Skip to content
https://nerdwallet.com

Accessibility

· 13 checks — Landmarks, headings, alt text, forms, and link quality rolled into one auditable list.
SCORE
58
GRADE
D
FIX
4
REVIEW
5
PASS
4
INFO
0
Checks
13
4 PASS 5 REVIEW 4 FIX
F
Web Manifest
Action
Valid manifest
FIX
Valid manifest
Warning::
No name or short_name
Add a name field to identify the app.
Warning::
No 192x192 icon
A 192px icon is required for PWA installation.
Info::
Display mode: standalone
PWA Install Criteria Not Installable
Name ✗192×192 icon ✗512×512 icon ✗Start URL ✗Display Mode standalone ✓
Display Mode standalone
D
Dark Mode Support
Action
No dark mode signals
FIX
No dark mode signals
Info::
No dark mode signals detected
Consider adding CSS with @media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) and <meta name='color-scheme' content='light dark'>.
Info::
Detection limited to meta tags and inline styles
External CSS files may contain prefers-color-scheme rules not visible to this scan.
Dark ModeNo Dark Mode Detected
color-scheme meta Not set ✗Dark theme-color Not set ✗CSS indicators Not detected ✗

Detection limited to meta tags and inline styles.

D
Print Stylesheet
Action
No print styles
FIX
No print styles
Info::
No print-specific styles detected
When users print this page, they get the screen layout including navigation and non-essential elements. Add @media print rules to hide navigation and optimize layout for paper.
Print Stylesheet No Print Styles
Print stylesheet Not found ✗Inline @media print Not detected ✗
F
Navigation UX
Action
1 navigation pattern(s)
FIX
1 navigation pattern(s)
Info::
Skip navigation link detected
Info::
20 navigation landmark(s) detected
Breadcrumbs
Search
Skip Link Skip link detected
Labeled Navigation 20 <nav> element(s)
Back to Top
Hamburger Menu
Sticky Navigation Cannot reliably detect (CSS-based)
2 of 6 testable patterns navigation patterns detected. Limited navigation support. Consider adding breadcrumbs, search, and skip link.
C
Form Accessibility
Action
9 of 21 controls have issues
REVIEW
9 of 21 controls have issues
Critical::
9 control(s) without accessible label
Form controls need a <label>, aria-label, or aria-labelledby for screen readers.
Got: <input type="radio" name="navPanels" id="navPanelNone">; <input type="radio" name="navPanels" id="navPanelTree">; <input type="radio" name="navPanels" id="navPanelSearch">; <input type="radio" name="navPanels" id="navPanelNotifications">; <input type="radio" name="navPanels" id="navPanelMyNerdwallet">; <input type="checkbox" id="navUserIsLoggedIn">; <input type="checkbox" id="authButtonsCanShow">; <input type="radio" name="navL1Item" id="navL1Close">; <input type="text" id="nerd-ai-mini-prompt-bar-input">
Info::
12 control(s) properly labeled
21 controls
12 labeled
0 placeholder only
9 unlabeled
ControlTypeLabelMethod
#1381149radioCredit cardsfor/id
#1381152radioBankingfor/id
#1381155radioHomefor/id
#1381158radioLoansfor/id
#1381162radioInsurancefor/id
#1381164radioPersonal financefor/id
#1381166radioInvestingfor/id
#1381168radioSmall businessfor/id
#1382180radioTaxesfor/id
#searchInputsearchSearch the NerdWallet sitearia-label
#tab-mortgages-inputradioMortgagesfor/id
#tab-banking-inputradioBankingfor/id
#navPanelMyNerdwalletradio(none)none
#navUserIsLoggedIncheckbox(none)none
#authButtonsCanShowcheckbox(none)none
#navL1Closeradio(none)none
#navPanelNoneradio(none)none
#navPanelTreeradio(none)none
#nerd-ai-mini-prompt-bar-inputtext(none)none
#navPanelSearchradio(none)none
#navPanelNotificationsradio(none)none

Form controls need a <label>, aria-label, or aria-labelledby for screen readers.

