# IBM Equal Access Accessibility Checker vs Stark

| Attribute | IBM Equal Access Accessibility Checker | Stark |
|---|---|---|
| **vioscaleAI score** | 51.7 (30% (low)) | 54 (54% (medium)) |
| activity.commits_last_30d | 64 | - |
| adoption.dependent_repos | 104 | - |
| adoption.github_stars | 783 | - |
| content.faq | `[{"answer":"Equal Access Checker provides automated testing across multiple environments to help developers verify accessibility standards are met. It offers browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox, and Edge, plus integration packages for Node, Cypress, and Java CI/CD workflows. It is indexed under Accessibility Testing.","source":"https://www.ibm.com/able/toolkit/tools/","question":"What is IBM Equal Access Accessibility Checker?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"IBM Equal Access Accessibility Checker offers a free tier, so you can start without paying. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://www.ibm.com/able/toolkit/tools/","question":"Is IBM Equal Access Accessibility Checker free?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"IBM Equal Access Accessibility Checker supports the web and a command-line interface. Platforms we have not confirmed are simply not listed here rather than ruled out.","source":"https://www.ibm.com/able/toolkit/tools/","question":"What platforms does IBM Equal Access Accessibility Checker support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed 9 integrations for IBM Equal Access Accessibility Checker, including Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Node, Cypress, Java, GitHub and Sketch, plus 1 more. This is what we could verify from public sources, so the vendor may support others we have not indexed.","source":"https://www.ibm.com/able/toolkit/tools/","question":"What does IBM Equal Access Accessibility Checker integrate with?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. IBM Equal Access Accessibility Checker is published under the Apache-2.0 licence, a permissive licence that generally allows commercial use and modification. Licence terms can change between releases, so verify against the repository for the version you intend to use.","source":"https://github.com/ibma/equal-access","question":"Is IBM Equal Access Accessibility Checker open source?","confidence":0.95}]` | `[{"answer":"A comprehensive accessibility solution that combines automated scanning, continuous monitoring, and design-stage checking tools across web, mobile, and design platforms to help teams identify and fix accessibility issues quickly. It is indexed under Accessibility Testing.","source":"https://www.getstark.co/","question":"What is Stark?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Stark offers a free tier, so you can start without paying. Paid plans start at $198 per user per year. Prices are published openly on the vendor's own pricing page. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://www.getstark.co/pricing","question":"Is Stark free?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Stark supports the web, macOS, Android and a command-line interface. Platforms we have not confirmed are simply not listed here rather than ruled out.","source":"https://www.getstark.co/","question":"What platforms does Stark support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have only confirmed a cloud / SaaS deployment for Stark, so it appears to be vendor-hosted. If a self-hosted option exists we have not found it documented publicly.","source":"https://www.getstark.co/","question":"Can Stark be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed 13 integrations for Stark, including Figma, Sketch, GitHub, Chrome, Arc, Safari, Microsoft Edge and Brave, plus 5 more. This is what we could verify from public sources, so the vendor may support others we have not indexed.","source":"https://www.getstark.co/","question":"What does Stark integrate with?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have independently confirmed SOC 2 and GDPR for Stark. Certifications we do not list are ones we have not been able to verify from public sources, which is not the same as Stark not holding them. Always confirm compliance directly before you rely on it.","source":"https://www.getstark.co/blog/understanding-section-508-and-WCAG-compliance/","question":"What security certifications does Stark have?","confidence":0.7}]` |
| deployment.options | `{"cloud":true,"self_hosted":true}` | `{"cloud":true}` |
