by-page inspection.

Feature	SortSite	WAVE
Starting price	~$299/yr	Free (ext) / ~$4/mo (API)
Full-site crawling	✅ Yes	❌ One page at a time
Browser extension	❌ No	✅ Yes (Chrome, Firefox)
Visual overlay on page	❌ Report only	✅ Yes (in-page indicators)
API / CI/CD integration	⚠️ Cloud option	✅ WAVE API
WCAG 2.1 AA coverage	✅ Yes	✅ Yes
Multi-engine scanning	✅ Yes (proprietary + axe)	❌ WebAIM engine only
Broken link detection	✅ Yes	❌ No
Free tier	⚠️ Trial only	✅ Browser ext free
Best for	Full-site audits	Page-level inspection

What Is SortSite?

SortSite is a desktop WCAG crawler made by PowerMapper. You install it on your Mac or Windows machine, enter your site URL, and it crawls every page — testing each against WCAG 2.1 AA (and optionally 2.2 or Section 508). It generates a consolidated site-wide report showing violations by page, rule, and severity.

Beyond accessibility, SortSite also checks broken links, CSS errors, and browser compatibility — making it a multi-purpose site quality tool. A single-user license costs approximately $299/year. A team license for five users runs approximately $799/year.

SortSite is particularly popular with QA teams, accessibility consultants, and agencies that need to audit client sites without installing anything on client infrastructure. Its multi-engine approach — combining its own proprietary engine with axe-core — can surface violations that single-engine tools miss.

What Is WAVE?

WAVE (Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool) is a free browser extension made by WebAIM, a nonprofit accessibility organization at Utah State University. It evaluates the page currently open in your browser by overlaying visual indicators directly on the page — icons that mark errors, alerts, structural elements, and ARIA usage.

WAVE does not crawl your site. It evaluates one page at a time, in the browser, showing you exactly where issues appear in context. This makes it highly useful for developers checking specific pages or content editors learning about accessibility issues in real-time.

The WAVE API enables programmatic page testing and is priced by credits (approximately $4/month for low-volume usage). The API allows integrating WAVE checks into automated pipelines, though you must supply each page URL — it does not crawl automatically.

Key Differences

1. Site-Wide vs. Page-Level Scanning

This is the most significant difference. SortSite automatically discovers and scans every page on your website — you enter your homepage URL and it handles the rest. WAVE requires you to navigate to each page in the browser and evaluate it individually.

For a 500-page website, SortSite will scan all 500 pages in a single run. WAVE would require 500 separate browser evaluations. For site-wide auditing, SortSite is dramatically more practical at scale.

2. Visual Debugging vs. Report-Based Auditing

WAVE's in-page visual overlay is its killer feature for developers. You see errors exactly where they appear in the page layout — a missing alt text marker sits next to the image, a contrast failure indicator appears on the text element itself. This contextual presentation makes WAVE exceptionally fast for debugging specific pages.

SortSite generates a separate report document with violations listed by rule and page. The report is comprehensive but requires cross-referencing back to the actual page to understand context. For formal auditing and documentation, SortSite's report format is more structured; for on-the-fly debugging, WAVE's visual overlay is faster.

3. Scan Engine and Coverage

SortSite uses a multi-engine approach combining its own proprietary scanning logic with axe-core. This can surface violations that single-engine tools miss, particularly in complex multi-page flows or certain ARIA patterns.

WAVE uses WebAIM's own accessibility testing engine. WebAIM has maintained WAVE for over two decades and it has strong community trust. However, it is a single engine and may miss some issues that multi-engine tools catch. Independent comparisons suggest neither tool achieves 100% coverage — using both on critical pages is common practice among thorough auditors.

4. API and Automation

WAVE has a well-documented REST API that developers can integrate into CI/CD pipelines. You submit a URL, receive a JSON response with errors, alerts, and structural information. The API is the right choice if you want WAVE's checks in your build pipeline.

