The listing, as of October 9, 2026
- App name: accessiBe Web Accessibility (developer: accessiBe)
- Rating: 3.5★ from 17 reviews
- Launched on the App Store: December 13, 2023
- Plans: Explorer (free to install, 7-day trial) · Micro $59/mo or $490/yr · Growth $179/mo or $1,490/yr · top plan $479/mo
- Compliance types listed: ADA, AODA, EAA, WCAG
Source: apps.shopify.com/accesswidget. Disclosure: RatedWithAI sells a $29/mo accessibility checker that competes with this app.
What the FTC settlement covered
accessiBe agreed to pay $1 million to settle FTC charges that its claims that its AI tool could make any website WCAG-compliant were false, misleading, or unsubstantiated. The order was finalized in April 2025 and limits how accessiBe can describe what its product does. The FTC also alleged that accessiBe presented paid reviews as independent. accessiBe did not admit wrongdoing, and the app remains available on Shopify. For a merchant, the practical point is narrow: a compliance badge or "WCAG compliant" claim copied from vendor marketing is the kind of claim the FTC challenged, so check it before you put it on your storefront.
Where an overlay stops on a Shopify theme
This is a limit of the category, not of one vendor. An overlay is a script that loads after your theme and adjusts the page in the shopper's browser. It can enlarge text, change contrast, pause animation and add some missing attributes. W3C's Web Accessibility Initiative cautions that such tools do not by themselves make a site conformant. On Shopify the failures that matter most usually live in theme code the script does not rewrite reliably:
- Icon-only buttons (cart, search, menu, quantity +/−) with no accessible name
- Variant pickers for size and colour built from clickable divs or swatches with no label
- Slide-out cart drawers and quick-view modals that trap or lose keyboard focus
- Product images uploaded without alt text, or with the file name as alt text
- Third-party app blocks (reviews, upsells, chat) that inject their own markup
Each of these is fixed once, in the theme or the app block, and then stays fixed whether or not any widget loads. That is why the first step is a list of what fails, not a toolbar.
Alternatives for a Shopify store
RatedWithAI: code-level scanning, $29/mo
Scans your storefront pages with axe-core and lists each failing element with the WCAG criterion and a fix, so your developer or theme vendor can change the code. It does not add a widget. Disclosure: this is our product.
Free single-page checkers
WAVE, Google Lighthouse and the axe DevTools browser extension test one page at a time. They are a good way to see the theme problems above on your product page today.
A theme that starts accessible
Shopify's Dawn and other recent Online Store 2.0 themes ship with better defaults than many older paid themes. Switching themes can remove whole classes of failures at once.
Comparing several widgets? See our Shopify accessibility apps roundup (ratings refreshed October 9, 2026) and the UserWay Shopify app page.
FAQ
What does the accessiBe Shopify app cost?
On its Shopify App Store listing (checked October 9, 2026) the accessiBe Web Accessibility app is free to install with a 7-day trial on the Explorer plan, then Micro at $59/month or $490/year for up to 5,000 site visits a month, Growth at $179/month or $1,490/year for up to 30,000 visits, and a top plan at $479/month.
How is the accessiBe app rated on the Shopify App Store?
3.5 out of 5 stars from 17 reviews as of October 9, 2026. The listing shows a launch date of December 13, 2023. Review counts undercount installs, because many stores add accessiBe's script directly rather than through the app.
Did accessiBe settle with the FTC?
Yes. accessiBe agreed to pay $1 million to settle FTC charges that its claims that its AI tool could make any website WCAG-compliant were false, misleading, or unsubstantiated. The order was finalized in April 2025. The FTC also alleged that accessiBe presented paid reviews as independent. accessiBe did not admit wrongdoing.
Will an overlay app make my Shopify store WCAG-conformant?
Not by itself. An overlay runs in the visitor's browser after your theme loads. It can add a toolbar and patch some attributes, but conformance is judged on the page a screen reader or keyboard user actually gets, and theme-level problems such as unlabeled icon buttons, a cart drawer that traps focus, or variant pickers built from divs usually need a change to the theme's Liquid, HTML or JavaScript.
What should I use instead of the accessiBe Shopify app?
Start by finding out what is actually wrong in your theme. A code-level scanner such as RatedWithAI ($29/month, axe-core based) lists the failing elements on your product, collection and cart pages so a developer can fix them in the theme. Free tools (WAVE, Lighthouse, axe DevTools) check one page at a time. If you also want a visitor toolbar, add it after the code is fixed, not instead of fixing it.