| description.long | IBM Equal Access offers browser extensions and development packages that automate accessibility compliance checking. The tools integrate with browser developer tools and continuous integration pipelines to identify and resolve accessibility issues throughout the development lifecycle. | An end-to-end accessibility platform for designers, engineers, and QA teams. Provides WCAG audits, automated scanning via browser extensions and design plugins, continuous monitoring, and integration with development workflows across web and mobile platforms. |
| features.capabilities | `{"open_source":true,"scan_method":"automated-rules-engine","browser_extension":true,"ci_cd_integration":true}` | `{"wcag_level":"AA","scan_method":"automated-rules-engine","browser_extension":true,"ci_cd_integration":true,"design_stage_plugin":true,"vpat_acr_generation":true,"continuous_monitoring":true}` |
| integrations.count | 1 | 3 |
| integrations.list | `[{"name":"Chrome"},{"name":"Firefox"},{"name":"Edge"},{"name":"Node"},{"name":"Cypress"},{"name":"Java"},{"name":"GitHub"},{"name":"Sketch"},{"name":"Figma"},{"name":"Travis CI","category":"ci"}]` | `[{"name":"Figma"},{"name":"Sketch"},{"name":"GitHub"},{"name":"Chrome"},{"name":"Arc"},{"name":"Safari"},{"name":"Microsoft Edge"},{"name":"Brave"},{"name":"Storybook"},{"name":"React"},{"name":"iOS"},{"name":"Android"},{"name":"Claude","native":true}]` |
| language.primary | JavaScript | - |
| license.spdx | Apache-2.0 | - |
| market.availability | - | `{"primaryMarkets":[],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` |
| platform.support | `{"cli":true,"web":true}` | `{"cli":true,"ios":true,"mac":true,"web":true,"android":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"open_source","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://www.ibm.com/able/toolkit/tools/","retrievedAt":"2026-09-11T19:11:39.692Z"}` | `{"type":"subscription","plans":[{"free":false,"name":"Premium Pack","summary":"$198/user/year (minimum 3 seats)","features":["Automated detection and remediation tooling (Figma only)","Automatic WCAG scans and reports in browser","Live code highlighting in browser web dev console"],"minSeats":3,"commitment":"annual","components":[{"kind":"per_unit","unit":"seat","amount":198,"period":"year","currency":"USD"}],"description":"Automated detection and remediation for Figma design files with browser-based WCAG audits","contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"Launch","summary":"$2,500/year","features":["25 viewers included","Monitor up to 100 pages","Weekly automated scans and reports","Supported assets: Figma, code repos, public URLs","30-day report data storage","Automated detection and remediation tooling in design and code"],"commitment":"annual","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":2500,"period":"year","currency":"USD"}],"description":"Starter plan for small teams with basic scanning and monitoring capabilities","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"viewers":"25","scan_frequency":"weekly","pages_monitored":"100","report_retention":"30 days"}},{"free":false,"name":"Grow","summary":"$8,000/year","features":["50 viewers included","Monitor up to 1000 pages","Daily scans and insight reports","Supported assets: Figma, code repos, CI/CD, iOS, Android, public and private URLs","180-day report data storage","Ticketing system integration","Automated draft VPAT report","Compliance Center to manage accessibility posture","Single Sign-On (SSO)"],"commitment":"annual","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":8000,"period":"year","currency":"USD"}],"description":"Mid-market plan with extended monitoring, daily scans, compliance features and ticketing integration","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"viewers":"50","scan_frequency":"daily","pages_monitored":"1000","report_retention":"180 days"}},{"free":false,"name":"Scale","summary":"$21,000/year (custom terms available)","features":["Unlimited viewers","Monitor up to 4000 pages","Real-time scans and insights reports","365-day report data storage","Single Sign-On (SSO) and JIT provisioning","Customizable terms and security reviews","Priority support and dedicated account manager","Enterprise-grade security, SOC2 and GDPR certified"],"commitment":"annual","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":21000,"period":"year","currency":"USD"}],"description":"Enterprise plan with real-time monitoring, unlimited viewers, advanced compliance and dedicated support","contactSales":true,"includedLimits":{"viewers":"unlimited","scan_frequency":"real-time","pages_monitored":"4000","report_retention":"365 days"}}],"summary":"From $198/user/year (Premium Pack, minimum 3 seats) or from $2,500/year (Launch plan). Free tier available.","currency":"USD","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://www.getstark.co/pricing","retrievedAt":"2026-08-25T08:32:47.236Z","startingPrice":{"amount":2500,"period":"year","currency":"USD"},"billingPeriods":["year"]}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | yes |
