Which WordPress accessibility plugin do you need?

Find it with a plugin.
Fix it at the source.

Most WordPress sites need an accessibility checker, not a toolbar. A checker such as Equalize Digital Accessibility Checker or Editoria11y finds missing alt text, skipped headings, unlabelled fields and vague links while you edit; WP Accessibility patches a few common theme gaps; a toolbar such as Ally or OneTap gives visitors display settings. None of them makes a site conform to WCAG 2.2 or comply with the ADA or the European Accessibility Act on its own, and the most careful of them say so on their own plugin pages. Below: what each kind does, what the best-known ones claim, a 12-question triage that turns your answers into a fix list with WCAG 2.2 numbers, and the WordPress screens where the fixes happen.

Run the triage Compare the plugins
WebAIM Million 2026 95.9% fail WordPress home pages: 52.8 errors on average

By the Builderify team

01 Scan 02 Toolbar on 03 Fix the source 04 Test by hand

Illustration · a page in the block editor with a checker beside it.

01 / Four kinds

What does a WordPress accessibility plugin do?
One of four different jobs.

Search the plugin directory for “accessibility” and you get over 3,500 results that look alike and do different things. Only one kind tells you what is wrong with your site. Install counts are the directory’s own, read on 16 October 2026.

01
Finds problems

Checker

Scans your posts and pages and lists what fails, usually inside the editor, so you can fix it before or after you publish. It sees what code can see: missing alt text, skipped headings, unlabelled fields, empty links, low contrast.

Can’t Judge whether alt text is right, press keys, or watch your videos. W3C: tools “can only assist” in determining accessibility.

  • Equalize Digital Accessibility Checker10,000+
  • Editoria11y1,000+
  • Sa11y300+
Who sees it
You and your editors
Changes your pages
No, apart from optional fixes
Verdict
Install one
02
Patches a few things

Fix plugin

Adds what many themes leave out: a skip link, a visible focus outline, the page language, labels on the search and comment forms, pinch-zoom on phones.

Can’t Repair your menus, images, forms or colours. WP Accessibility's own page says most issues “can’t be addressed without directly changing your theme”.

  • WP Accessibility60,000+
  • Accessibility Checker’s optional fixes10,000+
Who sees it
Every visitor
Changes your pages
Yes, a few things
Verdict
Useful while your theme lacks the basics
03
Gives visitors settings

Toolbar

A floating button that opens display settings: text size, spacing, contrast modes, a readable font, a reading guide, paused animations. Each visitor's choices change their own view.

Can’t Change your markup. Screen reader and keyboard users get the same page as before, and your own colours and labels fail where they failed.

  • Web Accessibility by Elementor (Ally)500,000+
  • OneTap60,000+
  • AccessiYes20,000+
Who sees it
Visitors who open it
Changes your pages
Only that visitor’s view
Verdict
Optional, never instead of fixes
04
Claims to repair at runtime

Auto-fixing overlay

A toolbar plus a script that rewrites the page in the visitor's browser after it loads: adding ARIA attributes, guessing labels, writing alt text with AI.

Can’t Know what your content means. The Overlay Fact Sheet, signed by more than 1,000 named people, says no overlay product “can cause a website to become fully compliant with any existing accessibility standard”.

  • UserWay80,000+
  • accessiBe10,000+
  • AudioEye2,000+
Who sees it
Everyone, after load
Changes your pages
A script’s guesses
Verdict
Read the claims before you pay
Why a checker comes first

The WebAIM Million tested a million home pages in February 2026 and found WCAG failures it could detect automatically on 95.9% of them. Six kinds account for 96% of those errors: low-contrast text (83.9% of pages), missing alt text (53.1%), missing form labels (51%), empty links (46.3%), empty buttons (30.6%) and a missing page language (13.5%). A checker finds every one of those kinds. WordPress home pages averaged 52.8 errors, a little under the 56.1 average.

And why it isn’t the last step

W3C, which writes WCAG, puts it plainly: “Tools cannot check all accessibility aspects automatically. Human judgement is required.” A checker can’t press Tab, play your video or submit your form wrongly. The triage below covers what it misses.

