Assistiv Labs vs IBM Equal Access Accessibility Checker
Assistiv Labs
assistivlabs.com
IBM Equal Access Accessibility Checker
ibm.comSide by side
| Figure | Assistiv Labs | IBM Equal Access Accessibility Checker |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $19/mo | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | — |
| Open source | — | Yes |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | — |
| iOS | Yes | — |
| Android | Yes | — |
| API | — | Yes |
| Self-hosted | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 4 | 2 |
| Spec score · Accessibility Testing Software | 8.9 (#15) | 9.0 (#7) |
| Spec score · Website Accessibility Tools | 8.8 (#13) | 9.0 (#6) |
| Free plan | No | Yes |
| Purpose | Assistiv Labs remotely connects users to real assistive technologies so they can test websites and apps from a modern web browser. | The checker automates accessibility checking of web content and applications for web developers and accessibility auditors. |
| Support | Plans list in-app chat and email support; the Company plan also includes priority support and personalized onboarding and account setup. | The project Wiki directs users to submit bugs, questions, and suggestions through GitHub issues. |
Plans
Assistiv Labs
- Freelancer$19 a month
- Professional$99 a month
- Free for Open SourceFree
- Company$299 a month
IBM Equal Access Accessibility Checker
- Free and open sourceFree
- Free/open-source toolkitFree
In their own words
Assistiv Labs
Assistiv Labs connects users remotely to real assistive technologies so they can test websites and apps through a modern web browser. It covers WCAG 2.2 and lists manual review tools, mobile testing, automated scans, CI/CD integration, and remediation guidance. Available technologies vary by plan and include NVDA, Narrator, JAWS, VoiceOver, Android TalkBack, Windows High Contrast, Edge Reader mode, Windows Reduce Motion, Windows Screen Magnifier, and ZoomText/Fusion. Sessions start clean and stay within the browser tab. Debugging tools include Chrome DevTools, inspect.exe, and Xcode Accessibility Inspector. AssistivTunnel provides a secure connection for testing localhost, VPN-protected, and intranet sites. New accounts receive a 14-day Professional trial for one user without a credit card, with sessions limited to 10 minutes each. Freelancer costs $19 a month and includes 120 testing minutes monthly; Professional costs $99 a month with unlimited testing minutes. The company plan has unlimited users and minutes, with price not listed. The company says it holds ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certification and a SOC 2 Type 2 attestation for Security criteria.
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.