Compare
Plumb vs the alternatives
Honest positioning. We're not the right tool for everyone — here's how we stack up against the major accessibility scanners and where each one actually fits.
Plumb
That's usMulti-compliance scanner — accessibility plus security, privacy, performance, HIPAA, PCI, FERPA, and SOC 2 — with AI judgment and branded PDF reports
Free tier · Standard $49/mo · Pro $199/mo
Consultants and SMBs who need one tool that covers every compliance domain a regulator or buyer will ask about. Best when AI judgment matters as much as automated coverage, and when the deliverable matters as much as the scan.
Hosted-only (no browser extension). No CI/CD API yet (on the roadmap). Single-site scans, not multi-site governance dashboards.
axe DevTools
Browser-extension scanner from Deque Systems (the makers of axe-core)
Free extension · paid Pro tier (~$40/mo) for advanced features
Developers debugging individual pages during build. Very high signal-to-noise on the rules it covers. The most-trusted automated rules engine in the industry.
Accessibility-only — no security headers, no privacy/CCPA, no Core Web Vitals, no HIPAA / PCI / FERPA / SOC 2 modules. Page-by-page only. No AI augmentation; misses 60-70% of judgment-based issues. Reports are developer-focused, not client-deliverable.
WAVE
Free browser extension and online scanner from WebAIM
Free for the extension and basic web scanner · paid API for batch scans
Quick checks on a single page, especially for non-developers. Visual icon overlay makes issues easy to spot for designers and content authors.
Accessibility-only. No site-wide crawling in the free version. No AI augmentation. Reports are visual overlays, not deliverables you can hand to a client or auditor.
Siteimprove
Enterprise digital governance platform with accessibility as one module
Custom enterprise pricing (typically thousands per month)
Large enterprises needing compliance dashboards, content governance, SEO, and accessibility unified. Strong for organizations with dedicated accessibility teams.
Heavy procurement cycle and price floor make it impractical for SMBs. Multi-domain compliance (HIPAA, PCI, SOC 2) is not the focus. Reports are dashboard-first, not document-first. AI augmentation is limited.
UserWay
Accessibility overlay widget plus a scanner
Free widget · paid plans for the audit dashboard
Sites that want a one-line JavaScript install offering user-side controls (font size, color filters). The audit side is a secondary product.
Accessibility-only — and overlay widgets are controversial in the accessibility community: they patch surface symptoms without fixing underlying code, and screen-reader users often disable them. The scanner side is less mature than dedicated tools.
Feature comparison
We tried to be honest. If you spot something inaccurate, email us — we update this regularly as competitors ship features.
| Feature | Plumb | axe DevTools | WAVE | Siteimprove | UserWay |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WCAG 2.2 accessibility | Yes (default) | Yes | Partial | Yes | Partial |
| HTTP security headers (CSP / HSTS / etc.) | Yes | — | — | — | — |
| CCPA / CPRA privacy disclosure | Yes | — | — | Limited | — |
| Cookie consent + tracker inventory | Yes | — | — | Limited | — |
| Core Web Vitals (LCP / INP / CLS) | Yes | — | — | Yes | — |
| HIPAA web checks | Yes | — | — | — | — |
| PCI-DSS web checks | Yes | — | — | — | — |
| FERPA web checks | Yes | — | — | — | — |
| SOC 2 web-evidence summary | Yes | — | — | — | — |
| AI-augmented review | Yes (Standard + Pro) | — | — | Limited | — |
| Site-wide crawl | Yes, up to 500 pages/scan | — | Paid only | Yes | Yes |
| Branded PDF audit report (exec + technical) | Yes, two-part PDF with logo | PDF export only | — | ||
| Pause / resume scans | Yes (7-day window) | — | — | — | — |
| Browser extension | — | Yes | Yes | — | Yes |
| CI/CD API | Roadmap | Yes (paid) | Yes (paid) | Yes | — |
| Entry price | Free → $49/mo | Free → ~$40/mo | Free | Custom (high) | Free → ~$50/mo |
When to pick which tool
You're a developer debugging one page at a time
Use axe DevTools in your browser. Highest accuracy on the programmatic rules, free, and integrated into Chrome DevTools.
You need to deliver an audit report to a client
Use Plumb. AI augmentation catches issues axe can't. The branded PDF report is what consultants actually deliver. The discover-then-confirm flow keeps your monthly budget honest.
You're a Fortune 500 with a dedicated accessibility team
Use Siteimprove or Deque's enterprise platform. You need governance dashboards across hundreds of properties; we're not built for that.
You want a one-line widget on your site
Use UserWay if you must — but understand that overlay widgets are widely critiqued in the accessibility community for masking symptoms rather than fixing causes. The actual audit you need still has to happen.