02 / What they claim

The best accessibility plugin for WordPress?
Start with what each says about itself.

Several plugins put “ADA”, “EAA” or “compliance” in their names, because that is what people search for. Their descriptions say more. Each line below is quoted from the plugin’s own WordPress.org page; “small print” is the limit it states about itself, where it states one.

Web Accessibility by Elementor

formerly Ally and One Click Accessibility

Toolbar + scanner
Active installs
500,000+
Last updated
24 Aug 2026
Tested up to
7.0.7
It says

“Accessibility Assistant – Scan your pages, detect accessibility violations, and follow guided steps to fix them.”

Its small print

“The Web Accessibility plugin is not a substitute for a thorough accessibility audit and is NOT intended to completely make your website legally compliant.”

Pick it if A free scanner, toolbar and statement generator in one, if you don't mind connecting an Elementor account. Its scanner works to WCAG 2.1 AA, contrast checks are listed as “coming soon”, and AI fixes need a paid plan and credits.

WP Accessibility

by Joe Dolson, in the directory since 2012

Fix plugin
Active installs
60,000+
Last updated
12 Oct 2026
Tested up to
7.1.3
It says

“This plug-in helps with a variety of common accessibility problems in WordPress themes.”

Its small print

“WP Accessibility is not intended to make your site compatible with any accessibility guidelines.”

Pick it if Your theme lacks skip links, focus outlines, a lang attribute or labels on the search and comment forms. Every feature can be switched off once your theme does the job itself.

Equalize Digital Accessibility Checker

by Equalize Digital

Checker
Active installs
10,000+
Last updated
9 Oct 2026
Tested up to
7.1.3
It says

“Accessibility Checker runs over 40 automated checks based on Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2…”

Its small print

“Despite what other plugins, integrations, or overlay products might tell you, there is NO way for any automated tool or plugin to ensure your website is fully accessible.”

Pick it if You want a checker that runs on your own server with no page limits. The free version scans posts and pages; shops need Pro to scan custom post types such as WooCommerce products. Its name lists “WCAG, ADA, EAA and Section 508 compliance”; its FAQ, quoted above, is the accurate read.

Editoria11y Accessibility Checker

the official WordPress build of the open-source library

Checker
Active installs
1,000+
Last updated
7 Oct 2026
Tested up to
7.1.3
It says

“Editoria11y (“editorial accessibility ally”) is a multilingual, automatic, open source accessibility checker that provides live feedback as you work, with site-wide issue reporting and dismissals.”

Its small print

“Editoria11y is meant to supplement, not replace, testing with comprehensive tools and real assistive devices.”

Pick it if Several people write your content. Tips appear in plain language as they work, tests run in the browser, and results stay in your own database. The core test suite is free.

OneTap

Accessibility Widget by OneTap

Toolbar
Active installs
60,000+
Last updated
31 Aug 2026
Tested up to
7.1.3
It says

“Yes, OneTap can help align your website with the guidelines of WCAG and the requirements of the EAA.”

Its small print

No limits stated on its directory page.

Pick it if You want a free toolbar with no account, in 44 languages, plus a statement generator. It doesn't scan your pages or change your markup, so pair it with a checker.

AccessiYes Accessibility Widget

by CookieYes

Toolbar
Active installs
20,000+
Last updated
25 Aug 2026
Tested up to
7.0.7
It says

“With just a few clicks, your website visitors can customise font size, color contrast, spacing, and more to create a browsing experience that fits their accessibility needs.”

Its small print

“It does not guarantee conformance with WCAG or compliance with laws such as the ADA, EAA, or other regulations.”

Pick it if A free toolbar with its disclaimer right next to its claims. The same limits as any toolbar.

Accessibility by UserWay

by UserWay

Auto-fixing overlay
Active installs
80,000+
Last updated
8 Dec 2025
Tested up to
6.9.10
It says

“Increasing your accessibility provides real, sustainable improvement for all users, and protects you from accessibility-related lawsuits.”

Its small print

No limits stated on its directory page.

