Question 1

What is axle and how is it different from an accessibility overlay widget?

Accepted Answer

axle is a compliance CI: it scans every pull request for WCAG 2.1/2.2 AA violations using axe-core 4.11, then proposes source-code fix diffs via Claude Sonnet inside the PR comment. It never injects JavaScript into the served page — the opposite of an overlay widget. Overlay widgets (accessiBe, UserWay, AudioEye) inject runtime ARIA over broken HTML; that approach cost accessiBe a $1M FTC settlement in January 2025 and does not satisfy EAA 2025 or EN 301 549, which evaluate the served HTML.

Question 2

Is axle compliant with EAA 2025, ADA, and Israeli תקנה 35?

Accepted Answer

axle is a tool for teams seeking compliance with those regulations. It uses axe-core 4.11 which evaluates EN 301 549 / WCAG 2.1 AA — the technical standard all three regulations reference. axle produces the artifacts regulators look for (scan reports as audit trail, a published accessibility statement URL, a named accessibility contact). axle is not a compliance certificate; automated checks catch roughly 57% of WCAG issues and a human audit is still recommended for full conformance.

Question 3

How much does axle cost?

Accepted Answer

Open plan is free forever: unlimited scans on one repository, PR comments, public badge, Hebrew statement generator, and bring-your-own Anthropic API key for AI fixes. Team plan is $49/month: hosted AI fixes, up to 10 repos, multi-language statements, published verified statement URL. Business plan is $299/month: unlimited repos, full EU-language statement pack, SLA support. No seat counts on any plan.

Question 4

Where does axle run — is it a SaaS I need to sign up for?

Accepted Answer

axle ships as a GitHub Action, an npm CLI (axle-cli), and plugins for Netlify, Cloudflare Pages, Vercel, and WordPress. For the free tier and CI pipelines, scans run on your own infrastructure (GitHub runner, Netlify build, etc.) using the open-source axe-core engine — no signup. The hosted service at axle-iota.vercel.app is optional and only involved if you use the web scan form, paid AI fixes, or the published verified statement URL feature.

Question 5

Does axle support Hebrew accessibility statements for Israeli תקנה 35?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The Hebrew statement generator at axle-iota.vercel.app/statement runs locally in your browser and produces a statement aligned with Israeli regulation 35(ד). No signup, no upload — the form stays on your device. For compliance officers, the Team plan adds a published verified URL (axle-iota.vercel.app/s/<id>) that is tamper-evident and timestamped for use in disclosure documents.

Question 6

What's the difference between axle's GitHub Action and the npm CLI?

Accepted Answer

Same axe-core engine, different delivery surface. The GitHub Action integrates directly into PR workflows, adds a sticky PR comment, and fails the check when violations cross the threshold. The npm CLI (axle-cli) runs anywhere Node.js runs — local dev, other CI systems (GitLab, Jenkins, CircleCI), cron jobs, or manual scans. Output format is identical JSON + markdown between them.

	UserWay widget	axle
What it does	Injects JS at runtime, attempts to add ARIA / adjust contrast / alter keyboard behaviour on top of existing HTML	Scans in CI, proposes source-code diffs, posts them on your PR, blocks merge on regressions
Runtime JS on your page	Yes — one extra third-party script	No — zero runtime footprint
Source-level fix suggestions	No	Yes — Claude-generated diffs, reviewed before merge
Legal defence value	Cited as bad-faith evidence in ADA lawsuits; FTC case law stands	Audit trail of scan reports + published verified statement URL
Screen-reader experience	Can actively harm NVDA / JAWS users (Princeton 2023 study)	No runtime interference — improves only what's fixed at source
Cost	$490/yr starting (public pricing)	$0 free tier · $49/mo Team
Works for WP / Shopify / headless	Widget script, theme-agnostic	GitHub Action, npm CLI, Netlify / Cloudflare / Vercel plugins, WP plugin

axle is the source-code alternative to UserWay.

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Why overlay tooling is dead

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