Comparison
An accessiBe alternative for WordPress
We make Fixlight, so we're not neutral. We wrote this page to be checked: every fact about another product links to its source and says when we read it. If something is wrong or out of date, write to fixlight@fernwaylabs.com and we'll fix it.
accessiBe adds a script to every page that changes the page in each visitor's browser. Fixlight is a free WordPress plugin that fixes what it safely can in the HTML your server sends, and lists the rest for you to fix. Here is how they differ.
At a glance
| Compared | accessiBe (accessWidget) | Fixlight |
|---|---|---|
| How it works | A script on every page audits the page and applies fixes in the visitor's browser, and shows visitors a menu for font size, contrast and animations.source [2] | Fixes the page on your server as WordPress sends it, so every visitor gets the fixed HTML. No visitor menu. |
| What visitors load | A third-party script from acsbapp.com.source [2] | Nothing extra except a little CSS. |
| Price | From $59 a month or $490 a year (up to 5,000 visits a month), $179 a month or $1,490 a year (up to 30,000), $479 a month or $3,990 a year (up to 100,000).source [1] | Free, with no page or visit limits. Fixlight Pro, for agencies and stores, starts at $12 a month for one site ($249 a month for 25 client sites). |
| Account | Needs an accessiBe account or trial.source [2] | None. |
| WordPress plugin | 10,000+ installs, 4.1 stars from 32 ratings, tested up to WordPress 6.9; the current version is 7.1.source [2]source [9] | New in 2026. |
| Human help | Audits, VPATs, user testing and litigation support are listed as services.source [1] | Fixlight Pro includes hand-fixes from our team; the free plugin points you to agencies. |
The FTC order (2025)
On April 22, 2025, the US Federal Trade Commission approved a final order requiring accessiBe to pay $1 million.source [3]source [4] The FTC alleged two things:
- that accessiBe's claims that its automated accessWidget could make any website WCAG compliant were false, misleading or unsupported. The order bars such claims without competent and reliable evidence;
- that accessiBe formatted third-party articles and reviews to look independent without disclosing its ties to the reviewers.source [3]
That second point is why this page starts by saying Fixlight is ours.
What the National Federation of the Blind has said
- In June 2021 its board revoked accessiBe's sponsorship of the NFB convention.source [5]
- In July 2021 the convention passed a resolution condemning accessiBe's marketing and business practices, and a separate one on overlays in general, naming accessiBe among others.source [6]
- In January 2025 the NFB wrote to the FTC in support of the order.source [7]
The Overlay Fact Sheet, which has over 1,000 signatories, lists accessiBe among its examples of overlays.source [8]
What Fixlight does instead
- Fixes in your own HTML. 17 fixes, such as a skip link, a visible keyboard focus, alt text from your media library, names for icon buttons and links, form labels from placeholders and clear "Read more" links. Your posts and theme files aren't edited, and turning a fix off undoes it at once.
- Checks in plain words. It checks your pages and tells you what's left, why it matters, and how to fix it.
- Nothing for visitors to load. No toolbar, no third-party script, no account and no page limits.
See five of the fixes work, with a switch for each.
When accessiBe may suit you better
- Your site isn't on WordPress. Fixlight only works on WordPress.
- You want a visitor menu for font size and contrast. Fixlight has none. The Overlay Fact Sheet points out that browsers and devices already have most of these settings.source [8]
- You want audits and VPATs from the same company as the tool.source [1]
What no tool does
Neither tool can make a site fully accessible or "compliant" on its own. Automated fixes and checks cover common problems; colour choices, captions, complex widgets and many keyboard problems need a person. Fixlight lists what it can't fix so you or your developer can.
Try Fixlight on your own site
Free, with no account, no page limits and no script for your visitors. Turn any fix off and it's undone at once.
Sources
Checked on October 22, 2026. Prices and numbers change; each link goes to the page we read.
- accessiBe pricing
- Web Accessibility by accessiBe on WordPress.org. Install and rating numbers from the WordPress.org plugin API. The plugin version 2.13 adds a script from acsbapp.com to every page.
- FTC: final order requiring accessiBe to pay $1 million (press release, April 22, 2025)
- FTC case page: accessiBe Inc. (Matter No. 222 3156)
- National Federation of the Blind: convention sponsorship statement regarding accessiBe (June 24, 2021)
- National Federation of the Blind: 2021 resolutions, including 2021-04 (overlays) and 2021-17 (accessiBe)
- National Federation of the Blind: comment to the FTC on the accessiBe order (January 27, 2025)
- Overlay Fact Sheet. Signatories counted by us on the checked date; the page shows no total.
- WordPress.org: current WordPress version (7.1.3)