Before you pay Weigh the lawsuit line against the Overlay Fact Sheet, whose signatories say overlays “cannot eliminate legal risk”. The plugin was last updated in December 2025 and is tested up to WordPress 6.9.10.

Web Accessibility by accessiBe

accessWidget

Auto-fixing overlay
Active installs
10,000+
Last updated
23 Feb 2026
Tested up to
6.9.10
It says

“accessWidget, accessiBe’s leading AI-powered web accessibility solution, helps make your website accessible and ADA compliant based on WCAG…”

Its small print

No limits stated on its directory page.

Before you pay Read it next to the FTC's 2025 order: accessiBe paid $1 million, and may not claim its automated products can make any website WCAG-compliant, or keep it compliant, without evidence to back it.

The FTC and accessiBe

In January 2025 the FTC announced an order requiring accessiBe to pay $1 million over claims that its AI product “can make any website compliant with WCAG”. The final order, approved in April 2025, bars it from making such claims without evidence. It binds accessiBe, not other vendors; the rule that advertising claims need evidence applies to everyone. The guide to accessibility overlays and the FTC order quotes it provision by provision.

Read the dates too

WordPress is on 7.1.3. “Tested up to” is the author’s own statement of the last version they checked; the ones in red were last tested before WordPress 7.0. A plugin that adds scripts to every page is worth keeping current, as the guide to how many WordPress plugins is too many explains.

03 / Triage

A quick WordPress accessibility triage:
where do you start?

Twelve checks: the common failures a checker finds, and the ones only a person can test. Answer what you know, choose “Not sure” for the rest, and get a fix list in order, with the WCAG 2.2 criteria, the kind of plugin that helps, and what an overlay would change. It runs in your browser; nothing is sent anywhere.

Your site
01Do your images have alt text that says what each one is for, with decorative images marked as decorative?
02Does your text pass contrast: at least 4.5:1 for body text, and 3:1 for large text, buttons and field borders?
03Does each page have one main heading (H1), with real Heading blocks below it in order and no skipped levels?
04Does every form field have a visible label that stays put while you type, not just placeholder text?
05Can you reach and use every link, menu, button and form with the keyboard alone, and always see where you are?
06Does every link say where it goes, such as “Download the price list” rather than “Click here” or a bare “Read more”?
07Do your videos have accurate captions, and audio a transcript? (No video or audio? Choose Yes.)
08Does nothing play sound on its own when a page loads, and can sliders and other moving content be paused?
09Is the right language chosen in Settings › General › Site Language, so the page says <html lang="…">?
10Does the page still work at 200% browser zoom, fit at 400% without sideways scrolling, and allow pinch-zoom on a phone?
11If someone fills in a form wrongly, does it say which field and how to fix it, in words and not only with a red border?
12Have you published an accessibility statement that says what works, what doesn't yet, and how to report a problem?
Where do you sell?
What does the site do?
How big is the business?
See your fix list
Your triage12 checks
4 to fix · 5 to test

Start here: Give every form field a visible label (3.3.2, 1.3.1, 4.1.2).

A checker finds it5
A fix plugin can patch it0
Neither: test and fix by hand4
Already fine3

An overlay would change nothing for 6 of these 9 and only add a visitor setting for the other 3.

EAA: likely applies Art. 2(2)(f), Art. 31

Selling or taking bookings online from consumers in the EU is an e-commerce service under the Act, which has applied since 28 June 2025, including to businesses outside the EU that sell into it. National authorities enforce it.

Check it article by article
  • UK

    The EAA is EU law and doesn't apply in the UK itself. UK service providers must make reasonable adjustments for disabled people under the Equality Act 2010, and public sector sites must meet WCAG 2.2 AA.

Not legal advice. It reads your answers against the law’s main tests. For a decision that matters, ask a lawyer who works on accessibility.

Your fix list, in order

Fails first, then what to test
  1. Fix Form plugin

    Give every form field a visible label

    3.3.2Labels or InstructionsA 1.3.1Info and RelationshipsA 4.1.2Name, Role, ValueA

    In your form plugin, give each field a label and leave it showing; placeholder text disappears as people type. The search and comment forms come from your theme.

