Email Accessibility Checker
Check your email HTML against WCAG standards and accessibility best practices. Everything is analyzed locally in your browser.
Paste the HTML source of your email. We'll check it against WCAG standards and email accessibility best practices.
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Score Breakdown
Why Email Accessibility Matters
Over one billion people worldwide live with some form of disability. When your emails are not accessible, you exclude a significant portion of your audience. Beyond the moral imperative, there are legal requirements: the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the European Accessibility Act, and similar legislation in many countries increasingly apply to digital communications, including email.
Accessible emails also perform better for everyone. Clear structure, sufficient contrast, and descriptive links improve readability and engagement for all recipients, not just those using assistive technology. Screen readers, voice assistants, and even smart watches rely on proper HTML semantics to present your content correctly.
WCAG Standards for Email
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) were designed for websites, but many of their principles apply directly to HTML email. The most relevant guidelines for email include color contrast requirements (WCAG 1.4.3), text alternatives for images (WCAG 1.1.1), meaningful link text (WCAG 2.4.4), and proper document language (WCAG 3.1.1).
Email has additional constraints that websites do not. Most email clients strip out JavaScript, limit CSS support, and render HTML differently. This means accessibility in email often comes down to the fundamentals: semantic HTML, inline styles with sufficient contrast, alt text on every image, and a logical reading order that works even when styles are stripped away.
Making Images Accessible in Email
Every image in your email should have meaningful alt text that describes the content or function of the image. Screen readers announce alt text in place of the image, so recipients who cannot see the image still understand its purpose.
Alt text best practices for email:
Be descriptive but concise. Describe what the image shows or what action it represents. "Blue running shoes on sale for $79" is better than "product image" or "shoes.jpg".
Decorative images need empty alt text. Spacers, dividers, and purely decorative images should have alt="" (empty alt attribute) or role="presentation" so screen readers skip them entirely rather than announcing "image" with no context.
Images inside links are critical. If an image is the only content inside a link, the alt text becomes the link text. Without it, screen reader users hear "link" with no indication of where it goes.
Color Contrast in Email Design
WCAG requires a minimum contrast ratio of 4.5:1 between text and its background for normal-sized text, and 3:1 for large text (18px or larger). These ratios ensure that text remains readable for people with low vision or color deficiencies.
Common contrast mistakes in email include light gray text on white backgrounds, white text on pastel-colored buttons, and placeholder text that blends into input fields. Many popular email templates fail contrast requirements, especially in footer areas where designers often use light gray text.
The highest level of conformance (AAA) requires a 7:1 contrast ratio, which provides even better readability. While AAA is not always required, aiming for it improves the experience for everyone, particularly recipients reading on mobile devices in bright sunlight or on low-quality displays.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do WCAG guidelines apply to email?
While WCAG was created for web content, its principles are widely applied to email as a best practice. Many accessibility laws reference WCAG as the standard for digital communications, and major email service providers increasingly recommend following WCAG guidelines. The core principles of perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust content apply just as much to email as they do to websites.
What is the minimum contrast ratio required for accessible text?
WCAG Level AA requires a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text (18px or larger, or 14px bold). Level AAA requires 7:1 for normal text and 4.5:1 for large text. Most accessibility laws reference Level AA as the minimum requirement. You can check your contrast ratios using this tool or browser developer tools.
Should every image have alt text?
Every image should have an alt attribute, but not every image needs descriptive alt text. Informative images should have concise, descriptive alt text. Decorative images (spacers, dividers, background flourishes) should have empty alt text (alt="") so screen readers skip them. The worst outcome is an image with no alt attribute at all, because screen readers may announce the filename or URL instead.
How do screen readers handle HTML email?
Screen readers parse the HTML structure of an email and announce content in the order it appears in the code. They read headings, links, images (via alt text), and text content sequentially. Table-based layouts can confuse screen readers if tables do not have role="presentation", because the screen reader may announce table structure (rows, columns) instead of just reading the content. Proper semantic HTML and reading order are essential.
Does this tool send my email HTML to a server?
No. This tool analyzes your email HTML entirely in your browser using client-side JavaScript. Nothing is uploaded to our servers. Your HTML content is only stored temporarily in your browser session so you can return to your results. If you unlock the full report with your email address, we store the accessibility scores but never the email HTML content itself.