CheckMyADA vs. AccessiBe: Honest Comparison (No BS)

Let's start with an uncomfortable truth: this comparison is written by CheckMyADA.

That means you should read it with appropriate skepticism — just as you should read AccessiBe's own marketing. We'll try to be genuinely useful here, which means being honest about what we do well, what we don't, and what you actually need to make a good decision.

With that said: the differences between these two tools are fundamental. This isn't a features-vs.-features comparison. It's a comparison of two completely different philosophies about what "accessibility" means.

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The Core Difference in One Sentence

AccessiBe is an overlay widget — it sits on top of your existing website code and tries to fix accessibility problems automatically, in real time, in users' browsers.

CheckMyADA is an auditing and monitoring tool — it scans your existing website code, finds real WCAG violations, and tells you what to fix.

One tries to hide problems. One tries to find them.

That distinction matters more than any feature table, because courts, DOJ guidance, and the accessibility community have taken a clear position on overlays: they don't work, and they don't provide legal protection.

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What Happened with AccessiBe and the FTC

In 2024, the FTC reached a $1 million settlement with AccessiBe over false and misleading claims. The FTC found that AccessiBe:

• Claimed to make websites "fully ADA compliant" through automation alone
• Marketed a "one-click solution" to a problem that cannot be solved with one click
• Paid affiliates to post fake reviews and misleading testimonials

This isn't a technicality or a regulatory overreach. It reflects what accessibility experts have been saying for years: you cannot automatically fix all accessibility problems with a JavaScript widget.

The overlay approach has also been tested in court. Multiple cases involving businesses that deployed accessibility overlays — including AccessiBe — have proceeded to litigation anyway. Plaintiffs' attorneys specifically argue that overlays don't remediate underlying code and that automated fixes can actually introduce new barriers for some assistive technology users.

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How Each Tool Works

AccessiBe

AccessiBe installs as a small JavaScript snippet on your website. When a user visits, the overlay:

1. Adds a floating accessibility widget button (the blue person icon)

2. Attempts to apply automated "fixes" — adding alt text via AI, adjusting contrast, modifying keyboard behavior

3. Generates a compliance statement claiming the site meets WCAG 2.1 AA

The fundamental problem: These changes happen in the user's browser, not in your actual website code. The fixes are applied dynamically, in real time, and are only accessible to users who interact with the widget. Screen readers and other assistive technologies that interact directly with your page code — before any overlay JavaScript runs — often encounter the original, unmodified, inaccessible code.

In plain terms: the widget changes what users see, not what your website is. For many assistive technology users, the underlying accessibility barriers remain.

CheckMyADA

CheckMyADA crawls your website and evaluates the actual HTML, CSS, and JavaScript code against WCAG 2.1 Level AA success criteria. It returns:

1. A violation report organized by severity (critical → minor)

2. The specific element and location of each issue

3. The WCAG criterion being violated

4. Guidance on what type of fix is needed

We do not inject code into your site. We do not claim to fix anything automatically. We find problems so your developer (or you) can fix them properly — in the source code, where fixes actually work.

What we honestly can't do: Automated scanning catches approximately 30–40% of WCAG violations. Issues requiring human judgment — whether alt text is meaningful, whether language is clear, whether interactive flows work with a real screen reader — require manual testing. We're upfront about this limit.

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Side-by-Side Comparison

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Where AccessiBe Has a Point

We want to be fair. Here's what AccessiBe gets right:

Ease of deployment: If you have zero developer resources and zero budget, AccessiBe is genuinely easier to install than undertaking a full remediation project. A non-technical business owner can add the snippet in minutes.

User-facing adjustments: For some users — particularly those who want to increase text size, adjust contrast, or pause animations — the AccessiBe widget offers convenient controls. These user-preference features are real and can help some users.

Ongoing presence: AccessiBe updates continuously, which means its AI attempts to handle new content automatically. For sites that add a lot of content regularly, this is a real operational consideration.

The problem is that these genuine benefits are bundled with false compliance claims — the FTC said so — and a false sense of legal protection that has led to real legal consequences for businesses that relied on it.

