Free WordPress Accessibility Plugin: What It Fixes

A free WordPress accessibility plugin should do a small number of things well, and say plainly what it does not do. Axeazy's free plugin does three things, instantly, at render time, with no account needed. It adds a skip navigation link, it sets the page language attribute, and it gives images an alt text fallback where one is missing. Those three fixes help real visitors on day one, and they cost nothing. They do not fix a whole site, and this article says so, because a plugin that claims to fix everything is a plugin you cannot trust about anything.

Fix one: a skip navigation link

A skip navigation link lets a keyboard user jump past a long menu straight to the main content, instead of tabbing through every menu item on every page. Many themes leave it out, or hide it in a way that does not work. The plugin adds it at render time, so it appears on pages without editing the theme. Test it yourself: load a page, press Tab once, and see whether a visible link offers to skip to the main content. If it does, the fix works on your theme. If your theme already has a working skip link, the plugin's version does not fight it. It fills a gap where one exists.

Fix two: a page language attribute

A page language attribute tells a screen reader which language to read the page in, so it pronounces words correctly instead of guessing. A missing language attribute is a small markup gap with a large effect on a listener: a whole page read in the wrong voice. The plugin sets the attribute at render time, using the site's language setting. It is a one line fix, and it is the kind of fix that never appears in a demo, because nobody demos a language attribute. It still matters to every visitor who listens to the page instead of reading it.

Fix three: an alt text fallback

Alt text describes an image for a visitor who cannot see it. When an image has no alt text at all, a screen reader may read out a file name, or skip the image in silence, leaving the visitor to guess what it showed. The plugin gives such images an alt text fallback at render time, so the image is no longer empty to a screen reader. A fallback is not a substitute for good alt text written by a person who knows what the image means. It is a floor: better than silence, and a clear signal of which images still need a proper description. Paid plans add AI-written alt text saved back to the media library, which replaces the fallback with a description stored on the image itself.

What the free plugin does not do

The free plugin does not fix every category a scan finds. Axeazy's scan runs 98 automated checks against WCAG 2.2 AA, grouped into 14 categories, from form labels and link names to heading structure and landmark structure. The free plugin covers three render-time items. The rest need a scan, a fix, and a retest. Colour contrast is a good example: the scan detects contrast problems and calculates a correct colour, but a visible colour change is never applied without owner approval, because colour touches brand and design. Keyboard traps, form label wording, and heading order need a person to look at the page, not only a plugin to run on it.

The plugin also does not replace a manual check. The United States Department of Justice guidance says automated checkers can help, but a clean report does not mean everything is accessible, and a manual check paired with automated checks gives a better picture. After installing the plugin, move through your homepage and contact form with a keyboard only, and listen to one page with a screen reader if you have access to one. The plugin fixes the three items above. Your hands and ears find the rest.

How it fits beside a scan and paid plans

Start with the free scan on Axeazy's homepage, which runs in 60 seconds with no signup and no card, and shows what a check finds on the page you enter. Install the free plugin from Axeazy's WordPress plugin page for the three instant fixes. Then decide whether paid plans fit: Starter at about $29 a month, Pro at about $79 a month, and Agency at about $199 a month or $1,799 a year, with paid prices shown at checkout and an annual saving of 20 to 25 percent. Check those figures on Axeazy's pricing page on the day you buy. Paid plans add weekly scans, further fixes, and, on WordPress, AI-written alt text saved to the media library and auto captioning. Weekly monitoring on paid plans catches new problems after a theme or plugin update, which is when most WordPress sites regress.

Related reading

For the wider WordPress tool list, read best accessibility tools for WordPress sites, and for the WooCommerce version of the same path, read best accessibility tools for WooCommerce. For the buyer checklist, read accessibility tool buyer checklist.

• For weekly reports, read weekly accessibility reports for your site.

FAQ

Does the free plugin need an account?

No. The three instant fixes apply with no account needed. An account enters the picture only when you move to paid plans for scans, monitoring, and further fixes.

Will the plugin slow my site?

It applies three small render-time items, not a panel or a script that rewrites the page in the visitor's browser. If your site slows after installing any plugin, deactivate it and check whether the slowdown follows the plugin or another change made the same day.

Should I still write alt text by hand?

Yes. The fallback keeps an image from being empty to a screen reader, but a description written by a person who knows what the image means is always better. Treat the fallback as a list of images that still need proper alt text, and work through it over time.

Last checked: October 31, 2026 Sources: W3C WCAG 2.2; ADA.gov web guidance; Axeazy capabilities, pricing, and WordPress plugin pages.

Test the skip link with one Tab press, then read what else a scan checks on Axeazy's capabilities page.