AlleviatorAlleviator vs accessiBe
accessiBe's accessWidget adds a script that tries to repair your site as visitors load it. Alleviator finds the problems so they can be fixed properly, in your website itself.
accessWidget is accessiBe's best-known product. It's an “overlay”: a script you add to your site that uses AI to change the page in the visitor's browser, plus a toolbar where visitors pick settings such as larger text or a seizure-safe profile.
Side by side
| Feature | Alleviator | accessiBe |
|---|---|---|
| How it works | Scans your site and tells you what to fix. The fixes go into your website, so they work for everyone, with any device or screen reader. | Changes the page in each visitor's browser after it loads. Your site's own code stays the same. |
| What you get | A report of every problem, on which page, with a screenshot and a step-by-step fix guide. | A script and toolbar on your site, plus an accessibility statement and monthly audits on paid plans. |
| Claims about compliance | We never say a scan or a widget makes a site compliant. Some criteria always need a person, and every report says so. | In 2025 the US Federal Trade Commission ordered accessiBe to stop claiming its tool can make any website WCAG-compliant without evidence (see below). |
| What it can't do | Can't check pages behind a login, or judge things only a person can, like whether captions are accurate. Our guided checklist covers those. | accessiBe says accessWidget can't fix some problems, such as video captions and PDFs. |
| Visitor toolbar | Optional reading options for visitors, like bigger text, line spacing and contrast. They're display preferences, and we don't sell them as a fix. | Built in, with disability profiles and an AI assistant on some plans. |
| Price to start | Free for one page. Whole-site plans from $49.99 a month. | Paid plans. See accessiBe's site for current prices. |
Which is right for you?
accessiBe may suit you if
- You want something on your site within minutes and accept that it doesn't change the underlying code.
Alleviator may suit you if
- You want the problems actually fixed, in a way that works for every visitor.
- You want evidence of what's been fixed and what's left, for your team, clients or lawyers.
- You'd rather not rely on a claim that a script makes you compliant.
What regulators and experts say about overlays
In April 2025 the US Federal Trade Commission finalised an order requiring accessiBe to pay $1 million. The FTC said accessiBe's claims that accessWidget could make any website WCAG-compliant were false, misleading or unsubstantiated, and that it had presented paid reviews as independent. The order bans those claims unless accessiBe has evidence for them.
More than 1,000 accessibility professionals and disabled people have signed the Overlay Fact Sheet, which says “full compliance cannot be achieved with an overlay” and calls for fixing problems at their source. Widgets don't stop lawsuits either: in September 2026 alone, 91 US companies were sued even though they had an accessibility widget installed.
accessiBe also sells other products, including accessFlow, a tool for developers, which this page doesn't cover.
Sources
- FTC: final order requiring accessiBe to pay $1 million (April 2025)
- accessiBe: accessWidget
- Overlay Fact Sheet
- UsableNet ADA lawsuit tracker
accessiBe is a trademark of its owner, and this page isn't endorsed by them. Facts about accessiBe were checked in October 2026 from the sources above. Spotted something out of date? Email us and we'll fix it.
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