<input type="radio" name="navPanels" id="navPanelNone">; <input type="radio" name="navPanels" id="navPanelTree">; <input type="radio" name="navPanels" id="navPanelSearch">; <input type="radio" name="navPanels" id="navPanelNotifications">; <input type="radio" name="navPanels" id="navPanelMyNerdwallet">; <input type="checkbox" id="navUserIsLoggedIn">; <input type="checkbox" id="authButtonsCanShow">; <input type="radio" name="navL1Item" id="navL1Close">; <input type="text" id="nerd-ai-mini-prompt-bar-input">

Why this matters

Form controls without labels — assistive tech announces 'edit text' with no context; users can't complete forms.

Source: WCAG 2.1 SC 3.3.2

C
404 Error Page
Action
HTTP 404, custom page
REVIEW
HTTP 404, custom page
Info::
Correct 404 status code returned
Got: HTTP 404
Info::
Custom styled 404 page
404 Page Quality ✓ Custom 404 Page
Status Code HTTP 404 ✓Page Title Whoops, wrong turn! ✓Custom Styling ✓Navigation ✗Homepage Link ✗Search Form ✗
C
Favicon & Branding
Action
3 icon(s) detected
REVIEW
3 icon(s) detected
Info::
favicon.ico present at site root
Info::
HTML icon links detected
Info::
Apple touch icon present
✓ favicon.ico Present
✓ PNG Icons Present
✓ Apple Touch Present
✗ SVG Favicon Missing
✗ Manifest Icons Missing
✗ Multiple Sizes Missing
B
Lighthouse Accessibility Audits
Score 84/100 — 5 failing, 22 passed
REVIEW
84

Accessibility

These checks highlight opportunities to improve the accessibility of your web app. Automatic detection can only detect a subset of issues and does not guarantee the accessibility of your web app, so manual testing is also encouraged.

Contrast

Low-contrast text is difficult or impossible for many users to read. Learn how to provide sufficient color contrast.

Why this matters

Performance issues directly impact user engagement and conversion rates.

Failing Elements
Compare Now div.flex > div.h-full > a.group > span.text-green
6.98% a.group > div.flex > div.flex > span.hp-fade-element
6.07% a.group > div.flex > div.flex > span.hp-fade-element
5.55% a.group > div.flex > div.flex > span.hp-fade-element

Low-contrast text is difficult or impossible for many users to read. Link text that is discernible improves the experience for users with low vision. Learn how to make links distinguishable.

Why this matters

Performance issues directly impact user engagement and conversion rates.

Failing Elements
Privacy policy div#onetrust-group-container > div#onetrust-policy > div#onetrust-policy-text > a.ot-cookie-policy-link

These are opportunities to improve the legibility of your content.

Names and labels

Labels ensure that form controls are announced properly by assistive technologies, like screen readers. Learn more about form element labels.

Why this matters

Performance issues directly impact user engagement and conversion rates.

Failing Elements
div.group/container > div.p-3 > div.relative > input#nerd-ai-mini-prompt-bar-input div.group/container > div.p-3 > div.relative > input#nerd-ai-mini-prompt-bar-input

These are opportunities to improve the semantics of the controls in your application. This may enhance the experience for users of assistive technology, like a screen reader.

Best practices

Touch targets with sufficient size and spacing help users who may have difficulty targeting small controls to activate the targets. Learn more about touch targets.

Why this matters

Performance issues directly impact user engagement and conversion rates.

Failing Elements
NerdWallet Home Page div.compass-v3 > header#global-nav > div.flex-grow > a#global-nav-logo-link

These items highlight common accessibility best practices.

Visible text labels that do not match the accessible name can result in a confusing experience for screen reader users. Learn more about accessible names.