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What Independent Researchers Found

The accessibility community has conducted extensive testing of overlay tools. Key findings from independent researchers and disabled users:

• Overlay Fact Sheet (signed by 800+ accessibility professionals): "Overlay products... create problems for disabled people by disrupting existing accessibility features, often making the page worse for some users."
• Multiple screen reader users have reported that overlays conflict with their assistive technology, creating new navigation barriers
• Automated AI-generated alt text frequently describes images inaccurately (e.g., describing a product photo as "a person standing in a field")
• Some keyboard navigation "fixes" applied by overlays conflict with native keyboard behavior expected by power users

This doesn't mean AccessiBe has no value for any user. It means the "one click to compliance" framing is demonstrably false.

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Who Should Use Which Tool

Use CheckMyADA if:

• You want to understand what's actually wrong with your website
• You have access to a developer (even on a limited basis) to implement fixes
• You're concerned about legal exposure and want documented remediation
• You've received a demand letter and need to show real good-faith remediation
• You want honest reporting about your compliance status — even if the news isn't great

AccessiBe might appeal to you if:

• You want a user-preference widget (text size, contrast controls) for your visitors
• You understand it's not a legal compliance solution and want it only for user convenience
• You have zero developer budget and zero timeline to fix underlying code

Our honest take: We think the user-preference widget use case is legitimate. But AccessiBe's core marketing — that it provides ADA compliance through automation — is the claim the FTC penalized. If that's your primary reason for buying it, you're not getting what you're paying for, and you may have false confidence about your legal exposure.

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The "Just Tell Me What to Do" Answer

If you're a small business owner who just wants to know what to do:

1. Start with a free scan — checkmyada.com/free-scan — to see what violations your site actually has

2. Fix the critical ones first — missing alt text, unlabeled forms, keyboard traps — these are quick wins and the most legally significant

3. Set up monthly monitoring so you know when new issues appear

4. Don't buy an overlay as a compliance solution — the FTC, the courts, and the disability community agree it doesn't work that way

If budget is the issue: many critical violations can be fixed with a few hours of developer time. That's far cheaper than either an overlay subscription or a lawsuit.

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A Note on Transparency

We build CheckMyADA, so we're not a neutral party here.

What we can commit to: We tell you what we find. If your site has 80 violations, we show you 80 violations. We don't generate a compliance certificate. We don't tell you you're "fully compliant" after an automated scan. We think honesty is better for you and better for the people with disabilities who depend on accessible websites.

That's how we work, and it's the reason we built this tool instead of another overlay.

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FAQ

Is AccessiBe illegal?

AccessiBe as a product is not illegal. However, the FTC found its specific marketing claims — that it made sites "fully ADA compliant" — were false and misleading. The $1 million settlement was for deceptive business practices, not for the product's existence.

Can I use both AccessiBe and CheckMyADA together?

Technically yes. Some businesses use an auditing tool to find and fix real violations, and then add a user-preference widget for convenience. The problem is AccessiBe's cost: if you're paying $49/month for something you understand won't provide compliance, it's a difficult value proposition to justify.

Has using AccessiBe actually led to lawsuits?

Yes. Multiple documented cases involve businesses that had AccessiBe installed when they were sued. In some cases, plaintiffs specifically highlighted the overlay as evidence of inadequate remediation. Having AccessiBe does not make you less likely to be sued — and may not help your defense if you are.

What does "WCAG 2.1 Level AA compliance" actually require?

It requires that your website's actual code meets 50 specific success criteria across four principles (Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, Robust). Automated tools can verify some of these. Others require manual testing. No tool — including CheckMyADA — can certify full WCAG 2.1 AA compliance through automation alone.

Is CheckMyADA free?

We offer a free scan with no account required. Ongoing monitoring and deeper reporting are available on paid plans. See our pricing page for details.

What's the difference between WCAG 2.1 and WCAG 2.2?

WCAG 2.2 (released 2023) adds nine new success criteria on top of 2.1. The DOJ's 2024 final rule references WCAG 2.1 AA as the minimum standard. WCAG 2.2 represents current best practice. CheckMyADA currently tests against 2.1 AA; 2.2 support is on our roadmap.

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Run a Free Scan

See what your website actually has — no overlay, no guesswork, no false certificates.

→ Start your free accessibility scan at CheckMyADA

If you've been relying on an overlay for compliance, now is a good time to find out what's underneath.

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More resources: ADA Compliance for Small Business: Complete 2026 Guide | 10 Most Common Accessibility Violations | Pricing & Monitoring Plans