WebAIM - Web Accessibility In Mind

Screen Reader User Survey #11 Results

Introduction

In July-August 2026, WebAIM surveyed preferences of screen reader users. We received 1780 valid responses. This was a follow-up to 10 previous surveys conducted between January 2009 and January 2024.

A few disclaimers and notices:

  • Totals may not equal 100% due to rounding.
  • Total responses (n) for each question may not equal 1780 due to some respondents not answering a particular question.
  • The sample was not controlled and may not represent all screen reader users.
  • We hope to conduct additional surveys of this nature again in the future. If you have recommendations or questions that you would like us to ask, please contact us.

Demographics

Region

Please select your region.
Region# of Respondents% of Respondents
North America93154.1%
Europe47727.7%
Asia1066.2%
Africa/Middle East885.1%
South America643.7%
Australia and Oceania472.7%
Central America and Caribbean80.5%

When survey responses were notably different between regions, it is noted below.

Disability

Do you use a screen reader due to a disability?
Response# of Respondents% of Respondents
Yes168794.8%
No935.2%

Responses are predominantly very similar for respondents with and without disabilities. Any notable differences are indicated below to highlight differences in practices and perceptions between disabled and non-disabled respondents.

Disability Types

Which of the following disabilities do you have?
Response# of Respondents% of Respondents
Blindness148183.2%
Low Vision/Visually-Impaired32118.0%
Cognitive or Learning533.0%
Deafness/Hard-of-Hearing1337.5%
Motor331.9%
Other543.0%

301 respondents (16.9%) reported multiple disabilities. 115 respondents (6.5%) reported being both deaf/hard-of-hearing and blind.

Screen Reader Proficiency

Please rate your screen reader proficiency.
Response# of Respondents% of Respondents
Advanced101457.8%
Intermediate68138.8%
Beginner603.4%

Those who use screen readers due to a disability reported themselves as more proficient with screen readers—60% of those with disabilities considered their proficiency to be "Advanced" compared to only 18.3% of those without disabilities.

Internet Proficiency

Please rate your proficiency using the Internet.
Response# of Respondents% of Respondents
Advanced113464.6%
Intermediate58033.0%
Beginner422.4%

Those without disabilities rated themselves as more proficient (87% reported as "Advanced") than those with disabilities (63% reported as "Advanced").

Primary Desktop/Laptop Screen Reader

Which of the following is your primary desktop/laptop screen reader?
Response# of Respondents% of Respondents
JAWS97555.0%
NVDA58432.9%
VoiceOver1166.5%
ZoomText/Fusion372.1%
Orca251.4%
Narrator70.4%
Dolphin SuperNova30.2%
ChromeVox10.1%
Other251.4%

The following chart shows historical trends for primary screen reader usage.

Line chart of primary screen reader usage since 2009. JAWS is the primary desktop in every survey except 2019, when it was NVDA. JAWS has a steady decline from 68% in 2009 to 40% in 2019, then jumped to 54% in 2021, then down to 41% in 2024, then back up to 55 % in 2026. NVDA has a steady incline from 3% to 41%, then down to 31% in 2021, then up to 38% in 2024, then back down to 33% in 2026. VoiceOver has a slow incline from 10% to 13% until 2019, then a slow decline to 6% in 2026.

2026 saw a resurgence in respondents reporting JAWS as their primary screen reader with both NVDA and VoiceOver declining since 2024.

Primary usage varied greatly by region. JAWS usage was higher than NVDA in North America (72.5% vs. 15.6%) and Australia (59.6% vs. 29.8%). JAWS and NVDA usage were about the same in Europe (42.8% vs. 42.3%). JAWS usage was significantly lower than NVDA in Africa/Middle East (13.6% vs. 83%), Asia (17% vs. 77.4%), and South America (18.8% vs. 67.2%). This survey had a slightly higher number of respondents from North America where JAWS is more frequently used, but this alone does not account for the notable increase in overall JAWS usage.

VoiceOver was significantly more popular among respondents without disabilities (21.7% use VoiceOver) than with users with disabilities (5.7% use VoiceOver).

Beyond the three most popular primary screen readers, all other screen readers comprised a total of 5.5% of usage (down from 12.2% in 2024).

