What is the difference between an overlay and an accessibility audit?

An overlay is a script added to a site that tries to adjust the page automatically as it loads. An audit is an examination of the site itself, by people and tools, against a standard such as WCAG, producing a list of issues for someone to fix in the site's own code and content. The first is a product you install; the second is a diagnosis that leads to work.

Which kind of accessibility vendor does a small online store need?

Usually not an enterprise platform. A small store gets most of the value from an automated scan to find the obvious issues, fixing them in its theme and product data, testing the purchase journey with a keyboard, and publishing an accessibility statement. A manual audit becomes worth its cost when the site is complex, the business is large enough to fall outside the microenterprise exemption, or a complaint has been received.

What does continuous accessibility monitoring do?

It scans a site on a schedule and tracks issues over time, which suits large sites where content changes constantly and new problems are introduced by people publishing pages. It catches regressions automated tests can detect; it does not replace a manual review of the things automated tests cannot judge.

Is it a conflict of interest for this page to list vendors with affiliate programmes?

It would be if it changed the rankings, which is why it does not. No listed vendor currently has an active affiliate link on this page, overlays are not placed above audits, and each entry states its source and the date it was checked. See the About page for the full policy.

← Countries

Accessibility vendors compared

Accessibility vendors sell four quite different things under the same word. Overlay widgets, manual audits, continuous monitoring and remediation solve different problems at very different prices, and the category you buy matters more than the brand. This page explains the categories first, then lists vendors with what each one publishes and when we checked it. SeeAbout for why overlays are not ranked above audits regardless of affiliate commission.

The four kinds of accessibility vendor

Overlay widgets: A script added to your site that tries to detect and adjust accessibility problems in the browser as the page loads, usually with a visible toolbar for visitors. Quick to install and cheap at the entry tier. It does not change your site's own code or content, which is where an audit looks.
Manual audits: People with accessibility expertise examine your site against a standard such as WCAG, usually with assistive technologies and automated tools together, and produce a report of issues to fix. The most thorough option and the most expensive; the output is a diagnosis, and the fixing is still yours.
Continuous monitoring: Scheduled automated scanning across a whole site, tracking issues over time. Built for large sites where many people publish content and regressions creep in. It finds what automated tests can find, repeatedly.
Remediation: Someone fixes the issues: developers, designers and content editors working in your code, theme and content. Some audit vendors offer it as consulting; often it is your own team or agency working from an audit report.

What the FTC found about overlay compliance claims

Whether an overlay can make a website compliant is not only a debate among practitioners. It has been the subject of a regulatory action. In January 2025 the US Federal Trade Commission alleged that accessiBe misrepresented the ability of its AI-powered tool to make any website compliant with WCAG, and that it formatted third-party articles and reviews to look like independent opinions without disclosing its material connections to them.

In April 2025 the Commission voted 3-0 to approve a final consent order. It requires accessiBe to pay $1 million, and it bars the company from representing that its automated products can make any website WCAG-compliant, or can ensure continued compliance with WCAG over time, unless it has the evidence to support such claims. It also prohibits presenting reviews, blog posts or articles as independent opinions by impartial users when they are not. The FTC's release does not indicate that accessiBe admitted wrongdoing; it settled the allegations.

The order concerns one company and US consumer protection law, not the European Accessibility Act. What it establishes for anyone choosing a vendor in the EU is narrower and still useful: a regulator has treated the blanket claim that an automated tool makes any website WCAG-compliant as one that needs evidence behind it. Treat any vendor making that claim accordingly.

Sources: FTC, "FTC Approves Final Order Requiring accessiBe to Pay $1 Million", 22 April 2025;FTC case file, accessiBe Inc.

How to choose

A small online store: Start with an automated scan to find the obvious issues, fix them in your theme and product data, test the purchase journey with a keyboard, and publish an accessibility statement. An enterprise platform is rarely proportionate. Check first whether themicroenterprise exemption applies to you at all.
A mid-sized business with a complex checkout or app: A manual audit of the key journeys is where the money goes furthest, because the failures that block a purchase are the ones automated tools are worst at judging.
A large site with many publishers: Continuous monitoring to catch regressions, plus periodic manual audits of the templates and journeys that everything else is built from.
Anyone offered a one-line fix: Ask what evidence supports a claim of compliance, and what happens to your site's actual code and content. See the FTC order above.