    Plugin that helps
    A checker finds it
    What an overlay changes
    Nothing

    Nothing you can rely on: a script can only guess what a field is for, and sighted visitors still see no label.

  2. Fix Content

    Write alt text for every image that carries meaning

    1.1.1Non-text ContentA

    In the block editor, select the image and fill in Alternative text, or tick Mark as decorative. Alt text set in Media › Library is copied in when you insert an image, so images already in posts keep what they had.

    Plugin that helps
    A checker finds it
    What an overlay changes
    Nothing

    Some overlays guess descriptions with AI as the page loads. Only you know what an image is for on that page.

  3. Fix Content

    Rewrite links that only say “click here” or “read more”

    2.4.4Link Purpose (In Context)A

    Edit the link text in the block editor so it names the destination. “Read more” links on blog archives come from your theme; WP Accessibility can add the post title to them.

    Plugin that helps
    A checker finds it
    What an overlay changes
    Nothing

    An “underline links” switch makes links easier to spot. The words stay the same.

  4. Fix A page

    Publish an accessibility statement with a way to report problems

    Not a WCAG criterion

    Write it as a page and link it from your footer. Services covered by the EAA must publish how they meet its requirements; elsewhere it's good practice, and the reports it brings in tell you what to fix.

    Plugin that helps
    Neither: test and fix by hand
    What an overlay changes
    Nothing

    Some toolbars link to your statement. Writing it is still yours.

  5. Test Theme

    Tab through every page and watch the focus

    2.1.1KeyboardA 2.4.7Focus VisibleAA 2.4.11Focus Not Obscured (Minimum)AA

    Put the mouse away and press Tab from the top of the page. Every link and control should show an outline, work with Enter or Space, and let you Tab back out.

    Plugin that helps
    Neither: test and fix by hand
    What an overlay changes
    A visitor setting only

    A “highlight focus” switch, for visitors who find it. It can't make a mouse-only menu work with keys.

  6. Test Form plugin

    Submit each form wrongly and read the errors

    3.3.1Error IdentificationA 3.3.3Error SuggestionAA

    Submit each form empty, then with a mistyped email. Read what appears, and check it is text, not just colour.

    Plugin that helps
    Neither: test and fix by hand
    What an overlay changes
    Nothing

    A script can't know what your form expects, so it can't write a message that helps.

  7. Test Content

    Look at each page's heading outline

    1.3.1Info and RelationshipsA 2.4.6Headings and LabelsAA

    Open Document Overview › Outline in the editor: WordPress marks “(Incorrect heading level)” there.

    Plugin that helps
    A checker finds it
    What an overlay changes
    Nothing

    An “underline titles” switch marks headings on screen. It doesn't change their level or turn bold text into a heading.

  8. Test Theme

    Run a contrast check on text and buttons

    1.4.3Contrast (Minimum)AA 1.4.11Non-text ContrastAA

    Run a checker, then look at text over photos and on buttons yourself: automated tools can't measure text over images.

    Plugin that helps
    A checker finds it
    What an overlay changes
    A visitor setting only

    A contrast mode, for whoever turns it on. W3C counts a switch only if it really reaches 4.5:1 and is easy to find (technique G174).

  9. Test Theme

    Zoom to 200% and 400%

    1.4.4Resize TextAA 1.4.10ReflowAA

    Press Ctrl or Cmd and + until the browser shows 200%, then 400%. Nothing should be cut off or overlap, and at 400% you shouldn't need to scroll sideways.

    Plugin that helps
    Neither: test and fix by hand
    What an overlay changes
    A visitor setting only

    A text-size control. W3C counts one only if it reaches 200% with nothing lost (technique G178), and browser zoom still has to work.

Already fine, by your answers
Captions Autoplay and motion Page language

The order puts what stops people finishing a task first, then the rest of Level A, then AA. These twelve are a start, not an audit: the WCAG 2.2 checklist has all 55 level A and AA criteria, and each number above links to its entry. For the statement, use our accessibility statement generator.