Screen Readers Commonly Used

Which of the following desktop/laptop screen readers do you commonly use?
Response# of Respondents% of Respondents
JAWS123269.2%
NVDA105659.3%
VoiceOver74742.0%
Narrator64336.1%
ZoomText/Fusion1307.3%
Orca1156.5%
ChromeVox653.7%
Dolphin SuperNova231.3%
Other593.3%

The following chart shows historical trends for commonly used screen readers.

Chart of screen reader usage. Since 2017 JAWS and NVDA regularly switch places as the most commonly used screen reader. VoiceOver has always remained third, and Narrator 4th since introduction to the survey in 2017. JAWS decreased from 74% to 61% since 2009, with a notably higher usage in 2021 of 70% and 69% in 2026, and increases in usage of NVDA, VoiceOver, and Narrator over time, with NVDA usage decreasing in 2021 then increasing again to surpass JAWS at 66% in 2024 and then decreasing to 59% in 2026.

JAWS is again the most commonly used screen reader at 69.2% of respondents outpacing NVDA at 59.3%. Narrator—freely available in Windows—is the primary screen reader of only .4% of respondents, but is commonly used by 36.1% of respondents.

70.3% of respondents use more than one desktop/laptop screen reader. 38.4% use three or more, and 15.4% use four or more different screen readers.

Browsers

When using your primary screen reader, which browser do you use most often?
Response# of Respondents% of Respondents
Chrome92452.3%
Microsoft Edge41723.6%
Firefox28115.9%
Safari854.8%
Other613.5%

The following chart shows historical trends for browser usage with a screen reader.

Line chart of primary browser usage showing increases in Chrome to around 52%. Edge also increased in recent years to 24%. Internet Explorer decreased steadily from 73% in 2009 to 0% in 2026. Firefox is at 16% after a few years increase to 41% around 2017. Safari usage generally stable around 5%.

Browser usage remains relatively unchanged in recent years. Chrome and Firefox usage remained steady since 2024 with Edge usage increasing and Safari and other browser usage decreasing.

Screen Reader / Browser Combinations

Most common screen reader and browser combinations
Screen Reader & Browser# of Respondents% of Respondents
JAWS with Chrome54931.2%
NVDA with Chrome30417.3%
JAWS with Edge29917.0%
NVDA with Firefox1609.1%
NVDA with Edge955.4%
JAWS with Firefox885.0%
VoiceOver with Safari764.3%
VoiceOver with Chrome281.6%

There are many combinations of browsers and screen readers in use, with JAWS with Chrome the most common by a substantial margin.

Operating System

What operating system are you on when using your primary desktop/laptop screen reader?
Response# of Respondents% of Respondents
Windows160790.7%
Mac1126.3%
Linux281.6%
Other241.4%

Windows usage with primary screen reader increased to 90.7% from 86.1% in 2024. Respondents without disabilities were over 4 times more likely to use Mac OS than respondents with disabilities.

JavaScript

JavaScript Enabled
Response% of Respondents
Yes99.7%
No0.3%

JavaScript support was detected with the survey form submission. Nearly all respondents had JavaScript enabled.

Main Reason for Use

What is the main reason for using your primary screen reader?
Response# of Respondents% of Respondents
Existing Comfort/Expertise86749.3%
Features42724.3%
Availability19411.0%
Cost1639.3%
Support1076.1%

Over recent years, existing comfort and features has been increasingly indicated as the main reason for primary screen reader use. JAWS and ZoomText users were more likely to indicate that existing comfort and expertise were their main reason for use (57% and 67.7% of respondents, respectively) than NVDA (36%) and VoiceOver (50.4%) users. 24.3% of NVDA users indicated cost as their primary reason compared to only 1.4% of JAWS users. Similarly, 28.7% of VoiceOver users indicated availability as their primary reason compared to 10.5% for NVDA users and 8.7% for JAWS users.

