Tools & Comparisons · 4 min read

7 Free UX Audit Tools to Test Your Website Usability Today

By My Design Audit team · Published August 13, 2026

Discover the best free UX audit tools and chrome extensions to instantly scan your website for usability, contrast, speed, and conversion bottlenecks.

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Key Takeaways

• A website can look polished and still suffer from slow loading, unreadable text, or inaccessible forms.
• Combining performance checks, visual accessibility scanners, and session recordings gives a well-rounded diagnosis.
• Fixing a small number of meaningful problems identified by free tools establishes a strong baseline before deeper reviews.

Why Test With Free Usability and Diagnostic Tools?

A website can look polished and still be difficult to use. Slow loading, unreadable text, inaccessible forms and confusing interactions can prevent visitors from completing a task.

These seven tools offer free ways to investigate different parts of that experience. They complement each other: an accessibility checker, performance test and session recording tool answer different questions.

1. Google Lighthouse — technical checks while you build

Lighthouse is an open-source auditing tool available in Chrome DevTools. It checks performance, accessibility, SEO and web best practices.

  • Start here: Open your page in Chrome, open DevTools and run a Lighthouse audit. Review the individual findings rather than focusing only on the score.
  • Free access: The open-source tool is free.
  • Limit: A high score does not prove that visitors understand your offer or can complete your signup flow.
  • Reference: Google Chrome Lighthouse Documentation

2. PageSpeed Insights — mobile and desktop performance

PageSpeed Insights combines a Lighthouse lab test with real-user performance data when enough data is available.

  • Start here: Test your homepage and an important landing page. Compare mobile and desktop results, then investigate loading and layout-shift issues.
  • Free access: The web testing interface is free.
  • Limit: Low-traffic pages may lack real-user data. Its lab results overlap with Lighthouse, so these are not two independent usability evaluations.
  • Reference: PageSpeed Insights Documentation

3. WAVE — visual accessibility checks

WAVE places accessibility findings directly on the page, helping you inspect issues in their visual context.

  • Start here: Enter a public URL into WAVE or use its browser extension. Review flagged errors alongside headings, labels and page structure.
  • Free access: WAVE’s public evaluation tool and browser extensions are free. Separate paid services also exist.
  • Limit: Automated checks cannot identify every accessibility issue or certify that a website is accessible.
  • Reference: WAVE Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool

4. axe DevTools — accessibility findings for developers

The free axe DevTools browser extension identifies common accessibility problems in web pages and applications.

  • Start here: Scan an important page, investigate the affected elements and repeat the scan after fixing them.
  • Free access: A free extension is available. Advanced features belong to paid offerings.
  • Limit: Automated scanning is only part of an accessibility review. Interactive journeys still need manual testing.
  • Reference: axe DevTools Extension Documentation

5. WebAIM Contrast Checker — text and background contrast

WebAIM’s Contrast Checker evaluates a foreground and background colour pair against WCAG contrast criteria.

  • Start here: Check body text, form labels and button text. Test the actual colours used in the interface, including relevant interaction states.
  • Free access: The browser-based checker is free.
  • Limit: Passing a contrast check does not establish that typography, visual hierarchy or the complete interface is usable.
  • Reference: WebAIM Contrast Checker

6. Accessibility Insights for Web — guided accessibility review

Accessibility Insights combines automated checks with guided manual assessments.

  • Start here: Use FastPass for an initial review, including keyboard navigation, then investigate important flows more thoroughly.
  • Free access: The tool is free and open source.
  • Limit: Some checks require human judgement. Installing the extension does not make the assessment fully automatic.
  • Reference: Accessibility Insights for Web

7. Microsoft Clarity — observe real visitor behaviour

Clarity provides heatmaps and session recordings to help you investigate how visitors interact with your website.

  • Start here: After configuring data collection and appropriate privacy controls, review visits to an important page. Look for repeated interaction problems and check recordings for context.
  • Free access: Microsoft offers Clarity free of charge.
  • Limit: It needs visitor activity to provide useful evidence. A recording shows behaviour, but does not reliably explain a visitor’s motivation.
  • Reference: Microsoft Clarity

A practical way to use these tools

Follow this structured process to evaluate and improve your user experience:

  • Choose one task, such as creating an account.
  • Check loading performance with PageSpeed Insights or Lighthouse.
  • Use an accessibility checker and manually try keyboard navigation.
  • Check important text and button colours.
  • Observe real usage where appropriate.
  • Ask someone unfamiliar with the website to attempt the task.
  • Record each problem, the evidence supporting it and the proposed fix. Fix a small number of meaningful problems, then repeat the same task.

Where My Design Audit fits

These tools provide useful technical and behavioural evidence. My Design Audit offers an additional AI-assisted review of usability, visual hierarchy, clarity and conversion friction. Use its recommendations as issues to investigate alongside your technical findings and user feedback. An audit does not guarantee higher conversions.

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