A11yMate vs Accessibility Checker
Two WordPress accessibility plugins that both refuse to be overlays. How they differ, and when Equalize Digital's Accessibility Checker is the better choice.
We make A11yMate, so we are not neutral. Everything here about Accessibility Checker comes from its WordPress.org listing and its pricing page, checked on 22 October 2026. Prices and features change, so check their pages before you buy. Found a mistake? Email hello@a11ymate.co.uk and we will fix it.
What they have in common
- Both are WordPress plugins with a free version and paid plans, and both check against WCAG 2.2.
- Both run their scans on your own server rather than sending your pages to an outside service, and neither limits how many pages you scan.
- Both offer a handful of automatic fixes for things that are safe to fix in code, such as adding a skip link.
- Neither is an overlay: both show you the problems so you can fix the site itself.
| Question | Accessibility Checker | A11yMate |
|---|---|---|
| On WordPress.org | Since December 2020 | Submitted in October 2026 and in review. Pro has been on sale since 22 October 2026 |
| Active installs and reviews | 10,000+ active installs, 4.9 out of 5 from 80 reviews | New, so none yet |
| How the free version scans | Each post and page when you save or publish it, or on demand from the editor. No limit on posts or pages | The whole site in one scan: homepage, posts and pages, any public post type you add, a sample of archives, search results and the 404 page. No page limit |
| Whole-site scan | Pro ("bulk full-site scanning") | Free |
| Custom post types and WooCommerce products | Pro | Free (choose the post types to scan in the settings) |
| Checks | "Over 40 automated checks based on WCAG 2.2" | 69 checks, each mapped to a WCAG 2.2 success criterion |
| While you write | Results on the edit screen after you save, or when you press its scan button | Editor Assistant checks the post in the block editor as you write, with a pre-publish panel |
| Automatic fixes | 12 free, 16 with Pro | 9 Safe Fixes, all free, each off until you switch it on |
| Readability | Flesch-Kincaid grade level, free | Reading level and long-paragraph checks, free |
| Accessibility statement | Pre-written statement, free. Auto-insert in the footer with Pro | Generated from your scan results, Pro |
| Email reports | Basic weekly reports free, enhanced reports with Pro | Scheduled scans with email digests, Pro |
| Exports | CSV export add-on, Small Business and Agency plans | CSV and JSON exports, Pro |
| Colour and type tools | Not in its published feature list | Colour Studio and Typography Studio, Pro |
| Alt text across the media library | Not in its published feature list | Alt Text Manager, Pro |
| Human help | Priority email support with Pro. A consultation and two office-hours calls a month on Small Business and Agency | Email support, priority on Agency. Audits and fixes are a separate paid service from OakFox |
| Multisite | Multisite add-on, Agency plan | No multisite features yet |
| Requires | WordPress 6.9+, PHP 7.4+ | WordPress 6.5+, PHP 8.2+ |
| Where scans run | "Runs completely on your server and does not require external APIs or services for scans" | On your site. The free plugin makes no outside connections at all |
| Price for 1 site | Free, or Professional at $190 a year | Free, or Pro at £89 a year + VAT |
| Price for 5 sites | Small Business: $750 a year or $75 a month | Agency: £249 a year + VAT (up to 25 sites) |
| Price for 25 sites | Agency: $2,250 a year or $225 a month | Agency: £249 a year + VAT |
| Money back | 30 days | 30 days, no questions asked |
Accessibility Checker is priced in US dollars and A11yMate in pounds plus VAT, so the prices are as listed, not converted.
Where Accessibility Checker is ahead
- Track record. It has been on WordPress.org since 2020, is active on 10,000+ sites and has a 4.9 rating from 80 reviews. A11yMate launched in October 2026. If you want something many other people have already relied on for years, that counts.
- People. Its Small Business and Agency plans include an accessibility consultation and two office-hours calls a month. A11yMate's plans include email support only; help from people is OakFox's separate audit and fixing service.
- More in the free version in places. Its free version includes a pre-written accessibility statement, weekly email reports and 12 automatic fixes. A11yMate's statement generator and scheduled email digests are in Pro, and it has 9 free fixes.
- Monthly billing and multisite. Its larger plans can be paid monthly, and it has a multisite add-on. A11yMate is yearly only and has no multisite features yet.
- Older PHP. It runs on PHP 7.4 and later. A11yMate needs PHP 8.2, so if your host is stuck on an old version, Accessibility Checker will install and A11yMate will not. (Your host should be upgrading anyway: see the questions below.)
Where A11yMate is ahead
- The whole site, free. A11yMate's free version scans every page in one go, including any public post type you choose, such as WooCommerce products. In Accessibility Checker, scanning the whole site at once and scanning custom post types are Pro features; the free version checks each post or page when it is saved.
- Price. Pro for one site is £89 a year plus VAT, against $190 a year for Accessibility Checker's Professional plan. For an agency, A11yMate's Agency plan covers up to 25 sites for £249 a year plus VAT; Accessibility Checker's 25-site plan is $2,250 a year.
- Fixes, not just findings, for colour and type. Colour Studio finds the nearest passing colour that keeps your brand's hue, and can apply it to a block theme's palette with undo. Typography Studio shows the type sizes your site really uses and generates a better scale. We could not find an equivalent in Accessibility Checker's published features.
- Every image in one list. The Alt Text Manager lists every image in the media library with missing or poor alt text, so you can describe them in one sitting.
How A11yMate checks a site
So you know what you would be comparing: A11yMate fetches each page as an anonymous visitor and runs the structural checks on the HTML. Then it loads each page in a hidden frame at desktop and phone widths and measures what needs a real browser: contrast, text size, line height, target size, focus visibility, reflow and text spacing. A problem in a header or footer is shown once, as "on 48 pages", not 48 times. Every issue says why it matters and exactly what to change, and the ones only a person can judge are marked as needing review. More on how it works.
Try both
Both have a free version, and the honest way to choose is to run each on your own site and see which one you would rather fix things with. Start with our free page checker if you just want to see what A11yMate finds on one page.
Questions
You make A11yMate. Is this fair?
We have tried hard to make it fair, and we have said where Accessibility Checker is the better choice. Every fact about it comes from its own WordPress.org listing and pricing page, linked below, as they stood on 22 October 2026. If anything here is wrong or out of date, email hello@a11ymate.co.uk and we will correct it.
Is either of them an overlay?
No. Both scan your site and tell you what to fix in the site itself. That is the most important thing they have in common. Why overlays do not work.
Can I run both on the same site?
You can, since both scan on your own server, but you will mostly see the same problems twice. If you do, switch on automatic fixes in only one of them, or you may end up with two skip links.
Why does A11yMate need PHP 8.2?
PHP 8.1 has had no security fixes since December 2025, and the serious PHP2Shell flaw of October 2026 was only fixed in PHP 8.2 and later. We would rather not support a version of PHP that is no longer safe to run. If your host is on an older version, ask them to upgrade: it is usually a setting in your hosting control panel.
Are the check counts comparable?
Not really. Each tool decides how finely to split its rules, so one check in one tool can be three in another. Compare what each finds on your own site instead. Both have a free version, so you can.
Sources
- Equalize Digital Accessibility Checker on WordPress.org (installs, rating, requirements, free features), checked 22 October 2026
- Accessibility Checker pricing (plans, prices, features by plan, refunds), checked 22 October 2026
- A11yMate pricing and features
Accessibility Checker is made by Equalize Digital, which has not reviewed or endorsed this page.