--- title: "Website accessibility audit cost: 2026 published prices" description: "What accessibility audits cost from vendors that publish prices, what drives a quote, the 2026 ADA Title II dates and how to compare proposals." url: "https://dardo.studio/en/blog/website-accessibility-audit-cost/" language: "en" updated: "2026-10-15T15:18:56.818Z" --- [Blog](https://dardo.studio/en/blog/) # How much does a website accessibility audit cost? Published prices, cost drivers and how to compare quotes Vendors that publish prices put most accessibility audits between USD 1,250 and 8,000. What moves the quote, the 2026 ADA dates and how to compare proposals. By [Nicolás Cerón](https://dardo.studio/en/nicolas-ceron/) ·October 15, 2026 ![A stone courtyard of an old public building at blue hour, with a brass surveyor's theodolite on a tripod at the centre and a single crimson plumb line hanging from it.](https://dardo.studio/_astro/01M4Z95S2H588N86YK35HAQ7AR_Z2u6bSp.webp) ## Key takeaways - Vendors that publish prices put most manual audits between about USD 1,250 and 8,000; many large vendors quote per project. - The sample (templates, screens and complete user flows), the WCAG version and the deliverables move the price more than page count. - Budget separately for the audit, remediation and retests or monitoring; an overlay is not an audit. ## The short answer Most accessibility vendors don't publish prices. The few that do put a manual audit of a small or mid-size website in the low thousands of US dollars. Accessible.org says most of its audits cost USD 1,250–2,750. WebAIM says most of its initial evaluations come out between USD 2,000 and 8,000, a few hours of consultation included. Level Access, Deque and TPGi don't publish prices; they quote each project. An audit is the first of three budgets. Fixing what it finds (remediation) and keeping it fixed (retests and monitoring) are priced separately, so ask for all three before you compare totals. What moves an audit quote is the sample: how many distinct templates, screens and complete user flows are tested, against which version of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), on which devices and assistive technologies, and what you need at the end: a report, a retest, a conformance report for buyers. This guide was checked against vendors' pages and official texts on 15 October 2026. It is a planning aid, not legal advice. ## Published accessibility audit prices in 2026 These are the vendors whose own pages state a price or say plainly that they don't. Prices are in US dollars as published; what each one covers differs, so read the second column before the third. | Vendor | What the published price covers | Published price | Source (read 15 Oct 2026) | | ------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Accessible.org | Fully manual audit of a representative sample against WCAG 2.1 AA or 2.2 AA; desktop by default, mobile optional; spreadsheet report | USD 100–250 per primary page or screen and USD 25–100 per light page; most audits USD 1,250–2,750; WCAG 2.2 AA quotes run 10% above 2.1 AA | [Pricing page](https://accessible.org/pricing/) (updated 1 Sep 2026) and [WCAG 2.2 pricing note](https://accessible.org/?p=6017748) | | WebAIM | Audit of a representative sample, usually 8 to 15 pages or views, with a report and a few hours of consultation | Most initial evaluations USD 2,000–8,000; follow-up evaluations USD 240 an hour, typically about half the effort of the first | [FAQ](https://webaim.org/contact/faq) and [evaluation services](https://webaim.org/services/evaluation) | | DigitalA11Y (India) | Audit scoped on a discovery call; page complexity and the site's current state set the price | USD 1,500–5,000 per audit | [Cost guide](https://digitala11y.com/how-much-does-a-web-accessibility-audit-cost/) (updated 5 Feb 2026) | | thefrontkit (India) | Automated scan plus manual keyboard and screen reader testing (NVDA, VoiceOver), written report and walkthrough call, against WCAG 2.1 AA | USD 499 for up to 5 pages; USD 2,400 for up to 12 pages, one user flow and one retest; USD 5,900 for up to 25 pages, several flows, VPAT-ready documentation and two retests | [Audit cost article](https://thefrontkit.com/blogs/accessibility-audit-cost-2026) (22 Sep 2026) | | Level Access | Automated and manual testing by experts, including people with disabilities; audits include unlimited validation testing | No fixed price; scoped by pages, templates, user flows and the deliverable | [Audit FAQ](https://www.levelaccess.com/blog/accessibility-audit/) and [audit and test](https://www.levelaccess.com/audit-test/) | | Deque | Audit and compliance testing services | No price on its services pages | [Audits and compliance testing](https://www.deque.com/accessibility-services/audits-compliance-testing/) | | TPGi (Vispero) | Expert testing with assistive technology; VPAT and ACR documentation | No price; consultation request | [Audit and VPAT testing](https://vispero.com/accessibility-audit-vpat-testing/) | Three things stand out. Vendors price either per page or screen in the sample or per project, so ask for the sample before comparing