Why this matters

Performance issues directly impact user engagement and conversion rates.

Failing Elements
Compare Now Refinance Best rate on NerdWallet (30-Year Fixed) 5.91% Average rat… div.-mx-4 > div.flex > div.h-full > a.group
30-Year Fixed Best rate on NerdWallet 5.72% Average rate 6.07% div.-mx-4 > div.flex > div.h-full > a.group
15-Year Fixed Best rate on NerdWallet 4.76% Average rate 5.55% div.-mx-4 > div.flex > div.h-full > a.group
Privacy policy div#onetrust-group-container > div#onetrust-policy > div#onetrust-policy-text > a.ot-cookie-policy-link
○Interactive controls are keyboard focusable
○Interactive elements indicate their purpose and state
○The page has a logical tab order
○Visual order on the page follows DOM order
○User focus is not accidentally trapped in a region
○The user's focus is directed to new content added to the page
○HTML5 landmark elements are used to improve navigation
○Offscreen content is hidden from assistive technology
○Custom controls have associated labels
○Custom controls have ARIA roles
●`[aria-*]` attributes match their roles
●`[aria-hidden="true"]` is not present on the document `<body>`
●`[role]`s have all required `[aria-*]` attributes
●`[role]` values are valid
●`[aria-*]` attributes have valid values
●`[aria-*]` attributes are valid and not misspelled
●Buttons have an accessible name
●Image elements have `[alt]` attributes
●`[user-scalable="no"]` is not used in the `<meta name="viewport">` element and the `[maximum-scale]` attribute is not less than 5.
●ARIA attributes are used as specified for the element's role
●Elements with `role="dialog"` or `role="alertdialog"` have accessible names.
●`[aria-hidden="true"]` elements do not contain focusable descendents
●Elements use only permitted ARIA attributes
●Document has a `<title>` element
●`<html>` element has a `[lang]` attribute
●`<html>` element has a valid value for its `[lang]` attribute
●Links have a discernible name
●No element has a `[tabindex]` value greater than 0
●Heading elements appear in a sequentially-descending order
●Document has a main landmark.
●Deprecated ARIA roles were not used
●Identical links have the same purpose.
○`[accesskey]` values are unique
○`button`, `link`, and `menuitem` elements have accessible names
○ARIA input fields have accessible names
○ARIA `meter` elements have accessible names
○ARIA `progressbar` elements have accessible names
○Elements with an ARIA `[role]` that require children to contain a specific `[role]` have all required children.
○`[role]`s are contained by their required parent element
○Elements with the `role=text` attribute do not have focusable descendents.
○ARIA toggle fields have accessible names
○ARIA `tooltip` elements have accessible names
○ARIA `treeitem` elements have accessible names
○The page contains a heading, skip link, or landmark region
○`<dl>`'s contain only properly-ordered `<dt>` and `<dd>` groups, `<script>`, `<template>` or `<div>` elements.
○Definition list items are wrapped in `<dl>` elements
○ARIA IDs are unique
○No form fields have multiple labels
○`<frame>` or `<iframe>` elements have a title
○`<html>` element has an `[xml:lang]` attribute with the same base language as the `[lang]` attribute.
○Input buttons have discernible text.
○`<input type="image">` elements have `[alt]` text
○Lists contain only `<li>` elements and script supporting elements (`<script>` and `<template>`).
○List items (`<li>`) are contained within `<ul>`, `<ol>` or `<menu>` parent elements
○The document does not use `<meta http-equiv="refresh">`
○`<object>` elements have alternate text
○Select elements have associated label elements.
○Skip links are focusable.
○Cells in a `<table>` element that use the `[headers]` attribute refer to table cells within the same table.
○`<th>` elements and elements with `[role="columnheader"/"rowheader"]` have data cells they describe.
○`[lang]` attributes have a valid value
○`<video>` elements contain a `<track>` element with `[kind="captions"]`
○Tables have different content in the summary attribute and `<caption>`.
○All heading elements contain content.
○Uses ARIA roles only on compatible elements
○Image elements do not have `[alt]` attributes that are redundant text.
○Tables use `<caption>` instead of cells with the `[colspan]` attribute to indicate a caption.
○`<td>` elements in a large `<table>` have one or more table headers.
A
Landmark Structure
27 landmarks
PASS
27 landmarks
Info::
<main> landmark present
Info::
20 <nav> landmark(s) found
Warning::
2 of 20 <nav> elements are unlabeled
Multiple navigations need aria-label to distinguish them for screen readers.
Info::
Skip navigation link present
Page Structure — as a screen reader sees it
BANNER header NAV MAIN CONTENTINFO footer