04 / Which fixes what

WordPress accessibility checker, fix plugin or toolbar:
which one fixes what?

The same twelve checks, against each kind of plugin. A checker earns its place by finding things. A fix plugin patches a handful. A toolbar or overlay mostly changes nothing in the page everyone gets.

A checker finds it for 6 of 12, and part of 3 more.

A fix plugin patches it for 1 of 12, and part of 7 more.

An overlay changes the page everyone gets for none of them. It adds a visitor setting for 4.

Swipe the table sideways

Twelve accessibility checks: what a checker plugin, a fix plugin and a toolbar or overlay can do for each, and where the fix happens
Check and WCAG 2.2 Checker Fix plugin Toolbar or overlay The fix happens in
Keyboard and focus 2.1.1 · 2.4.7 · 2.4.11 PartlyFlags some causes, such as buttons and links with no name. It can't press keys for you. PartlyWP Accessibility and Accessibility Checker add skip links and focus outlines and remove positive tabindex. A visitor setting onlyA “highlight focus” switch, for visitors who find it. It can't make a mouse-only menu work with keys. ThemeMenus, sliders and popups that only open on hover or click need your theme or their plugin fixed. Add a focus style in Styles › Additional CSS (Customize › Additional CSS on classic themes), and check nothing sticky covers the focused element.
Form labels 3.3.2 · 1.3.1 · 4.1.2 YesFlags fields with no label. WebAIM found missing labels on 51% of home pages. PartlyWP Accessibility labels the search and comment fields; Accessibility Checker Pro adds a fix for other form fields. NothingNothing you can rely on: a script can only guess what a field is for, and sighted visitors still see no label. Form pluginIn your form plugin, give each field a label and leave it showing; placeholder text disappears as people type. The search and comment forms come from your theme.
Alt text 1.1.1 YesEvery checker flags images with no alt; Editoria11y also flags file names and “image of”. None can tell whether the words are right. PartlyWP Accessibility flags missing alt while you edit. Ally's paid plans suggest alt text with AI, for you to check. NothingSome overlays guess descriptions with AI as the page loads. Only you know what an image is for on that page. ContentIn the block editor, select the image and fill in Alternative text, or tick Mark as decorative. Alt text set in Media › Library is copied in when you insert an image, so images already in posts keep what they had.
Error messages 3.3.1 · 3.3.3 NoCan't submit your forms, so it never sees the errors. PartlyWP Accessibility and Accessibility Checker add an error for empty searches. Nothing for your other forms. NothingA script can't know what your form expects, so it can't write a message that helps. Form pluginTurn on your form plugin's messages for each field, and rewrite vague ones (“Invalid input”) to say what is expected (“Enter an email address like name@example.com”).
Captions 1.2.2 · 1.2.1 PartlyEditoria11y reminds editors to caption every video embed it finds. No plugin can check the captions themselves. NoNo plugin writes accurate captions for you. NothingA script can't hear your video, so it can't add captions that match it. ContentFor videos you upload, add a captions file (.vtt) under Text tracks in the Video block's toolbar. For YouTube or Vimeo embeds, add and correct captions on that platform; automatic captions usually need correcting.
Autoplay and motion 1.4.2 · 2.2.2 NoA quick listen is the test. NoTurning autoplay off is a setting, not a plugin. A visitor setting onlyA “mute sounds” or “stop animations” switch, where there is one. The sound has already started by the time a visitor finds it. SettingsTurn off Autoplay in the Video block (WordPress warns it “may cause usability issues for some users”) and in your slider plugin, or add a visible pause button.
Link text 2.4.4 YesFlags “click here”, “learn more” and links with no text at all. WebAIM found empty links on 46.3% of home pages. PartlyWP Accessibility adds post titles to “read more” links. NothingAn “underline links” switch makes links easier to spot. The words stay the same. ContentEdit the link text in the block editor so it names the destination. “Read more” links on blog archives come from your theme; WP Accessibility can add the post title to them.
Headings 1.3.1 · 2.4.6 YesFlags skipped levels and empty headings; Editoria11y also flags bold paragraphs that look like headings. NoHeadings are your content. No plugin knows which line is a heading. NothingAn “underline titles” switch marks headings on screen. It doesn't change their level or turn bold text into a heading. ContentMost themes print the page title as the H1, so start your content at H2. Turn bold paragraphs that act as headings into Heading blocks. WCAG doesn't demand exactly one H1, but one clear main heading helps everyone.
Page language 3.1.1 YesFlags a missing lang attribute. WebAIM found it missing on 13.5% of home pages. YesWP Accessibility and Accessibility Checker add a missing lang and dir. NothingNothing you need it for: the page language is one setting in WordPress. SettingsPick the right Site Language in Settings › General. WordPress prints it in the <html> tag through your theme; if your theme leaves it out, WP Accessibility adds it.
Colour contrast 1.4.3 · 1.4.11 YesFlags low-contrast text, the most common failure in the WebAIM Million: 83.9% of home pages. NoWP Accessibility includes a tester for two colours. The change itself is in your theme. A visitor setting onlyA contrast mode, for whoever turns it on. W3C counts a switch only if it really reaches 4.5:1 and is easy to find (technique G174). ThemeOn block themes, change the palette in Appearance › Editor › Styles › Colors; on classic themes, in the Customizer or the theme's options. The editor warns “This color combination may be hard for people to read.” when you pick a weak pair.
Zoom and reflow 1.4.4 · 1.4.10 PartlyCan flag a viewport that blocks zoom. A layout that breaks needs a person to look. PartlyWP Accessibility and Accessibility Checker unblock pinch-zoom. A visitor setting onlyA text-size control. W3C counts one only if it reaches 200% with nothing lost (technique G178), and browser zoom still has to work. ThemeFixed widths and fixed-height boxes around text are theme work: fix the theme or change it. If pinch-zoom is blocked, WP Accessibility removes user-scalable=no and maximum-scale=1 from the viewport tag.
Accessibility statement Not in WCAG NoNot something checkers look for. PartlyAlly, OneTap, AccessiYes and Accessibility Checker generate one. What it says has to be true of your site. NothingSome toolbars link to your statement. Writing it is still yours. A pageWrite it as a page and link it from your footer. Services covered by the EAA must publish how they meet its requirements; elsewhere it's good practice, and the reports it brings in tell you what to fix.