totals. The standard matters: one published offer tests against WCAG 2.1 AA only, and another charges 10% more for 2.2 AA. And retests are either included (Level Access, thefrontkit's two larger tiers) or billed by the hour (WebAIM). ## What an audit price usually leaves out These lines often appear as extras. The examples are the published prices we found; other vendors may bundle or price them differently. | Line item | Published example | Source | | --------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | VPAT / Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR) | Accessible.org: USD 350 on top of the audit for the WCAG edition; USD 550 for Section 508, USD 650 for EN 301 549, USD 950 for the international edition | [Accessible.org pricing](https://accessible.org/pricing/) | | Retest or fix validation | WebAIM: USD 240 an hour. Accessible.org: technical support that validates fixes at USD 195 an hour, two-hour minimum. Level Access: unlimited validation included | [WebAIM FAQ](https://webaim.org/contact/faq), [Accessible.org](https://accessible.org/pricing/), [Level Access](https://www.levelaccess.com/audit-test/) | | Testing by a person with a disability | Accessible.org: USD 550 a session (USD 450 with an audit), up to 10 pages or screens, recorded | [Accessible.org pricing](https://accessible.org/pricing/) | | Code remediation | Accessible.org listed USD 250–550 per page or screen; it no longer offers the service but keeps the rate on its page for reference | [Accessible.org pricing](https://accessible.org/pricing/) | | Document remediation | Accessible.org: PDFs from USD 4 to 7.50 a page (the page gives both figures), Word and PowerPoint from USD 7 a page, USD 250 minimum | [Accessible.org pricing](https://accessible.org/pricing/) | | Automated monitoring | Pope Tech: free for a 25-page monthly sample; Team from USD 25 a month (50-page tier, billed annually); Business Plus from USD 225 and Professional from USD 400 a month (500-page tier, billed annually) | [Pope Tech pricing](https://www.pope.tech/websites/pricing) | | Rush delivery | Accessible.org: USD 250–750 for same-day or overnight turnaround | [Accessible.org pricing](https://accessible.org/pricing/) | ## What drives the cost of an accessibility audit ### The sample, not the page count Auditors don't test every page. The W3C's evaluation methodology, [WCAG-EM 2.0](https://www.w3.org/TR/wcag-em-2/) (a W3C Group Note of 23 July 2026), describes five steps: define the scope, explore the site, select a representative sample, evaluate it and report. The structured sample covers the common page types, the essential functionality and the technologies the site relies on. A random sample of 10% of the structured sample is added to check that it is representative: 80 structured samples plus 8 random ones in the W3C's own example. That is why a 500-page blog built from four templates can cost less to audit than a 20-screen web app where every screen is different. Accessible.org makes the same distinction in its price list: a content-rich or interactive page costs more than a light one, such as a privacy policy. ### Complete user flows [WCAG's conformance requirements](https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG22/#conformance-reqs) apply to full pages and to complete processes, and WCAG-EM includes every step of a process in the sample. If your site has a checkout, a sign-up, a booking or a logged-in account area, each one is tested from start to finish. Expect to provide test accounts, a staging environment or a payment sandbox, and expect each flow to add to the quote. ### WCAG 2.1 or 2.2 [WCAG 2.2](https://www.w3.org/WAI/standards-guidelines/wcag/new-in-22/) became a W3C Recommendation on 5 October 2023. It adds nine success criteria, six of them at Levels A and AA (Focus Not Obscured (Minimum), Dragging Movements, Target Size (Minimum), Consistent Help, Redundant Entry and Accessible Authentication (Minimum)), and removes 4.1.1 Parsing as obsolete. The W3C says [content that conforms to 2.2 also conforms to 2.1 and 2.0](https://www.w3.org/WAI/standards-guidelines/wcag/), so testing to 2.2 AA also covers the 2.1 AA level that the US Title II rule names. The extra criteria cost a little more to test. Accessible.org prices WCAG 2.2 AA at 10% more than 2.1 AA; its own example moved a desktop-only quote from USD 1,150 to USD 1,265. ### Devices and assistive technology Each extra environment is more testing time: desktop and mobile, iOS and Android, and the screen readers your audience uses, such as NVDA or JAWS on Windows, VoiceOver on Apple devices and TalkBack on Android. Accessible.org audits on desktop unless mobile is added. Vispero, where TPGi's audit page now redirects, lists testing with JAWS, ZoomText and Fusion. Ask which combinations are in the quote. ### How much is tested by hand An automated scan is the cheap part, and it is not an audit. The W3C puts it plainly: "Tools cannot check all accessibility aspects automatically" ([Selecting evaluation tools](https://www.w3.org/WAI/test-evaluate/tools/selecting/)). Keyboard order, focus visibility, screen reader announcements, error