Lesson 3 of 9
Know the major screen readers
Screen readers are closely tied to operating systems, device families, browsers, and input methods. There is no single product that represents every screen reader experience.
Connect major screen readers to the environments in which teams encounter them.
NVDA
Free and open-source screen reader for Windows, widely used with browsers and desktop software.
JAWS
Commercial Windows screen reader with extensive productivity features, braille support, and scripting.
Narrator
Screen reader built into Windows, available without installing additional software.
VoiceOver
Built into Apple platforms, including macOS, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Apple TV.
TalkBack
Google's screen reader for Android and part of the accessibility experience on Android-based TV devices.
Orca
Open-source screen reader used in Linux desktop environments.
Roku screen reader
Built-in speech for navigating supported Roku interfaces with a remote.
Device-specific readers
Kiosks, payment terminals, consoles, and embedded products may provide their own spoken interface.
What to remember
Select test coverage from the product's real platforms and users, not from a universal ranking of screen readers.
Try this with your team
Map your supported operating systems and devices to the screen readers available on each one. Mark which combinations the team currently tests.