“Fix plugin” means WP Accessibility or Accessibility Checker’s optional fixes, as listed on their directory pages.

How do I make my WordPress site accessible, in order?

For a small site, this order gets the most fixed for the least effort. The plugin work is the first afternoon; the rest is testing your own pages the way people use them.

  1. 01

    Install a checker and fix what it finds

    Equalize Digital Accessibility Checker or Editoria11y. Work through alt text, headings, form labels, link text and contrast, page by page, starting with the pages people use most.

  2. 02

    Patch or fix the theme

    If your theme lacks a skip link, a focus outline or a page language, WP Accessibility adds them. If its menus or layout fail the keyboard and zoom tests, the theme needs fixing or replacing.

  3. 03

    Test with the keyboard

    Tab through your home page, a post, a form and the checkout or booking flow. Everything should be reachable, visible and usable without a mouse.

  4. 04

    Listen with a screen reader for ten minutes

    VoiceOver is built into Macs and iPhones (Cmd+F5 on a Mac); NVDA is free for Windows. Move through the headings, follow a link, fill in a form. You will hear what a checker can’t show you.

  5. 05

    Publish an accessibility statement

    Say what works, what doesn’t yet and how to report a problem, with the free accessibility statement template.

  6. 06

    Add a toolbar if you like

    Last, and as an extra for visitors, never as a reason to skip the steps above.

05 / Built in

Is WordPress accessible out of the box?
Its code aims to be. Your site is up to you.

WordPress’s own accessibility coding standards say code in the WordPress ecosystem, “including WordPress core, WordPress.org websites, and official plugins, is expected to conform to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), version 2.2, at level AA.” That covers the software. Your theme, your other plugins and everything you publish are separate.

