A11yInspect vs IBM Equal Access Accessibility Checker

A11yInspect is a browser extension that works with the Inspect tool in DevTools to assess web-page accessibility against WCAG 2.2. Automated checks cover more than 600 issues across 30 Success Criteria, with a stated false-positive rate below 1%. Results classify findings as Fails, Validates, or Suggestions and map them to criteria and severity. Supported standards include WCAG, Section 508, EN 301 549, GIGW 3.0, and IS 17802. Manual review tools include bookmarklets for headings, tab order, grayscale, target size, text spacing, and forms, as well as a color contrast checker. The extension is available for Chrome, Edge, and Firefox and can examine a page or a specific element. Pages can be tested in any language, although the interface is English-only; the extension is for desktop browsers and cannot be used on mobile. The Free plan allows unlimited webpage testing without login or a credit card. Pro costs $120.00 per year and includes a 30-day trial without a card; users move to Free if they do not subscribe when it ends.

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.