IBM Equal Access Accessibility Checker vs Sa11y
IBM Equal Access Accessibility Checker
ibm.comSa11y
sa11y.netlify.appSide by side
| Figure | IBM Equal Access Accessibility Checker | Sa11y |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | Yes | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 2 | 2 |
| Spec score · Website Accessibility Tools | 9.0 (#6) | 7.9 (#58) |
| Audience | IBM describes the tools as intended for web developers and accessibility auditors. | Sa11y is designed for content authors and also provides customizable tools for developers and accessibility experts. |
| Browser extension | The Chrome extension runs inside Developer Tools and helps locate accessibility problems and possible fixes. | No |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Installation | The Node module installs with npm install --save-dev accessibility-checker and can also be installed globally for the achecker command. | The JavaScript plugin can be installed from GitHub or npm and added to a website with its stylesheet, language file, and script. |
| Privacy | The project wiki says web data remains local, with rules and engine downloaded and run locally rather than sent to servers. | The maker says Sa11y collects no personal data and uses browser web storage for optional rulesets and enabled features. |
| Purpose | The checker automates accessibility checking of web content and applications for web developers and accessibility auditors. | Sa11y visually highlights accessibility and usability content issues on a page and provides tooltips explaining how to fix them. |
| Scan scope | page | page |
| Support | The project Wiki directs users to submit bugs, questions, and suggestions through GitHub issues. | The maker invites users to contact Adam Chaboryk by email or submit an issue on GitHub to report accessibility barriers or suggestions. |
| 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.