Best Tenon Alternative — Free Accessibility Scanner

Tenon.io built a strong reputation as a developer-focused, API-first accessibility testing service. Starting at $39/month, it offered a clean REST API that developers could integrate into CI/CD pipelines, build scripts, and custom workflows. The approach was refreshingly technical and earned respect in the developer community.

However, Tenon was acquired, and the transition has created uncertainty about the product's roadmap, pricing, and long-term viability. Existing customers report slower updates, reduced support responsiveness, and concerns about whether the API will continue to evolve. For teams that built Tenon into their workflows, this uncertainty is a practical problem that demands a reliable alternative.

Tenon and CompliScan share a developer-friendly philosophy but differ in their technical approach and current trajectory:

• Testing engine — Tenon: proprietary rule set. CompliScan: axe-core (industry standard, open source)
• AI capabilities — Tenon: none. CompliScan: Claude AI generates specific code fix suggestions for each violation
• Free tier — Tenon: limited free API calls. CompliScan: unlimited free single-page scans via web interface
• Active development — Tenon: uncertain post-acquisition. CompliScan: actively developed with regular updates

CompliScan's use of the axe-core engine means your results are based on the same rules used by Google Lighthouse, Deque, and the broader accessibility testing ecosystem — ensuring consistency across tools.

Even before the acquisition, Tenon had notable limitations that CompliScan addresses:

• Proprietary rules — Tenon used its own rule engine rather than axe-core, which made results harder to compare with other tools and industry benchmarks
• No AI analysis — violations included error codes and descriptions but no intelligent fix suggestions tailored to the specific context
• API-only focus — while developers appreciated the API, non-technical team members had no accessible web interface for testing
• Post-acquisition uncertainty — product updates have slowed, support response times have increased, and the long-term roadmap is unclear

For teams that integrated Tenon's API deeply into their workflow, the switching cost is real — but the cost of depending on a product with an uncertain future is higher.

CompliScan combines what developers loved about Tenon — fast, accurate, developer-friendly testing — with capabilities Tenon never offered: AI-powered fix suggestions, a web interface for non-technical users, and scheduled monitoring.

The axe-core foundation ensures your results align with industry standards. The AI layer means you do not just get a list of violations — you get specific code changes to resolve each one. The web interface means product managers and QA testers can run scans without API credentials or developer tools.

CompliScan is actively developed with a clear roadmap, transparent pricing (free tier plus $49-299/month plans), and no acquisition uncertainty. For teams migrating from Tenon, it is the most natural upgrade path — better technology, broader accessibility, and a stable foundation to build your accessibility workflow on.