Deque built axe-core — the open-source engine that powers most accessibility scanning tools, including Litmus. Their enterprise platform (axe Monitor, axe Auditor, axe DevTools Pro) is powerful but complex and expensive. If you're not a large enterprise with a dedicated accessibility team, the platform complexity is more burden than benefit. Litmus takes the same axe-core engine and wraps it in a simple, affordable monitoring tool that anyone on your team can use.
Feature comparison
Side by side
Feature
Litmus
Deque
Pricing
$49–199/mo
Custom enterprise
Scanning engine
axe-core (WCAG 2.1 AA)
axe-core (WCAG 2.1 AA)
Site-wide crawling
Yes — up to 100 pages
Yes (axe Monitor)
Scheduled scans
Daily or weekly
Yes
Trend analytics
Yes
Yes
PDF reports
Yes
Yes
Email alerts
Yes
Yes
Self-serve signup
Yes — under 2 minutes
No — sales process
Contracts
None — cancel anytime
Enterprise contracts
Free trial
14 days, no credit card
Demo only
Overlay widget
No
No
Deque drawbacks
-Enterprise-only pricing with custom quotes and sales cycles
-Complex platform with steep learning curve for smaller teams
If Litmus uses axe-core, isn't Deque's platform better?
Deque's enterprise platform adds workflow management, team collaboration, and consulting on top of axe-core. If you need those enterprise features, Deque is a good fit. If you need automated site scanning with reports and alerts, Litmus delivers the same core scanning at a fraction of the complexity and cost.
Is axe-core the same engine Deque uses?
Yes. axe-core is open-source and maintained by Deque. Litmus uses axe-core for all scanning, which means you get the same rule set and detection quality that powers Deque's own products.
Can Litmus handle enterprise-scale scanning?
Litmus's Agency plan supports 25 websites with daily scanning and 100 pages per site. For most businesses outside the Fortune 500, this covers their entire web presence.
Ready to switch from Deque?
Start scanning your website for WCAG 2.1 AA violations in under 2 minutes. 14-day free trial, no credit card required.