Screen Reader Satisfaction

How satisfied are you with your primary screen reader?
Response# of Respondents% of Respondents
Very satisfied117366.3%
Somewhat satisfied51028.8%
Slightly satisfied724.1%
Not satisfied140.8%

Respondents indicating that they are very or somewhat satisfied by their primary screen reader:

  • NVDA - 96.7%
  • JAWS - 95.9%
  • VoiceOver - 90.3%

Free/Low-cost vs. Commercial

Do you see free or low-cost desktop screen readers (such as NVDA or VoiceOver) as currently being viable alternatives to more expensive commercial screen readers?
Response# of Respondents% of Respondents
Yes130674.6%
No25714.7%
I don't know18810.7%

The perception of free or low-cost screen readers as being viable alternatives has decreased slightly from 78.1% in 2024 to 74.6% in 2026.

Only 61.9% of JAWS users answered "Yes" compared to an overwhelming 91.2% of VoiceOver users and 94% of NVDA users. Those that use free or low-cost screen readers as their primary screen reader have a much better perception of them than those who do not. Respondents with "Advanced" screen reader proficiency were also more favorable of free/low-cost screen readers.

Mobile Screen Readers

Mobile Usage

Do you use a screen reader on a mobile device?
Response# of Respondents% of Respondents
Yes161391.8%
No1448.2%

The vast majority of respondents report using a screen reader on a mobile device. Respondents with disabilities (93.4%) are much more likely to use a mobile screen reader than respondents without disabilities (61.8%).

Mobile Platforms

Which of the following is your primary mobile/tablet platform?
Response# of Respondents% of Respondents
Apple iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch124973.3%
Android41024.0%
Chrome OS80.5%
Other382.2%

Respondents with disabilities (74.1%) used iOS devices at a higher rate than those without disabilities (57%). Usage of iOS devices was significantly higher in North America (84%), Australia (78%), and Europe (72%) than in South America (44%), Asia (41%), and Africa/Middle East (34%). Respondents with more advanced screen reader and internet proficiency used iOS at higher rates than those with lower proficiency.

The following chart shows historical trends for mobile platform usage.

Line chart of mobile platform usage showing mobile platform usage. Since 2017 the approximate share has been: iOS >70%, Android >20+%, Other <3%. iOS increased from 30% in 2010 to 74 percent around 2015 and thereafter, Android usage increasing from 5% to around 25%, and other mobile platforms decreasing from 65% to 3%.

iOS devices continue to dominate the mobile screen reader market. Usage of platforms other than iOS and Android (Chrome OS, Windows Phone, Nokia, etc.) combined represent only 2.7% of reported usage.

Mobile Screen Readers Used

Which of the following mobile/tablet screen readers do you commonly use?
Response% of Respondents
VoiceOver72.2%
TalkBack29.5%
Commentary/Jieshuo8.2%
Voice Assistant5.4%
VoiceView4.2%
Other5.0%

Primary Mobile Browser

Which of the following is your primary mobile web browser?
Response# of Respondents% of Respondents
Safari94556.0%
Chrome47528.2%
Firefox875.2%
IE or Edge Mobile362.1%
Other1438.4%

Mobile vs. Desktop/Laptop Usage

Do you use a screen reader most often on a desktop/laptop computer or a mobile/tablet device?
Responses# of Respondents% of Respondents
Desktop/laptop75142.6%
I use mobile/tablet and desktop/laptop screen readers about the same86449.0%
Mobile/tablet device1478.3%

There has been almost no change to responses to this question over the last 7 years.

Mobile App vs Web Site Usage

When performing common online tasks such as banking or shopping are you most likely to use a mobile app or the web site?
Response# of Respondents% of Respondents
Mobile app94554.8%
Web site77945.2%

While the preference for mobile app usage had increased notably over the previous 3 surveys, this trend reversed with a decrease from 58% in 2024 to 54.8% in 2026. Those with disabilities (55.3%) preferred mobile apps more than respondents without disabilities (44.8%).

Web Accessibility Progress

Which of the following best describes your feelings regarding the accessibility of web content over the previous year?
Response# of Respondents% of Respondents
Web content has become more accessible56132.2%
Web content accessibility has not changed78144.9%
Web content has become less accessible39822.9%

Perception of the state of web accessibility decreased slightly from 2021 to 2024 and again from 2024 to 2026. Respondents without disabilities tend to be more positive about recent progress (41% thought the web had become more accessible) than those with disabilities (31.8% thought it had become more accessible).