Multiple navigations need aria-label to distinguish them for screen readers.

Why this matters

Some <nav> elements lack aria-label — screen-reader users hear 'navigation' multiple times with no way to distinguish them.

Learn more ▾

When a page has multiple <nav> regions (primary, footer, breadcrumb), each needs aria-label or aria-labelledby. AT users navigate by landmark; identical 'navigation' announcements force them to enter each one to discover purpose.

Source: WAI-ARIA Authoring Practices

A+
Heading Hierarchy
53 headings
PASS
53 headings
Info::
Single H1 present
  • H1 Smart financial decisions start with NerdWallet
  • H2 Why millions trust NerdWallet
  • H2 Why millions trust NerdWallet
  • H2 News That Impacts Your Wallet
  • H3 How AI’s Big Appetite for Chips Hits Consumer Wallets
  • H3 2026 High School Grad Analysis: Over $43K in Loans for a Bachelor’s Degree
  • H3 How to Live that Debt-Free Life
  • H3 The Joy of Budgeting? Really? Yes, Really.
  • H3 Mortgage Rates Today, Tuesday, April 21: Higher Amid Uncertainty
  • H3 How AI’s Big Appetite for Chips Hits Consumer Wallets
  • H3 2026 High School Grad Analysis: Over $43K in Loans for a Bachelor’s Degree
  • H3 How to Live that Debt-Free Life
  • H3 The Joy of Budgeting? Really? Yes, Really.
  • H3 Mortgage Rates Today, Tuesday, April 21: Higher Amid Uncertainty
  • H3 How AI’s Big Appetite for Chips Hits Consumer Wallets
  • H3 2026 High School Grad Analysis: Over $43K in Loans for a Bachelor’s Degree
  • H3 How to Live that Debt-Free Life
  • H3 The Joy of Budgeting? Really? Yes, Really.
  • H3 Mortgage Rates Today, Tuesday, April 21: Higher Amid Uncertainty
  • H3 How AI’s Big Appetite for Chips Hits Consumer Wallets
  • H3 2026 High School Grad Analysis: Over $43K in Loans for a Bachelor’s Degree
  • H3 How to Live that Debt-Free Life
  • H3 The Joy of Budgeting? Really? Yes, Really.
  • H3 Mortgage Rates Today, Tuesday, April 21: Higher Amid Uncertainty
  • H3 How AI’s Big Appetite for Chips Hits Consumer Wallets
  • H2 Find smarter rates today
  • H3 Refinance
  • H3 30-Year Fixed
  • H3 15-Year Fixed
  • H3 Savings
  • H3 CD Rates
  • H3 Money Market
  • H2 Earn 3.9% APY on your cash
  • H2 More resources
  • H3 Discover the best transfer credit cards
  • H3 Get the best home insurance quotes
  • H3 Compare the best mortgage lenders
  • H3 Unlock financial flexibility with a personal loan
  • H3 Find the right credit card for your business
  • H3 Unlock your financial potential with ease
  • H3 Start investing with confidence
  • H3 Find the right student loan for you
  • H3 Find a financial advisor that's right for you
  • H3 Discover the best transfer credit cards
  • H3 Get the best home insurance quotes
  • H3 Compare the best mortgage lenders
  • H3 Unlock financial flexibility with a personal loan
  • H3 Find the right credit card for your business
  • H3 Unlock your financial potential with ease
  • H3 Start investing with confidence
  • H3 Find the right student loan for you
  • H3 Find a financial advisor that's right for you
  • H2 Track, save, and invest — all in one easy app
A
Alt Text Quality
2 of 293 images have issues
PASS
2 of 293 images have issues
Critical::
1 image(s) missing alt attribute
Images without alt text are invisible to screen readers.
Warning::
1 image(s) with generic alt text
Info::
225 decorative image(s) correctly marked
Info::
66 image(s) with good alt text
293 images 66 good alt text 225 decorative 1 generic 1 missing
IssueCount
missing1 image(s)
generic1 image(s)

