IBM Equal Access Accessibility Checker vs OpenADA
IBM Equal Access Accessibility Checker
ibm.comOpenADA
openada.usSide by side
| Figure | IBM Equal Access Accessibility Checker | OpenADA |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | — |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | Yes | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 2 | 0 |
| Spec score · Website Accessibility Tools | 9.0 (#6) | 7.4 (#103) |
| API access | Yes | Public deployments may allow anonymous checks, while configured deployments can require an API key or bearer token. |
| CI/CD integration | Yes | Yes |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Limits | IBM says automated checks cover only a subset of its accessibility requirements and should be followed by manual and screen reader testing. | The PDF endpoint rejects decoded files over 10 MB. |
| Privacy | The project wiki says web data remains local, with rules and engine downloaded and run locally rather than sent to servers. | Submitted public URLs and scan metadata may be retained for scan operation and reporting, and the policy advises against submitting private or sensitive pages. |
| Purpose | The checker automates accessibility checking of web content and applications for web developers and accessibility auditors. | OpenADA checks public webpages and submitted HTML for accessibility and language issues. |
| Scan scope | page | site |
| Self-hosting | The repository documents local builds of browser and Node engine bundles and includes a rule-server component. | The repository documents running the full local stack with Docker Compose and deploying on AWS with CloudFormation. |
| Support | The project Wiki directs users to submit bugs, questions, and suggestions through GitHub issues. | OpenADA is maintained in public, and its support page directs users to report issues through the GitHub repository. |
| WCAG version | wcag 2.2 | wcag 2.1 |
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.