A11yCheck vs. Built-In and Generic Accessibility Checkers

Questions answered by this guide

• ?Why do I need A11yCheck if Storyline already has a built-in Accessibility Checker?
• ?What's the difference between A11yCheck and WAVE or axe?
• ?Does Storyline's Accessibility Checker cover Rise too?
• ?Can I use more than one accessibility checker at the same time?
• ?Is a built-in checker enough on its own?
• ?What does A11yCheck check that a generic web accessibility tool doesn't?

What you'll learn

• Storyline's built-in checker is a genuinely good first step, and it's Storyline-only
• Generic web checkers like WAVE and axe test rendered pages, not eLearning-specific structure
• A11yCheck reviews both Storyline and Rise, and combines accessibility with course quality and engagement in one scan

What's inside

Instructional designers and L&D managers deciding whether they need a dedicated accessibility review tool

1. 01What each tool actually checks
2. 02Where they overlap
3. 03Where they don't
4. 04When to use which
5. 05Using more than one together

Why it matters

Since May 2025, Storyline has shipped its own built-in Accessibility Checker, covering up to 15 WCAG success criteria across 24 checks according to Articulate's own documentation, a real, useful addition to the authoring workflow. That naturally raises a fair question: why use a separate tool at all? The honest answer is that Storyline's checker, WAVE, axe, and A11yCheck aren't really competing for the same job. Each one is built for a different scope, and knowing which scope you actually need is a more useful question than which tool is "best."

When you'll encounter this

• You're deciding whether to adopt a dedicated accessibility review tool now that Storyline has its own checker.
• You already use WAVE or axe for your organization's website and wonder if the same tool covers your Storyline or Rise courses.
• You build in both Storyline and Rise and want one consistent way to review both.
• You need to show accessibility, course quality, and engagement findings together, not as three separate reports.

Example

Best practices

• Use Storyline's built-in Accessibility Checker as a first pass while you're still building a Storyline course, it's free, it's already in the tool, and it catches real issues across the WCAG criteria it covers.
• Use WAVE or axe if you also maintain a website or web app outside of Storyline and Rise, they're built for exactly that, live rendered web pages.
• Use A11yCheck when your course involves Rise (which has no built-in checker at all), when you need one consistent review across both authoring tools, or when you need course quality and engagement findings alongside accessibility, not as a separate pass.
• Treat any automated tool's clean result as "passed what a machine can measure," not as full compliance. This is true of Storyline's checker, WAVE, axe, and A11yCheck equally, see What Can A11yCheck Review Automatically.
• Consider using more than one together where it makes sense: Storyline's checker during authoring, A11yCheck before publishing for the full cross-tool, cross-pillar picture.

Common mistakes

• Assuming a clean result from Storyline's checker means the whole course is accessible, when it only ever reviewed the Storyline modules.
• Assuming a generic web accessibility tool understands eLearning-specific structure, like slide-based navigation or a Rise knowledge check, the way an eLearning-specific tool does.
• Treating any single automated tool's clean scan as proof of full WCAG conformance, rather than as a fast first pass.
• Running two overlapping browser-based tools without realizing their on-page indicators can interfere with each other's results.

Practical checklist

• If your course is Storyline-only, Storyline's built-in checker is a legitimate first pass during authoring.
• If any part of the course is built in Rise, use a tool that actually reviews Rise, Storyline's checker doesn't.
• If you need course quality and engagement findings, not just accessibility, use a tool built to review all three together.
• Whatever tool (or tools) you use, still run a real manual pass, a screen reader read-through, a keyboard-only pass, before publishing.

Frequently asked questions

Summary

Storyline's built-in Accessibility Checker and generic tools like WAVE and axe are genuinely useful, each for a specific scope. Neither reviews Rise, and neither combines accessibility with course quality and engagement. A11yCheck's scope is a full course, both authoring tools, and all three review pillars, in one place.