Images without alt text are invisible to screen readers.

Why this matters

Each image without alt text is a WCAG 1.1.1 failure — invisible to screen-reader users, lost from Google Image Search.

Learn more ▾

WCAG 2.1 Level A requires text alternatives for non-decorative images. Empty alt='' is fine for decorative; meaningful images need descriptive text. Common fixes: CMS audit + bulk add, build-time linter (alt-text-required ESLint rule), CI gate on Lighthouse a11y score.

Source: WCAG 2.1 SC 1.1.1 / WebAIM Million Report

A+
Color Contrast (Screenshot)
20 text elements analyzed, 0 fail WCAG AA
PASS

Analyzes text contrast against the actual rendered page, including background images, gradients, and overlays that CSS-based tools cannot detect.

20 pass
Show all checked elements (20)
ElementRatioRequiredFGBGResult
h2 Why millions trust N…18.25:13.0:1
#000000
#E8F1EE
Pass
h2 Why millions trust N…18.25:13.0:1
#000000
#E8F1EE
Pass
h2 News That Impacts Yo…18.25:13.0:1
#000000
#E8F1EE
Pass
h2 Find smarter rates t…18.25:13.0:1
#000000
#E8F1EE
Pass
h2 Earn 3.9% APY on you…18.25:13.0:1
#000000
#E8F1EE
Pass
h2 More resources18.25:13.0:1
#000000
#E8F1EE
Pass
h2 Track, save, and inv…18.25:13.0:1
#000000
#E8F1EE
Pass
h3 How AI’s Big Appet…18.25:13.0:1
#000000
#E8F1EE
Pass
h3 2026 High School Gra…18.25:13.0:1
#000000
#E8F1EE
Pass
h3 How to Live that Deb…18.25:13.0:1
#000000
#E8F1EE
Pass
h3 The Joy of Budgeting…18.25:13.0:1
#000000
#E8F1EE
Pass
h3 Mortgage Rates Today…18.25:13.0:1
#000000
#E8F1EE
Pass
h3 How AI’s Big Appet…18.25:13.0:1
#000000
#E8F1EE
Pass
h3 2026 High School Gra…18.25:13.0:1
#000000
#E8F1EE
Pass
h3 How to Live that Deb…18.25:13.0:1
#000000
#E8F1EE
Pass
h3 The Joy of Budgeting…18.25:13.0:1
#000000
#E8F1EE
Pass
h3 Mortgage Rates Today…18.25:13.0:1
#000000
#E8F1EE
Pass
h3 How AI’s Big Appet…18.25:13.0:1
#000000
#E8F1EE
Pass
h3 2026 High School Gra…18.25:13.0:1
#000000
#E8F1EE
Pass
h3 How to Live that Deb…18.25:13.0:1
#000000
#E8F1EE
Pass

Methodology: The top 20 text elements by font size were checked. Background color was sampled from the desktop screenshot using a 5-point pattern. WCAG 2.1 AA requires 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text.

All checks on this page are automated. Results are estimates - run targeted manual reviews when the score affects a release decision.

Send Feedback