Already in WordPress 7.1.3Use these first
Image block
1.1.1

Alternative text, with a link labelled Describe the purpose of the image. to W3C’s alt-text decision tree, and a Mark as decorative checkbox: Hidden from assistive technologies.

Colour settings
1.4.3

Pick a weak pair and the editor says This color combination may be hard for people to read.

Document Overview › Outline
1.3.1

Lists the page’s headings and marks (Incorrect heading level).

Video block › Text tracks
1.2.2

Upload captions as a .vtt file, so they play with the video.

Video block › Autoplay
1.4.2

Warns Autoplay may cause usability issues for some users. and mutes the video when it’s on.

Settings › General › Site Language
3.1.1

Sets the language your theme prints in the <html lang> attribute.

The quoted labels are WordPress 7.1.3’s own, read from its editor code on 16 October 2026. Page builders such as Elementor have their own editors and their own markup, so check what they output too.

Themes: the accessibility-ready tag

Does an accessibility-ready theme make the site accessible?

It helps a great deal, and it is not the same thing. Themes can ask the Theme Review team for a manual accessibility review; those that pass carry the accessibility-ready tag. The directory lists 103 of them, among them Twenty Twenty-Three, Twenty Twenty-Four and Twenty Twenty-Five.

“‘Accessibility Ready’ does not mean that the theme meets the WCAG guidelines AA-level. It means that the theme reaches the minimum standards that the theme review team has set.”

Theme Review handbook
The 18 items the review requires
  • Skip to content link
  • Landmark roles and names
  • Keyboard navigation
  • Controls with names, roles and states
  • Labelled form fields
  • Headings in a meaningful structure
  • Underlined links in text
  • No ambiguous link text
  • Colour contrast of text and controls
  • Alternative text on images
  • Accessible audio, video and animation
  • Reflow, resize and text spacing
  • No unexpected changes of context
  • Warnings on links to new windows
  • Accessible hover and focus content
  • An accessibility statement
  • No inaccessible plugins required
  • Screen reader text supported

Starting a new site or changing theme anyway? Filter the theme directory by this tag first. Your content, forms and plugins still need the checks above.

06 / The law

Is there an ADA or EAA compliance plugin for WordPress?
No. Here is what the law asks for instead.

The laws below care whether your site is accessible and whether what you say about it is true. None of them names a product, and none treats installing one as compliance. W3C’s definition of conformance is the bar they point towards: every success criterion met, on the page everyone gets.

European Union · EAA

E-commerce for consumers, since 28 June 2025

The European Accessibility Act covers listed services offered to consumers in the EU, online shops and bookings among them, wherever the business is based. Microenterprises providing services, fewer than 10 people and no more than €2 million in turnover or balance sheet, are exempt (Article 4(5)).

It presumes conformity through harmonised standards, not tools; ETSI’s EN 301 549 V4.1.1 refers to WCAG 2.2. Does the EAA apply to your small business? walks through it article by article.

United Kingdom · Equality Act 2010

Reasonable adjustments, and WCAG 2.2 AA for the public sector

The EAA doesn’t apply in the UK. GOV.UK’s guidance says: “All UK service providers have a legal obligation to make reasonable adjustments under the Equality Act 2010.” Public sector bodies must also meet WCAG 2.2 AA and publish an accessibility statement.

A UK business that sells to consumers in the EU can still fall under the EAA for those sales.

United States · ADA and FTC

No set standard for businesses, and no shortcut

The Justice Department’s web guidance says the ADA reaches what businesses offer on the web, with no regulation setting detailed standards, and that WCAG gives “helpful guidance”. On tools: checkers and overlays “can be helpful tools”, but “a ‘clean’ report does not necessarily mean everything is accessible.”

And the FTC’s accessiBe order is a reminder that a “compliant” badge is an advertising claim that needs evidence.

Not legal advice. Each point above was read in the official text or guidance; the links are in the Sources at the end. Whatever applies to you, an accessibility statement from our free template is how you say honestly where your site stands.

Writing about your own toolbar or badge? The claim checker flags the phrases the FTC case was about.

07 / With Builderify

An accessibility toolbar for WordPress, from Builderify.
Described as what it is.

