Overlay vs Code Fixes: Which Should You Buy?

An overlay and a code fix solve different problems, even though both are sold as accessibility help. An overlay adds a script to a page. That script runs in the visitor's browser and adjusts what the visitor sees or hears, for example by changing text size, contrast, or labels, while the page is loaded. A code fix changes the source code itself: the HTML, the labels, the heading order, or the keyboard behaviour. When the page loads again, the fix is in the code, with or without any extra script.

What an overlay does

An overlay is a small piece of code added to a site, often with one snippet pasted into a template or tag manager. Once it loads, it offers a floating panel of visitor controls and it tries to patch problems at run time, such as adding labels or adjusting contrast.

The limits follow from the same design. The overlay does not edit the source code, so the original markup stays as it was. If the script fails to load, is blocked, or is switched off, the run-time patches go with it. A patch applied at run time can also guess wrong: a label added by a script may describe a field in a way that does not match what the field actually does, and a change made for one visitor may not help a visitor using a different screen reader or keyboard setup. The United States Department of Justice guidance puts it plainly for automated tools in general: they can be helpful, but a clean report does not mean everything is accessible, and a manual check paired with automated checks gives a better picture.

What a code fix does

A code fix starts with a scan of the source, then changes the source. A missing label becomes a real label in the HTML. A button with no name gets a name in the code. A heading order problem is corrected in the markup. A keyboard trap is removed from the interaction code. After the fix, a second scan of the same code can show the change, and a person using only a keyboard can check the same page without any extra panel.

For sites with a GitHub repository, Axeazy sends fixes as a real pull request with a visible code diff that the site owner or developer reviews and merges. That review step matters, because a fix that changes layout or wording should be seen by a human before it goes live. For WordPress sites, Axeazy's free plugin applies three render-time fixes: a skip navigation link, a page language attribute, and an alt text fallback, with no account needed. For Shopify stores and other sites with no repo, Axeazy scans the site and gives a guided checklist with computed fix values to apply by hand, rather than changing templates automatically.

Code fixes take more time up front than pasting a snippet. A developer may need to review a pull request, approve a colour change, or apply checklist items in a theme. Colour contrast is a good example of why that time is needed: Axeazy detects contrast problems and calculates a correct colour, but a visible colour change is never applied without owner approval, because colour touches brand and design. That slower step is also the reason a code fix lasts: once merged, the fix stays in the code through the next page load, the next theme update that does not overwrite it, and the next scan.

What the FTC record actually says

On January 3, 2025, the Federal Trade Commission announced a proposed $1 million order settling allegations about accessiBe, the maker of accessWidget. The FTC alleged that accessiBe misrepresented the ability of its tool to make any website conform to WCAG, and that third-party articles and reviews were formatted to look impartial without disclosing material connections to the company. The FTC approved the final order in April 2025. Those are the FTC's allegations and the order's terms, described here factually, not as a verdict on every overlay product or on any other vendor.

Read the record for what it teaches a buyer, not for a slogan. The lesson is about evidence: when a vendor says a product changes what a page meets, ask for the evidence behind that statement, and ask how the vendor handles reviews and endorsements. A vendor that shows a sample report, a sample diff, and a retest report is giving a buyer something to check. A vendor that only shows a panel and a score is asking a buyer to trust the panel.

A plain comparison

• What changes: an overlay changes the page at run time in the visitor's browser. A code fix changes the source code.
• What lasts: an overlay patch lasts only while its script loads and runs. A code fix lasts until the code is changed again.
• What a retest proves: an overlay retest proves what the page looked like with the script running. A code retest proves what the code now says.
• Setup time: an overlay can be live in minutes with a snippet. A code fix needs scan time, review time, and merge or checklist time.
• Who checks the work: an overlay is checked by the vendor's script. A code fix can be checked by the owner, a developer, and a manual tester, each looking at the same code.
• Cost shape: overlay pricing is often monthly and tied to traffic. accessiBe's pricing page states that plans for accessWidget start at $59 a month and are priced by monthly traffic, checked October 31, 2026. Code fix pricing is often monthly by site count or per project. Axeazy lists Starter at about $29 a month, Pro at about $79 a month, and Agency at about $199 a month or $1,799 a year, with paid prices shown at checkout.
• Best fit: an overlay fits a site that wants visitor controls quickly and understands that the underlying code is unchanged. A code fix fits a site that wants the barriers removed from the code and a dated record of each change.

Which should you buy?

Buy an overlay only if you have read its limits and still want what it does: fast visitor controls, with the understanding that source problems remain and that a manual check is still needed. Do not buy it as a substitute for fixing code, and do not buy it on a claim that a script alone changes what a page meets. Ask the vendor for a written statement of what the product does not change, and for a report that shows the same pages tested with the overlay off.

Buy code fixes if your goal is to remove barriers from the code and to keep a dated record of the work. That goal fits a site facing a demand letter, a site with a checkout or booking path, a site with a developer who can review pull requests, and an agency that must show clients what changed and when. Axeazy's approach fits that goal for small teams: 98 automated checks against WCAG 2.2 AA, fixes grouped into 14 categories, a dated record of every scan and fix, and weekly monitoring on paid plans so new problems are caught after updates.

Related reading

For the head to head that started this cluster, read Axeazy vs accessiBe: Price, Fixes and Fit, and for the ten checks to run on any tool, read how to choose an accessibility tool. If focus and keyboard use are your main worry, try the keyboard focus quiz to see how focus order and visible focus work in practice.

• Overlay vs Audit vs Automated Fixes: Cost and Fit

FAQ

Is an overlay the same as fixing my site?

No. An overlay adds a script that adjusts the page at run time, while a code fix changes the source code itself. The source problems remain under an overlay, and they return if the script fails to load or is switched off.

Did the FTC ban overlays?

No. The FTC action described here was a proposed $1 million order in January 2025, approved as a final order in April 2025, settling allegations about specific marketing claims and about third-party articles and reviews. It did not ban overlay products as a category. Read the FTC pages for the exact allegations and order terms.

Does W3C say overlays cannot be used?

W3C sets testable criteria for WCAG 2.2 and judges whole pages and complete processes. It does not prescribe one method of building a page. The practical test is whether the page meets the criteria with the overlay on and off, and whether a manual check backs up the automated result.

Last checked: October 31, 2026 Sources: FTC January 2025 press release; FTC accessiBe case page; W3C WCAG 2.2; ADA.gov web guidance; accessiBe pricing page; Axeazy capabilities and pricing pages.

Read how Axeazy scans and fixes code on Axeazy's methodology page before you choose between an overlay and code fixes.