France's free, government-built RGAA audit tool
CheckFox vs Ara: the multi-standard alternative
Ara is an excellent free tool for RGAA conformance. CheckFox is the choice when you audit across several European standards, work as a team, and need integrations and richer reporting.
What is Ara?
Ara is an online tool published by the DINUM (the French interministerial digital directorate) that helps accessibility professionals run RGAA audits, generate audit reports, and produce the legally required accessibility statement. It is open source and hosted by the French State.
Ara is not an automatic scanner. As its team states plainly, "Ara does not audit your site automatically." It is a structured tool for expert auditors who already know the 106 RGAA criteria, with a progressive workflow from a rapid audit up to the full evaluation.
I say this with genuine respect: Ara was a direct inspiration for CheckFox in the first place. Its clear, criterion-by-criterion workflow showed us how good a focused audit tool could feel, and it shaped the way CheckFox approaches guided manual evaluation. CheckFox then took that idea further, across several standards, real-time teamwork, and developement team integrations.
Side-by-side comparison
| Feature | CheckFox | Ara (DINUM) |
|---|---|---|
| Approach | Guided manual audit with assisted automated checks | Manual RGAA audit (no automated scanning) |
| Standards covered | WCAG, RGAA, RAWeb, RAAM, RAPDF | RGAA only |
| Automated checks | Yes: axe-core plus complementary rules built into CheckFox (maintained and growing) | No automated checks |
| Quick / partial audit | Coming soon | Yes: quick audits in steps (25, then 50) up to the full 106 |
| Manual evaluation & evidence | Notes + evidence images per criterion, with multiple images per criterion | Notes + evidence images per criterion |
| Evaluate across pages | Per-criterion propagation across pages | Transversal evaluation across pages |
| User journey mapping | Yes, audit full user journeys (helps EAA compliance for services) | No |
| Team collaboration | Real-time collaboration and reviewer roles | Report sharing; not built for real-time teams |
| Workspaces & folders | Multi-workspace and folders to manage clients and organize audits | No |
| Issue-tracker integrations | Jira, GitHub, Linear | None |
| Reports & statement | Customizable report design: accessible public report (slides) + technical Public Audit Page, bilingual, plus accessibility statement | RGAA report + accessibility statement (French) |
| Languages | English and French | French |
| Hosting | Hosted SaaS, nothing to install, European-based | Hosted by the French State (open source) |
| Pricing | Free plan, paid team plans | Free |
Where Ara (DINUM) is strong
Where Ara (DINUM) is strong
- Completely free and open source, backed and hosted by the French State.
- Purpose-built for the RGAA, with a clean progressive workflow including quick partial audits (25 or 50 criteria) up to the full 106.
- Generates the RGAA audit report and the accessibility statement automatically.
- Transversal evaluation to assess elements shared across pages in one pass.
- Strong institutional credibility for French public-sector work.
Caveats to keep in mind
- RGAA only: no native support for WCAG (standalone), RAWeb, mobile (RAAM), or PDF (RAPDF) as separate frameworks.
- French-language tool aimed at the French market.
- No integrations with developer issue trackers (Jira, GitHub, Linear).
- Built around the individual auditor; not designed for real-time team collaboration.
Why teams choose CheckFox
Which one is right for you?
Choose Ara (DINUM) when
Your audits are RGAA-only, you work in or for the French public sector, and a free, state-backed tool fits your needs.
Choose CheckFox when
You audit against more than one standard, operate across European markets, or need team collaboration, integrations, and bilingual reporting.
Frequently asked questions
- Is CheckFox a replacement for Ara?
- For RGAA-only public-sector work, Ara is a great free option. CheckFox is the better fit when you need multiple standards, collaboration, or integrations. Many teams use both.
- Does CheckFox cover the full RGAA?
- Yes. Every RGAA criterion and its tests are built into CheckFox, and you can generate a compliant RGAA report and accessibility statement.
- Can CheckFox help with the European Accessibility Act?
- Yes. CheckFox covers the standards used across the EU, so you can audit the same product against RGAA in France and RAWeb in Luxembourg without switching tools.
Run a real accessibility audit with CheckFox
Create a free account and start auditing across WCAG, RGAA, RAWeb, RAAM, and RAPDF today.