Impacts on Accessibility

Which of the following do you think would have a bigger impact on improvements to web accessibility?
Response# of Respondents% of Respondents
Better assistive technology28316.1%
Better (more accessible) web sites147583.9%

Historically respondents have increasingly answered "better web sites" to this question—68.6% of respondents in October 2009, 75.8% in December 2010, 81.3% in January 2014, 85.3% in 2021, and 85.9% in 2024. However, in 2026, there was a slight reversal of this trend with 83.9% indicating "better web sites". This shift may indicate somewhat greater concern about the accessibility or capabilities of assistive technology relative to web content.

Respondents who were slightly/not satisfied were nearly twice as likely to say better assistive technology would have the greater impact than those that were very/somewhat satisfied: 29.8% vs. 15.2%.

Landmarks/Regions

How often do you navigate by landmarks/regions in your screen reader?
Response# of Respondents% of Respondents
Whenever they're available27115.5%
Often22312.8%
Sometimes57232.7%
Seldom40823.4%
Never27315.6%

The reported frequent usage of landmarks/regions decreased to 28.3% in 2026 from 31.8% in 2024.

Finding Information

When trying to find information on a lengthy web page, which of the following are you most likely to do first?
Response# of Respondents% of Respondents
Navigate through the headings on the page119167.8%
Read through the page1709.7%
Use the Find feature21912.5%
Navigate through the links of the page1186.7%
Navigate through the landmarks/regions of the page593.4%

The usage of headings for finding information has historically increased over time. It remains the predominant method, but decreased slightly from 71.6% in 2024 to 67.8% in 2026. Reading through the page and navigating links both increased slightly in usage compared to 2024. Those with advanced screen reader proficiency are much more likely to use headings (72.1%) than those with beginner proficiency (41.4%). Beginners are 2.7 times more likely to use the "Find" feature than those with advanced proficiency.

While 28.3% of respondents indicate that they always or often use landmarks when they are present, only 3.4% use this as a primary method for finding information on a lengthy web page.

Heading Levels

When navigating a web page by headings, how useful are the heading levels (e.g., "Heading 1", "Heading 2", etc.) to you?
Response# of Respondents% of Respondents
Very useful91251.9%
Somewhat useful64036.4%
Not very useful1257.1%
Not at all useful382.2%
I don't know432.4%

88.3% of respondents find heading levels very or somewhat useful.

PDF Document Issues

How likely is it that PDF documents will pose significant accessibility issues to you?
Response# of Respondents% of Respondents
Very likely81946.7%
Somewhat likely68338.9%
Somewhat unlikely1267.2%
Very unlikely653.7%
I don't know613.5%

The large majority (85.6%) of respondents indicated that PDF documents are very or somewhat likely to pose accessibility issues. This is up from 75.1% of respondents in 2019.

86.2% of respondents with advanced screen reader proficiency reported very or somewhat likely issues with PDF files compared to 72.4% of respondents with beginner proficiency. This suggests that increased proficiency does not decrease the impact of inaccessible PDF documents.

Word Document Issues

How likely is it that Microsoft Word documents will pose significant accessibility issues to you?
Response# of Respondents% of Respondents
Very likely1679.6%
Somewhat likely37621.5%
Somewhat unlikely54231.0%
Very unlikely58633.5%
I don't know764.4%

Respondents were much more favorable of Word documents than of PDF documents—31.1% (nearly unchanged from 30.9% in 2019) indicated that Word documents are very or somewhat likely to pose significant accessibility issues, compared to 85.6% for PDF documents.

AI Usage

In what ways do you commonly use AI to improve your online experience?
Response# of Respondents% of Respondents
To generate image descriptions / alternative text106960.1%
To provide in-depth analysis or description of complex images88549.7%
To generate text or other alternatives for multimedia content51028.7%
To generate audio alternatives of text content31817.9%
To provide summaries of webpages or documents66037.1%
To provide guidance in performing an online task72240.6%
To perform accessibility evaluations of content34719.5%
Other29016.3%

Only 8.2% of respondents did not indicate usage of AI in any of these ways.