Vendors

Each entry states what the vendor publishes and when we checked it. Where a vendor does not publish pricing, we say so rather than estimating it.

accessiBe — Overlay widget

Manual testing included: Yes (see notes for which tier)
WCAG level claimed: AA
Notes: AI-powered overlay widget. Published pricing: $490–$3,990/year across four tiers (not converted — see source for current USD figures). Manual testing and expert validation are included only on the top 'Scale' tier; lower tiers rely on automated remediation alone. Overlay effectiveness for genuine WCAG conformance is disputed by accessibility practitioners and disability advocacy groups — see the About page for why this listing includes that caveat.

Source: https://accessibe.com/pricing/accessservices · verified 2026-08-10

Deque Systems (axe) — Manual audit

Manual testing included: Yes (see notes for which tier)
WCAG level claimed: AA
Notes: Enterprise platform combining automated scanning (axe DevTools) with structured manual-testing workflows (axe Auditor) and continuous monitoring (axe Monitor). Pricing is not published. Standalone accessibility audits and VPAT authoring are separate engagements.

Source: https://www.deque.com/axe/auditor/ · verified 2026-08-10

Level Access — Manual audit

Manual testing included: Yes (see notes for which tier)
WCAG level claimed: AA
Notes: Enterprise accessibility platform: manual audits, VPAT/ACR documentation, remediation consulting and training, combined with an automated-testing product. Pricing is quote-only and not published.

Source: https://www.levelaccess.com/audit-test/ · verified 2026-08-10

Siteimprove — Monitoring

Manual testing included: No
WCAG level claimed: AA
Notes: Automated, ongoing WCAG scanning and issue-tracking across an entire site, aimed at large content-managed properties rather than one-off audits. Pricing is quote-only and not published.

Source: https://www.siteimprove.com/platform/accessibility/web-accessibility-software/ · verified 2026-08-10

UserWay — Overlay widget

Manual testing included: No
WCAG level claimed: AA
Notes: AI-powered overlay widget plus a separate scanning/monitoring product line. Published pricing: widget plans from $49/month; scanning plans from $990/year for 100 pages/month. No manual-testing tier identified. Same overlay-effectiveness caveat applies as for accessiBe.

Source: https://www.userway.org · verified 2026-08-10

Accessibility vendors: common questions

Do accessibility overlays make a website compliant?: Not on their own, and the claim that they do has been tested by a regulator. In April 2025 the US Federal Trade Commission approved a final order requiring accessiBe to pay $1 million and barring it from representing that its automated products can make any website WCAG-compliant, or ensure continued compliance over time, unless it has evidence to support the claim. An overlay can change how a page looks and behaves in the browser; it does not fix the underlying markup, content and journeys an audit examines.
What is the difference between an overlay and an accessibility audit?: An overlay is a script added to a site that tries to adjust the page automatically as it loads. An audit is an examination of the site itself, by people and tools, against a standard such as WCAG, producing a list of issues for someone to fix in the site's own code and content. The first is a product you install; the second is a diagnosis that leads to work.
Which kind of accessibility vendor does a small online store need?: Usually not an enterprise platform. A small store gets most of the value from an automated scan to find the obvious issues, fixing them in its theme and product data, testing the purchase journey with a keyboard, and publishing an accessibility statement. A manual audit becomes worth its cost when the site is complex, the business is large enough to fall outside the microenterprise exemption, or a complaint has been received.
What does continuous accessibility monitoring do?: It scans a site on a schedule and tracks issues over time, which suits large sites where content changes constantly and new problems are introduced by people publishing pages. It catches regressions automated tests can detect; it does not replace a manual review of the things automated tests cannot judge.
Is it a conflict of interest for this page to list vendors with affiliate programmes?: It would be if it changed the rankings, which is why it does not. No listed vendor currently has an active affiliate link on this page, overlays are not placed above audits, and each entry states its source and the date it was checked. See the About page for the full policy.

Vendor details come from each vendor's own published pages, linked on its entry with the date checked. Pricing and plans change often; verify against the vendor before buying. The FTC material is linked in its section. This page is not an endorsement of any vendor.