Lighthouse vs ConformPilot
Google Lighthouse gives you an accessibility score. ConformPilot gives you a complete VPAT 2.5 report, full WCAG 2.2 criterion mapping, and enterprise documentation. Here is how they compare.
⚠️ Important: A Lighthouse accessibility score of 100 does not mean your site is WCAG 2.2 compliant. Lighthouse only catches a subset of automated issues. Full WCAG compliance requires multi-engine testing and manual review.
Google Lighthouse
Google Lighthouse is a free, open-source auditing tool built into Chrome DevTools. It audits a single page for performance, accessibility, SEO, and best practices. Its accessibility module uses axe-core to detect a subset of WCAG violations and produces a score from 0 to 100.
- ✓ Free, built into Chrome DevTools
- ✓ Easy to run — no setup required
- ✓ Covers performance + accessibility + SEO
- ✗ Score ≠ WCAG compliance
- ✗ No VPAT generation
- ✗ No multi-page crawling or enterprise reports
ConformPilot
ConformPilot is an enterprise accessibility auditing platform that uses Lighthouse as one of three engines alongside axe-core and Pa11y. It crawls entire websites, maps every violation to WCAG 2.2 and Section 508 criteria, and generates VPAT 2.5 Word documents for procurement and compliance.
- ✓ Uses Lighthouse + axe-core + Pa11y
- ✓ Generates VPAT 2.5 Word documents
- ✓ Full WCAG 2.2 criterion-by-criterion mapping
- ✓ Multi-page site crawling
- ✓ Authenticated scanning built-in
- ✓ Section 508 and EN 301 549 coverage
Lighthouse vs ConformPilot — Side by Side
| Feature | Lighthouse | ConformPilot |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Purpose | Performance + accessibility score | Full accessibility audit platform |
| Accessibility Engines | axe-core (subset) | axe-core + Pa11y + Lighthouse |
| VPAT 2.5 Generation | ✗ Not supported | ✓ Automatic VPAT 2.5 Word doc |
| Multi-page Crawling | ✗ One page at a time | ✓ Full site crawl |
| Authenticated Scanning | ✗ Requires Puppeteer scripting | ✓ Built-in auth support |
| WCAG 2.2 Full Mapping | ✗ Score only, no criterion map | ✓ Full criterion-by-criterion mapping |
| Section 508 Mapping | ✗ Not included | ✓ Included in VPAT |
| EN 301 549 Mapping | ✗ Not included | ✓ Included in VPAT |
| Word Document Export | ✗ HTML/JSON only | ✓ Professional DOCX export |
| No-code Setup | Chrome DevTools (no code) | ✓ No coding required |
| Enterprise Reporting | ✗ Developer-focused output | ✓ Branded enterprise reports |
| Pricing | Free (open source) | Free trial + paid plans |
Lighthouse or ConformPilot — Which Do You Need?
Use Lighthouse when…
- • You want a quick accessibility score for a single page
- • You are a developer checking for obvious issues during development
- • You also need performance and SEO metrics in one tool
- • You need a free, zero-setup tool for basic checks
Use ConformPilot when…
- • You need a VPAT 2.5 for government or enterprise procurement
- • You need full WCAG 2.2 criterion-by-criterion compliance mapping
- • You need to audit an entire website, not just one page
- • You need professional Word document reports for stakeholders
- • You need Section 508 and EN 301 549 coverage
Lighthouse vs ConformPilot — Common Questions
What is Google Lighthouse?
Google Lighthouse is an open-source automated auditing tool built into Chrome DevTools. It audits web pages for performance, accessibility, best practices, SEO, and Progressive Web App criteria. Its accessibility audit is powered by axe-core and produces a score from 0 to 100.
What is the difference between Lighthouse and ConformPilot?
Lighthouse is a developer tool that produces an accessibility score for a single page. ConformPilot is a complete accessibility auditing platform that uses Lighthouse as one of three engines, crawls entire websites, maps violations to WCAG 2.2 and Section 508 criteria, and generates VPAT 2.5 Word documents for enterprise compliance.
Does a Lighthouse score of 100 mean my site is WCAG compliant?
No. A Lighthouse accessibility score of 100 does not mean your site is WCAG 2.2 compliant. Lighthouse only catches a subset of automated accessibility issues. Many WCAG criteria require manual testing. ConformPilot uses three engines and provides full WCAG 2.2 criterion mapping to give a more complete picture.
Can Lighthouse generate a VPAT report?
No. Lighthouse does not generate VPAT reports. It produces a JSON or HTML report with an accessibility score and a list of issues. ConformPilot uses Lighthouse results alongside axe-core and Pa11y, maps them to WCAG 2.2 and Section 508 criteria, and generates a complete VPAT 2.5 Word document.
Does Lighthouse support multi-page auditing?
Lighthouse audits one page at a time. It does not crawl entire websites. ConformPilot supports full site crawling, scanning hundreds of pages in a single audit and aggregating results into a single VPAT report.
Does Lighthouse support authenticated scanning?
Lighthouse can be run on authenticated pages via Chrome DevTools or Puppeteer, but it requires custom scripting. ConformPilot has built-in support for authenticated scanning using browser sessions, form login, and basic auth — no coding required.
Go Beyond a Lighthouse Score
ConformPilot uses Lighthouse plus two additional engines, maps every violation to WCAG 2.2 criteria, and generates a complete VPAT 2.5 Word document — all without writing code.