SortSite has a cloud version that enables scanning from a browser without the desktop app, but its primary model is the desktop tool. For deep CI/CD automation at the code level, tools like axe-core directly or the WAVE API are better fits than SortSite.

Who Should Use SortSite?

QA teams and accessibility consultants conducting full-site WCAG audits
Agencies auditing client sites that need a tool that doesn't touch client infrastructure
Organizations that need site-wide reporting for compliance documentation
Teams that also want broken link and CSS error detection alongside accessibility
Organizations with budgets where ~$299/yr is reasonable but enterprise tool costs are not
Periodic auditors running before/after checks around major site changes or CMS migrations

Who Should Use WAVE?

Developers who want fast visual feedback while building or remediating specific pages
Content editors learning to identify accessibility issues in the pages they manage
Teams that need a free tool for checking individual pages — the browser extension costs nothing
Engineering teams integrating accessibility checks into CI/CD pipelines via the WAVE API
Accessibility consultants who use WAVE alongside SortSite for thorough page-level inspection
Anyone who wants on-page visual indicators instead of a separate report document

Auditor tip: Many professional accessibility auditors use both tools together — SortSite for the initial site-wide scan that surfaces the full violation inventory, and WAVE for interactive page-level inspection during remediation verification. The two tools complement each other rather than competing.

Pricing Comparison 2026

Plan	SortSite	WAVE
Free	Trial (limited pages)	Browser extension (unlimited)
Entry	~$299/yr (1 user)	~$4/mo (API, low volume)
Team	~$799/yr (5 users)	Volume-based API credits

The Alternative: Cloud Scanning with Continuous Monitoring

SortSite and WAVE are both point-in-time tools — they test your site when you run them, not continuously. For organizations that need ongoing monitoring that alerts you when new violations appear after content updates, a continuous cloud scanning platform is the better fit:

Automated full-site scanning — crawls all pages on a schedule without manual runs
Real-time alerts — notifies when new violations are introduced by content changes
Team workflows — assign issues to content owners, track remediation progress
Compliance dashboard — see your WCAG conformance score over time for documentation

For teams moving beyond periodic audits to an ongoing accessibility program, cloud-based continuous monitoring fills the gap that both SortSite and WAVE leave: they tell you about issues at audit time, but don't catch regressions introduced between audits.

Compare More Tools Before Deciding

SortSite and WAVE are two of many WCAG tools available in 2026. See how they stack up against the full competitive landscape:

Want Continuous Monitoring Instead of Point-in-Time Audits?

SortSite and WAVE both tell you about issues when you run them. RatedWithAI monitors your site continuously — scanning every page on a schedule and alerting you when new violations appear after content updates.

Try RatedWithAI Free →

Frequently Asked Questions

Is WAVE accurate enough for compliance audits?

WAVE is widely respected and used by professional accessibility auditors worldwide. However, like all automated tools, it catches approximately 30-40% of WCAG violations — the rest require manual testing. For formal compliance documentation, WAVE should be one part of a broader audit process that includes manual keyboard and screen reader testing.

Can I use SortSite for JavaScript-heavy sites (SPAs)?

SortSite can scan JavaScript-rendered pages, but like most crawlers, it may not fully execute complex client-side JavaScript (e.g., React, Angular, Vue SPAs). For sites where content is heavily rendered client-side, the WAVE browser extension may be more accurate since it runs in the actual browser environment where JavaScript has already executed.

Does WAVE work on password-protected pages?

Yes — since WAVE runs as a browser extension on whatever page you have open, it can evaluate password-protected pages as long as you are logged in. SortSite can also scan authenticated pages, but requires configuring login credentials in the tool.

Which tool is better for developers: SortSite or WAVE?

WAVE is generally more useful for developers during active development. The browser extension integrates into your normal browser workflow, shows issues visually in context, and works on localhost. SortSite is better for QA-phase full-site audits after a build is deployed. Developers building accessibility into their workflow typically reach for WAVE (or axe DevTools) first, and SortSite for pre-launch site audits.