axe-core

Metrics as of 2026-09-22, from the GitHub or GitLab API of each repository. Refreshed monthly.

What axe-core is

axe-core is an engine that tests websites and other HTML-based interfaces for accessibility issues. Its rules cover WCAG 2.0, 2.1 and 2.2 at levels A, AA and AAA. Additional rules check common accessibility practices outside WCAG. Results mark elements as incomplete when manual review is needed. The engine is a JavaScript file loaded into the page or iframes under test, and tests call axe.run() to collect violations. The API supports Edge, Chrome, Firefox and Safari, with deprecated Internet Explorer 11 support and limited JSDOM support. It handles in-memory and static fixtures, integration tests and nested iframes. Rule messages can be translated through locale files.

Written from the project's README, read 2026-09-22.

Category: Accessibility testing
License: MPL-2.0
Language: HTML
Changelog: Releases on GitHub

Repository metrics

Repository metrics
Stars	7,542¹
Forks	937¹
Open issues and PRs	436¹
Contributors	265¹
Commits in the last 90 days	89¹
Last commit	2026-09-21¹
Last release	v4.13.0, 2026-08-05¹
Fetched	2026-09-22

¹ Fetched from the GitHub or GitLab API on 2026-09-22. Hover a value for its own date.

Status

activeLast commit within 90 days of the fetch date.

Computed from the last commit date and the archive flag on the fetch date. See the status rules.

Alternatives

Listed accessibility testing tools, same primary language first, then by GitHub stars. Each line gives one fact from the tool's documentation where it differs from axe-core's, with its source.

Lighthouse: Rules or standards: Accessibility audits, weighted by axe user impact assessments. source: Docs: Lighthouse accessibility score
Lighthouse CI: Rules or standards: Lighthouse regression checks for accessibility, SEO, offline support and performance. source: README
Pa11y: Rules or standards: WCAG2A, WCAG2AA (default), WCAG2AAA (HTML_CodeSniffer runner only). source: README
Accessibility Insights for Web: Rules or standards: WCAG 2.2 Level AA success criteria (Assessment). source: Docs: Assessment
equal-access: Rules or standards: Rule policies such as IBM_Accessibility (default) and WCAG_2_1. source: Docs: accessibility-checker usage
axe-core-npm: Rules or standards: axe-core rules selected by tag, such as wcag2a (CLI --tags). source: Docs: @axe-core/cli
cypress-axe: Rules or standards: axe-core rules; README example filters by tag wcag2a. source: README
Pa11y CI: Browsers: Chrome (executable path set in defaults.chromeLaunchConfig.executablePath). source: README

Comparisons

How to install

npm install axe-core --save-dev

From README, read 2026-09-22.

Questions

Is axe-core open source?

Yes. axe-core is released under MPL-2.0, an OSI-approved license, as reported by the GitHub API on 2026-09-22.

Is axe-core maintained?

On 2026-09-22, the last commit to the default branch was on 2026-09-21, so the listed status is active. Rule: Last commit within 90 days of the fetch date.

How many GitHub stars does axe-core have?

7,542 stars on 2026-09-22, from the GitHub API. The number is refreshed at each monthly update.

What language is axe-core written in?

The repository's primary language, as reported by the GitHub API, is HTML.

How do I install axe-core?

The README gives this command: npm install axe-core --save-dev

Sources

GitHub REST API: repository, read 2026-09-22
GitHub REST API: commits, read 2026-09-22
GitHub REST API: latest release, read 2026-09-22
GitHub REST API: contributors, read 2026-09-22
README, read 2026-09-22