A11y Check vs IBM Equal Access Accessibility Checker
A11y Check
a11ychk.com
IBM Equal Access Accessibility Checker
ibm.comSide by side
| Figure | A11y Check | IBM Equal Access Accessibility Checker |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | Yes |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 2 |
| Spec score · Website Accessibility Tools | 8.3 (#30) | 9.0 (#6) |
| Browser extension | A Chrome extension audits pages in the browser, including logged-in or bot-blocked pages, and can merge results into a site report. | The Chrome extension runs inside Developer Tools and helps locate accessibility problems and possible fixes. |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Reports | Reports include findings, code locations, remediation guides, a checkpoint matrix, and PDF export; free accounts also get CSV export. | XLSX output is included automatically, and JSON and other report formats can be configured. |
| Scan scope | site | page |
| WCAG version | wcag 2.2 | wcag 2.2 |
Plans
IBM Equal Access Accessibility Checker
- Free and open sourceFree
- Free/open-source toolkitFree
In their own words
IBM Equal Access Accessibility Checker
IBM Equal Access Accessibility Checker automates accessibility checks for web content and applications, with tools aimed at web developers and accessibility auditors. Its rule engine connects checks to accessibility standards, including WCAG 2.2, and scans at page level. Results can identify the issue type, applicable WCAG success criteria, affected element, XPath, progression level, and a help link. Browser extensions are available for Chrome, Firefox, and Edge. They work in browser DevTools and include a visualization mode for keyboard checking. For CI/CD workflows, packages are available for Node, Cypress, and Java; the project Wiki also lists a Karma plugin and names Selenium, Puppeteer, Playwright, and Zombie as testing or parsing engines. The extension can combine up to 50 stored scans into a Microsoft Excel report. The Wiki says web data, rules, and the engine stay local rather than sending web data to servers or third parties. The tool is free at free. IBM cautions that automated checks cover only part of its accessibility requirements, so manual and screen reader testing should follow.