Builderify’s accessibility widget is a toolbar, kind 03 above. It has 13 tools in five groups: text size, text spacing and a dyslexia-friendly typeface; underlined links and titles and no animations; more contrast, greyscale or inverted colours; a large cursor and focus highlighting; read aloud and a reading guide. You choose which appear. It doesn’t change your markup, so it fixes none of the twelve checks in the triage, and Builderify doesn’t claim it makes a site compliant.

To be fair to the alternatives: if a toolbar is all you want, OneTap, AccessiYes and Ally have free ones that use no credits. Builderify’s makes sense when its website widget is already on your pages for chat, popups or the cookie banner, so the menu comes with a script you load anyway, and a support ticket form in the same widget gives visitors a way to report a barrier.

Install it on WordPress

  1. 1. Download the plugin

    In Builderify, open your website’s Connect page and choose the WordPress tab. Download builderify.zip and copy your site key. The plugin isn’t on WordPress.org yet.

  2. 2. Upload and activate it

    In WordPress, go to Plugins › Add New Plugin › Upload Plugin, choose the file, then Install Now and Activate. It needs WordPress 6.2 and PHP 7.4 or later, and works with classic and block themes.

  3. 3. Paste your site key

    Open Settings › Builderify and paste the key. The widget loads on every public page, after the page itself, so it doesn’t hold up rendering.

  4. 4. Switch the menu on

    In Builderify, open Accessibility and turn it on, then pick tools one by one or apply the Recommended set of eight. It appears as its own floating button beside the widget’s launcher.

Illustration · part of the menu, with two settings on
What this menu is
Kind
A visitor toolbar
Changes your markup
No
Fixes triage checks
None of the twelve
Each tool
An on/off switch; Esc closes the menu
Remembers choices
In the visitor’s browser, for your site
Applies them
Once the widget loads, just after your page
Panel footer
“Powered by Builderify”; 1,500 credits once per site to hide it
Claims to make you compliant
Never
10 credits
per 1,000 page loads with the widget on them, whether or not anyone opens the menu
250 free
credits every month, about 25,000 page loads, with no monthly fee
$9
one-time packs from, and purchased credits never expire

If your credits run out, the widget pauses until you top up, accessibility menu included; the cookie banner keeps running. One more reason the fixes belong in your site, where nothing can switch them off. The full rate card is on the pricing page.

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Questions

WordPress accessibility plugins, before you ask.

For most sites, a checker: Equalize Digital Accessibility Checker or Editoria11y finds missing alt text, skipped headings, unlabelled form fields and vague links while you edit. Add WP Accessibility if your theme lacks a skip link, a focus outline or a page language. A toolbar such as Ally or OneTap is optional: it gives visitors display settings but changes nothing in your markup.

Not on its own. Compliance depends on your theme, content and forms meeting WCAG, which a checker helps you find and you then fix. Ally's own plugin page says it is not a substitute for a thorough accessibility audit, and in 2025 the FTC ordered accessiBe to pay $1 million over claims that its AI product could make any website WCAG-compliant.

They give visitors settings such as bigger text, more spacing and contrast modes, which some people find useful. They don't add alt text, captions or labels to your markup, so screen reader and keyboard users get the same page as before. The Overlay Fact Sheet, signed by more than 1,000 named people, says no overlay product can make a website fully compliant with any existing accessibility standard.

Probably, if you sell or take bookings online from consumers in the EU, wherever your business is based: that is an e-commerce service under the Act, which has applied since 28 June 2025. Microenterprises providing services, with fewer than 10 people and no more than €2 million in turnover or balance sheet, are exempt, and a site that only gives information is not one of the services it lists. This is not legal advice.

Run a checker and fix what it finds: alt text in the Image block, Heading blocks in order, a visible label on every form field, link text that names the destination and colours that pass 4.5:1. Then test what no plugin can: Tab through each page with the keyboard, listen with a screen reader, play videos with captions on and submit forms wrongly to read the errors. Finally, publish an accessibility statement with a way to report problems.

Sources

Read on 16 October 2026. More in the WordPress plugins guide · ← All guides

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