Accessibility Inspector vs GFXReconstruct
Accessibility Inspector
developer.apple.comGFXReconstruct
lunarg.comSide by side
| Figure | Accessibility Inspector | GFXReconstruct |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | — | Yes |
| Android | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · Game Profiling Software | 8.4 (#5) | 7.9 (#13) |
| Founded | 1976 | 2009 |
| Headquarters | Cupertino, California, USA | Fort Collins, Colorado, United States |
| Purpose | Accessibility Inspector displays, queries, and tests accessibility information for elements in an app’s view hierarchy. | GFXReconstruct captures and replays GPU programming API calls, including Vulkan and Direct3D, for debugging, testing, and optimization. |
Plans
Accessibility Inspector
- Xcode (includes Accessibility Inspector)Free
In their own words
Accessibility Inspector
Accessibility Inspector is Apple’s free macOS tool for examining accessibility information in app interfaces. It displays an element’s accessibility properties, available actions, and position in the view hierarchy. Audits identify common issues such as insufficient contrast, clipped text, and missing descriptions. Results can be saved as HTML reports containing summaries, screenshots, issue descriptions, and fix suggestions. Accessibility audits can also run in UI tests through performAccessibilityAudit(for:_:). The target menu includes apps on Mac and selected iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, or tvOS devices. Open it from Xcode through Xcode > Open Developer Tool > Accessibility Inspector. Apple’s listing describes Xcode as Mac-only, requiring macOS 26.2 or later and an Apple M1 chip or later, and labels it Free. Clearing reported issues does not prove complete accessibility; Apple recommends additional checks with assistive apps such as VoiceOver.
GFXReconstruct
GFXReconstruct is a free toolkit for capturing and replaying graphics API activity, including Vulkan and Direct3D 12. Capture records API calls, parameters, and state in a file; replay can run without the application that created it. The repository includes capture layers and libraries, replay, capture information, compression, SPIR-V extraction, conversion, and optimization tools. Listed uses include reproducing defects, examining API usage, profiling performance, regression testing, and platform bring-up. Vulkan capture and replay are listed for Windows, Linux, macOS, and Android, while Direct3D 12 capture and replay are listed for Windows only. The maker names Samsung Sokatoa, Arm Frame Advisor, Google Android Performance Analyzer, and Qualcomm Snapdragon Profiler as tools powered by GFXReconstruct. Vulkan users can also use it alongside Vulkan validation layers and the Vulkan Configurator. OpenXR support is experimental, covers limited features and a small number of apps, and is not enabled in the SDK-built version. Cross-operating-system replay may work in some cases, but is not generally supported unless specified. The project uses the MIT License.