Complyko vs accessiBe: real scanning vs overlay widget

accessiBe is the largest accessibility overlay vendor, with over 200,000 websites using its accessWidget product. The pitch is straightforward: add one script tag and an AI widget automatically fixes accessibility issues on your site, achieving WCAG compliance without developer involvement.

Complyko takes a different approach. Instead of patching issues at runtime, Complyko runs a headless browser through your actual ecommerce flows, finds violations in the rendered page, and reports them as code-level findings your team can fix. It also covers PCI DSS 4.0 script requirements and privacy compliance in the same scan.

This page documents the technical and legal differences between the two approaches so you can make an informed decision.

How accessiBe works

accessiBe's core product, accessWidget, is a JavaScript widget injected via a script tag. After installation, an AI scans your site every 24 hours and applies runtime DOM patches: adding ARIA attributes, generating alt text for images, adjusting contrast with CSS overlays and restructuring some interactive elements.

Users see a floating toolbar in the bottom corner of the page. The toolbar lets visitors enable settings like larger text, high contrast, dyslexia-friendly fonts and screen reader mode. This user-facing toolbar is a legitimate accommodation tool, similar to what browsers offer natively.

The automated remediation layer is a separate matter. It operates entirely on the rendered DOM. It does not touch your source code, your Liquid templates, your React components or your Shopify theme files. Issues that exist in the source, broken heading hierarchies, unlabeled inputs, inaccessible checkout steps, keyboard traps, remain exactly as they are. The overlay adds attributes on top of them, with varying reliability.

accessiBe also offers accessFlow, a newer product aimed at development teams. accessFlow integrates with CI/CD pipelines and scans code during development. It is priced and sold separately from accessWidget and targets a different buyer than the widget.

How Complyko works

Complyko runs a Playwright headless browser through your store's real user journeys. It navigates to the homepage, adds a product to the cart, proceeds through checkout and visits account pages. At each step, axe-core runs against the rendered page state, capturing violations as they appear to real users in real browser sessions.

On top of axe-core, Complyko applies a custom ecommerce check layer that covers issues axe does not catch natively: skip navigation links, cart quantity control labeling, checkout form autocomplete attributes, touch target sizing on product grids and price announcements for screen readers.

Violations are reported as code-level findings. Each violation includes the failing element, the WCAG criterion it violates, the severity and a suggested code fix. The report groups violations by pillar: accessibility, PCI DSS 4.0 and privacy. The result is a prioritized remediation list, not a runtime patch.

Feature comparison

The overlay problem

Independent testing by accessibility practitioners consistently finds that overlays remediate a small fraction of violations. A 2023 study by the accessibility testing firm Accessible360 found overlays fixed approximately 11% of detectable WCAG violations. The remaining 89% stay in the source code, invisible to the overlay, invisible to the vendor's AI scans, and present to every assistive technology user who visits the site.

The legal record reflects this. In 2025, 1 in 4 ADA web lawsuits in the United States targeted sites that already had an overlay widget installed. Plaintiff attorneys have explicitly stated in legal filings that overlay presence does not constitute compliance, and courts have not accepted overlay installation as a defense to inaccessibility claims.

In January 2025, the FTC took enforcement action against accessiBe, imposing a $1M fine. The FTC found that accessiBe made false and misleading claims that accessWidget achieves full WCAG compliance within 48 hours of installation. The consent order prohibits accessiBe from making unqualified compliance claims without substantiation.

The National Federation of the Blind issued a formal statement condemning overlay products as early as 2021, noting that overlay toolbars frequently interfere with screen reader keyboard navigation rather than helping it. The OverlayFactSheet.com statement, signed by over 700 accessibility practitioners, documents cases where overlay scripts intercept key events that screen readers depend on, actively degrading the experience for the users the overlay claims to help.

When to choose each product

Choose accessiBe if you want to offer a user-facing accommodation toolbar, larger text, high contrast, reduced motion, for visitors who prefer those settings. Understand that this is a user preference tool, not a compliance solution, and do not rely on it to prevent ADA lawsuits or satisfy WCAG audits.

Choose Complyko if you need to find and fix actual violations in your ecommerce flows. Complyko tells you what is broken, where it is in your code and how to fix it. It also covers PCI DSS 4.0 script requirements that became mandatory in March 2025 and privacy compliance requirements across GDPR and US state laws, so one scan covers your three highest-priority compliance areas.

Frequently asked questions

Does accessiBe achieve WCAG 2.1 AA compliance?

No. accessiBe applies runtime DOM patches via an overlay widget but cannot modify source code, fix third-party iframes or correctly handle complex interactive components. Independent testing shows overlays fix only around 11% of detectable WCAG violations. The FTC fined accessiBe $1M in January 2025 for claiming accessWidget achieves compliance within 48 hours.

Will accessiBe protect my store from ADA lawsuits?

Courts have not accepted overlay installation as an ADA defense. In 2025, 1 in 4 ADA web lawsuits targeted sites that already had an overlay widget installed. The underlying violations remain in your source code whether an overlay is present or not.

Does Complyko scan ecommerce checkout flows?

Yes. Complyko uses a Playwright headless browser to navigate real user journeys including add-to-cart, checkout and account flows. axe-core plus custom ecommerce checks run on each page state and report violations with code-level fix suggestions.

Does Complyko cover PCI DSS and privacy in addition to accessibility?

Yes. Complyko covers three pillars: WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility, PCI DSS 4.0 script requirements (Req 6.4.3 and 11.6.1) and privacy compliance (GDPR consent, CCPA Do Not Sell, pre-consent tracking). accessiBe covers accessibility only.