The overlay problem, in plain numbers
- • In 2024, over 1,000 companies running an accessibility overlay were still sued under the ADA. The widget did not stop the lawsuit.
- • 69–72% of disabled users rate overlays "not effective" (WebAIM screen-reader survey).
- • 900+ accessibility practitioners have signed the Overlay Fact Sheet warning against relying on overlay widgets for compliance.
EqualWeb's widget, like every overlay, modifies your pages at runtime. The HTML your site actually serves — what a screen reader and a plaintiff's tester read — stays broken. Sites that display an accessibility widget signal awareness of the requirement, which is why overlay users remain a common target for demand letters.
What a real EqualWeb alternative has to do
A genuine alternative fixes the code, not the appearance of compliance. Look for these four things:
Widget vs. real accessibility monitoring
| Widget (EqualWeb) | Code-level monitoring | |
|---|---|---|
| Fixes the underlying code | No | Yes — tells devs what to fix |
| Stops ADA lawsuits | No (1,000+ overlay users sued in 2024) | Reduces exposure + gives evidence |
| Legal / audit evidence | No | Timestamped WCAG/VPAT export |
| Catches regressions | No | Re-scans every deploy |
| Rated effective by users | No (69–72% say not effective) | n/a — it fixes the real barriers |
How to choose — and try one free
The fastest way to see the gap is to scan your own site. If you run a widget today, a real scan will show you the failures it's hiding. Run a free WCAG check (no signup, no widget), or scan a specific URL. You'll get your score, the exact issues ranked by lawsuit risk, and how to fix each.
Where Proveform fits
Proveform is a code-level accessibility monitoring alternative to overlay widgets. We scan your real HTML with the WCAG ruleset, re-check on every deploy, alert you the moment something regresses, and export timestamped WCAG/VPAT evidence for auditors and legal — from $149/mo. We are not an overlay and we don't inject anything into your site. It's the honest version of "are we compliant?" — proof, not a widget.
Frequently asked questions
Does EqualWeb make my site ADA compliant?
No. Overlay widgets modify presentation at runtime but leave the underlying code unchanged, and overlay-using sites continue to be sued under the ADA. Compliance requires your real code to meet WCAG.
Is there a free EqualWeb alternative?
Yes — Proveform's free accessibility checker runs a real-code WCAG scan of any site with no signup and no widget, showing the failures ranked by lawsuit risk with guidance on fixing each.
Why switch from EqualWeb to code-level monitoring?
Because monitoring fixes the exposure instead of masking it: your developers get per-element findings, every deploy is re-checked for regressions, and you get timestamped WCAG/VPAT evidence — documentation that actually holds up if you're challenged.
What's the difference between an overlay and a real accessibility tool?
An overlay adds a JavaScript widget on top of your site and leaves the underlying code failing. A real tool scans your actual code against the WCAG ruleset, tells your team exactly what to fix, and re-checks continuously so it doesn't silently break again.