CodeFrog vs WAVE
CodeFrog and WAVE (by WebAIM) both test accessibility, but they take different approaches and have very different scopes. CodeFrog is a native desktop app (macOS and Windows) providing unified quality testing — accessibility via axe-core, plus security, SEO, HTML validation, and code analysis. WAVE is a dedicated accessibility tool using its own proprietary engine with visual in-page annotation.
A key distinction: CodeFrog uses the open-source axe-core engine, while WAVE uses its own proprietary testing engine. WAVE focuses exclusively on accessibility — it does not test security, SEO, HTML validity, or anything else.
Note on WCAG compliance: Full WCAG A, AA, or AAA conformance cannot be achieved with automation alone — neither CodeFrog, WAVE, nor any other automated tool can fully validate conformance. Many WCAG criteria require human judgment and manual testing with assistive technologies (screen readers, keyboard navigation, voice control, etc.). Automated tools are a valuable part of your accessibility toolkit, but manual testing is required for full conformance at any level. See CodeFrog's WCAG page for details.
| Feature | CodeFrog | WAVE |
|---|---|---|
| Accessibility | ||
| Automated WCAG 2.2 testing | Yes (axe-core engine) | Yes (proprietary engine) |
| Automated WCAG AA checks | Yes | Yes |
| Automated WCAG AAA checks | Yes | Yes |
| Color contrast checks | Yes | Yes (interactive picker + lightness sliders) |
| ARIA attribute validation | Yes | Yes |
| Heading hierarchy validation | Yes | Yes |
| Form label validation | Yes | Yes |
| Severity/impact classification | Yes (minor to critical, 4 levels) | Errors vs. Alerts (2 levels) |
| Visual in-page annotation | No | Yes (icons injected into page) |
| Reading/navigation order view | No | Yes (No Styles view) |
| AIM score (benchmarked to 1M sites) | No | Yes (1-10 score) |
| Cognitive accessibility evaluation | No | Yes |
| Security | ||
| OWASP-based security scanning | Yes (comprehensive) | No |
| Security headers (CSP, HSTS, X-Frame-Options) | Yes | No |
| CORS misconfiguration detection | Yes | No |
| Sensitive file detection (.env, .git, backups) | Yes | No |
| TLS/SSL configuration analysis | Yes | No |
| Secrets detection (Gitleaks) | Yes | No |
| Supply chain vulnerabilities (OSV) | Yes | No |
| Static analysis (Semgrep/OpenGrep) | Yes | No |
| SEO | ||
| Title tag validation | Yes | No |
| Meta description check | Yes | No |
| Robots.txt / Sitemap validation | Yes | No |
| Structured data validation | Yes | No |
| Content quality analysis | Yes | No |
| Keyword analysis | Yes | No |
| Canonical URL validation | Yes | No |
| Mobile-friendliness checks | Yes | No |
| Meta Tags & Social Sharing | ||
| Open Graph tags validation | Yes | No |
| Twitter Card tags validation | Yes | No |
| OG image dimension/aspect validation | Yes | No |
| Favicon detection | Yes | No |
| HTML Validation | ||
| W3C/Nu HTML Checker compliance | Yes (strict mode) | No |
| Heuristic-based fast validation | Yes | No |
| Performance | ||
| Page size / resource inventory by type | Yes | No |
| DNS/TCP/TLS/TTFB timing breakdown | Yes | No |
| Multi-URL timing comparison | Yes | No |
| Code Analysis | ||
| Source code secrets scanning (Gitleaks) | Yes | N/A |
| Dependency vulnerability scanning (OSV) | Yes | N/A |
| Static code pattern analysis (Semgrep/OpenGrep) | Yes | N/A |
| Line counting by language | Yes | N/A |
| Platform & Reporting | ||
| Unified multi-test report | Yes (Mega Report) | Accessibility only |
| Sitemap-based multi-URL testing | Yes | One URL at a time (or API) |
| Localhost / dev domain testing | Yes | Yes (browser extension) |
| Health score / letter grade | Yes (A-F grade) | Yes (AIM score 1-10) |
| Desktop app | Yes (native macOS and Windows) | No (browser extension + web) |
| Browser extension | No | Yes (Chrome, Firefox, Edge) |
| API access | No | Yes ($0.025/credit or $4K-$12K/year, as of early 2026) |
| Pricing | Free / one-time purchase | Free (extension) / paid (API) |
Where CodeFrog excels
- Full website quality suite beyond accessibility — security, SEO, HTML, code analysis
- OWASP-based security scanning with severity classification
- W3C/Nu HTML validation (strict and fast modes)
- Secrets detection, supply chain vulnerabilities, and static code analysis
- Open Graph and Twitter Card validation with image dimension checks
- Sitemap-based multi-URL testing in a single run
- Unified Mega Report combining all test categories
- Four-level severity classification (minor, moderate, serious, critical)
Where WAVE excels
- Visual in-page annotation — icons injected directly into the page
- Proprietary engine with 110+ accessibility check types
- Interactive color contrast checker with lightness sliders
- Reading/navigation order visualization (No Styles view)
- AIM score benchmarked against 1 million real web pages
- Cognitive accessibility evaluation
- Hidden content detection (aria-hidden, CSS hidden elements)
- Browser extension runs 100% locally — no data sent to servers
- Section 508 compliance checks
Better together: CodeFrog and WAVE complement each other well. Use CodeFrog for comprehensive website quality testing — security scanning, SEO analysis, HTML validation, and code analysis — with accessibility testing via axe-core. Use WAVE for dedicated accessibility evaluation with visual in-page feedback, reading order visualization, and manual review facilitation. Both tools support localhost testing, and using both gives you coverage from two different accessibility engines.