IBM Equal Access Accessibility Checker vs WCAG Crawler
IBM Equal Access Accessibility Checker
ibm.comWCAG Crawler
wcag.thegridbase.comSide by side
| Figure | IBM Equal Access Accessibility Checker | WCAG Crawler |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | Yes | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 2 | 1 |
| Spec score · Accessibility Testing Software | 9.0 (#7) | 7.6 (#124) |
| Spec score · Website Accessibility Tools | 9.0 (#6) | 7.9 (#57) |
| API access | Yes | Yes |
| CI/CD integration | Yes | Yes |
| Privacy | The project wiki says web data remains local, with rules and engine downloaded and run locally rather than sent to servers. | The site says scans run in isolated environments and that scan data does not leave the user's control. |
| Purpose | The checker automates accessibility checking of web content and applications for web developers and accessibility auditors. | Scans websites for accessibility issues against WCAG 2.1 AA. |
| Reports | XLSX output is included automatically, and JSON and other report formats can be configured. | Reports include severity breakdowns, trend analysis, and remediation guidance. |
| 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 Docker support for running the scanner on the user's own infrastructure. |
| 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.
WCAG Crawler
WCAG Crawler has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.