| pricing.model | open_source | freemium |
| pricing.price_level | free | high |
| pricing.starting_price | - | `{"amount":2500,"currency":"USD"}` |
| pricing.transparent | - | yes |
| release.cadence_days | 3 | - |
| release.history | `[{"url":"https://github.com/IBMa/equal-access/releases/tag/4.0.34","date":"2026-09-08T16:23:56Z","type":"stable","version":"4.0.34"},{"url":"https://github.com/IBMa/equal-access/releases/tag/4.0.33","date":"2026-09-03T15:48:44Z","type":"stable","version":"4.0.33"},{"url":"https://github.com/IBMa/equal-access/releases/tag/4.0.32","date":"2026-09-03T12:58:08Z","type":"stable","version":"4.0.32"},{"url":"https://github.com/IBMa/equal-access/releases/tag/4.0.31","date":"2026-08-21T16:09:23Z","type":"stable","version":"4.0.31"},{"url":"https://github.com/IBMa/equal-access/releases/tag/4.0.30","date":"2026-08-04T22:04:24Z","type":"stable","version":"4.0.30"},{"url":"https://github.com/IBMa/equal-access/releases/tag/4.0.29","date":"2026-07-14T19:00:46Z","type":"stable","version":"4.0.29"},{"url":"https://github.com/IBMa/equal-access/releases/tag/4.0.28","date":"2026-07-14T17:44:39Z","type":"stable","version":"4.0.28"},{"url":"https://github.com/IBMa/equal-access/releases/tag/4.0.27","date":"2026-07-14T14:32:38Z","type":"stable","version":"4.0.27"},{"url":"https://github.com/IBMa/equal-access/releases/tag/4.0.26","date":"2026-06-01T20:23:12Z","type":"stable","version":"4.0.26"},{"url":"https://github.com/IBMa/equal-access/releases/tag/4.0.25","date":"2026-06-01T19:30:44Z","type":"stable","version":"4.0.25"},{"url":"https://github.com/IBMa/equal-access/releases/tag/4.0.24","date":"2026-05-28T00:12:23Z","type":"stable","version":"4.0.24"},{"url":"https://github.com/IBMa/equal-access/releases/tag/4.0.23","date":"2026-05-28T00:01:29Z","type":"stable","version":"4.0.23"},{"url":"https://github.com/IBMa/equal-access/releases/tag/4.0.22","date":"2026-05-27T23:57:40Z","type":"stable","version":"4.0.22"},{"url":"https://github.com/IBMa/equal-access/releases/tag/4.0.21","date":"2026-05-27T23:50:08Z","type":"stable","version":"4.0.21"},{"url":"https://github.com/IBMa/equal-access/releases/tag/4.0.19","date":"2026-05-27T23:03:04Z","type":"stable","version":"4.0.19"},{"url":"https://github.com/IBMa/equal-access/releases/tag/4.0.18","date":"2026-05-19T20:58:39Z","type":"stable","version":"4.0.18"},{"url":"https://github.com/IBMa/equal-access/releases/tag/4.0.17","date":"2026-04-28T22:26:35Z","type":"stable","version":"4.0.17"},{"url":"https://github.com/IBMa/equal-access/releases/tag/4.0.16","date":"2026-03-27T04:15:24Z","type":"stable","version":"4.0.16"},{"url":"https://github.com/IBMa/equal-access/releases/tag/4.0.15","date":"2026-03-23T16:41:12Z","type":"stable","version":"4.0.15"},{"url":"https://github.com/IBMa/equal-access/releases/tag/4.0.14","date":"2026-03-20T20:00:06Z","type":"stable","version":"4.0.14"}]` | - |
| security.disclosure_policy | - | yes |
| security.gdpr | - | yes |
| security.soc2 | - | yes |
| security.vulnerabilities | `{"count":0,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=npm&package_name=accessibility-checker&per_page=100","last_12m":0,"max_severity":null}` | - |

## Capabilities (Accessibility Testing)

| Capability | IBM Equal Access Accessibility Checker | Stark |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Capabilities** |  |  |
| Scan method | Automated rules engine | Automated rules engine |
| Wcag level | - | AA |
| Ci cd integration | ✓ | ✓ |
| Browser extension | ✓ | ✓ |
| Design stage plugin | - | ✓ |
| CMS plugins | - | - |
| Continuous monitoring | - | ✓ |
| Vpat acr generation | - | ✓ |
| Manual audit service | - | - |
| Overlay widget | - | - |
| Document PDF testing | - | - |
| Open source | ✓ | - |

*Source: vioscaleAI. Generated 2026-10-16T20:01:26.652Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*