Axe Developer Hub vs IBM Equal Access Accessibility Checker
Axe Developer Hub
deque.com
IBM Equal Access Accessibility Checker
ibm.comSide by side
| Figure | Axe Developer Hub | IBM Equal Access Accessibility Checker |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | — |
| Open source | — | Yes |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 2 | 2 |
| Spec score · Accessibility Testing Software | 8.8 (#16) | 9.0 (#7) |
| Audience | Deque describes the product as relevant to developers, QA engineers, and central accessibility team leaders. | IBM describes the tools as intended for web developers and accessibility auditors. |
| CI/CD integration | Yes | Yes |
| Free plan | No | Yes |
| Purpose | Axe Developer Hub collects and reports accessibility test results from websites and apps so teams can review issues and track results over time. | The checker automates accessibility checking of web content and applications for web developers and accessibility auditors. |
| Support | Deque directs users to its support site for knowledge base articles, SaaS status reports, and product support. | The project Wiki directs users to submit bugs, questions, and suggestions through GitHub issues. |
Plans
Axe Developer Hub
- FreeFree
- Paid (Axe DevTools for Web subscription)Priced on request
IBM Equal Access Accessibility Checker
- Free and open sourceFree
- Free/open-source toolkitFree
In their own words
Axe Developer Hub
Axe Developer Hub adds automated accessibility checks to end-to-end tests and produces reports with deduplicated findings, remediation guidance, and progress tracking. It covers WCAG 2.2 and supports Selenium-based Java tests as well as JavaScript or TypeScript frameworks including Cypress, Playwright, Puppeteer, and WebdriverIO. Teams can standardize rules and selectively enable or pause checks. In CI/CD workflows, checks can identify new issues and block pull requests when problems arise. Integrations include GitHub Actions, GitLab, CircleCI, Jenkins, and Bitbucket. The Hub is available as SaaS or on premises; the on-premise option keeps data on customer servers, but the website, user management, and Axe Watcher are not supported there. Projects have member and admin roles. The product is included in the Axe DevTools for Web bundle and is not sold separately. Its free plan is free with one API key; the paid bundle’s pricing is on request and includes unlimited API keys per licensed subscriber.
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.