messages and whether alternative text makes sense all need a person. Quotes differ most in how many hours of that manual work they include, and who does it. ### What you need at the end A remediation report for your developers is one deliverable. An Accessibility Conformance Report is another: it is a completed [ITI VPAT](https://www.itic.org/policy/accessibility/vpat), a free template now at version 2.5Rev (April 2025) in four editions: Section 508, EU (EN 301 549), WCAG and international. If you sell software to government or enterprise buyers, ask them which edition they expect before you scope the audit. ### Retests Most audits end with a list of issues; the retest confirms the fixes. WebAIM says a follow-up typically takes about half the effort of the first evaluation. Some vendors include one or more retests in the price; others bill them by the hour. Agree how many rounds are included before work starts. ## A worked example from published per-page rates To see how the sample turns into a price, here is an illustration using Accessible.org's published per-page ranges. It is arithmetic, not a quote: the vendor scopes every audit itself, and it says most of its audits land between USD 1,250 and 2,750. | Sample item | Count | Published rate | Subtotal | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----- | ---------------- | --------------- | | Primary pages: home, service page, pricing, contact form, case study, blog post | 6 | USD 100–250 each | USD 600–1,500 | | Light pages: about, privacy policy, 404, form confirmation | 4 | USD 25–100 each | USD 100–400 | | Audit against WCAG 2.1 AA | | | USD 700–1,900 | | Same audit against WCAG 2.2 AA (+10%) | | | USD 770–2,090 | | Add a WCAG-edition VPAT / ACR | | USD 350 | USD 1,120–2,440 | Add a checkout or a logged-in area and the sample grows; add mobile testing, retests or user testing and each becomes its own line. ## Audit, remediation and monitoring are three budgets **The audit** tells you where the site stands and what to fix first. It doesn't change the site. **Remediation** is the fix: code, content and the design system. Fixing a shared component once corrects every page that uses it, which is why a report grouped by component is cheaper to act on than a page-by-page list. Your own developers can do it, with the auditor reviewing their work, or the vendor can, if it offers remediation. Accessible.org's old code remediation rate, USD 250–550 per page or screen, shows that fixing can cost more per page than finding. **Monitoring and retests** keep the fixes in place. Automated monitors such as Pope Tech's rescan your pages on a schedule and flag the problems a tool can detect when new content or releases bring them back. They don't replace a manual re-check after a redesign or a new template. ## Do the 2026 ADA changes affect what you need? ### State and local governments (Title II) The Department of Justice's [Title II rule](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/04/24/2024-07758/nondiscrimination-on-the-basis-of-disability-accessibility-of-web-information-and-services-of-state), published on 24 April 2024 (89 FR 31320), makes WCAG 2.1 Level AA the technical standard for the web content and mobile apps of state and local governments. On 20 April 2026, DOJ published an [interim final rule](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/04/20/2026-07663/extension-of-compliance-dates-for-nondiscrimination-on-the-basis-of-disability-accessibility-of-web) (91 FR 20902), effective the same day, that moved the compliance dates by about a year: | Public entity | Original date | New date | | --------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------- | ------------- | | Total population of 50,000 or more | 24 April 2026 | 26 April 2027 | | Total population under 50,000, and special district governments | 26 April 2027 | 26 April 2028 | The technical standard did not change. Comments on the interim rule closed on 22 June 2026. The [ADA.gov fact sheet](https://www.ada.gov/resources/2024-03-08-web-rule/) also reminds governments that contractors providing public services for them have to follow Title II, so agencies, vendors and nonprofits running government services are in scope. Two things to watch. The National Federation of the Blind [sued DOJ and HHS](https://nfb.org/images/nfb/publications/bm/bm26/bm2607/bm260703.htm) on 21 May 2026 in the US District Court for the District of Maryland, challenging the extensions. And DOJ may revise the rule further. As of 15 October 2026 the Federal Register shows no later DOJ action on it; check again before you plan around the dates. ### Businesses (Title III) No federal regulation sets a web standard for private businesses. DOJ's [2022 guidance](https://www.ada.gov/resources/web-guidance/) says the ADA applies to the goods and services businesses offer online and names WCAG as helpful guidance. Our article on [ADA website compliance](https://dardo.studio/en/blog/ada-website-compliance/) covers what that means in practice. For a business, an audit against WCAG 2.2 AA is the practical yardstick. ## Why an overlay is not an audit An overlay is a script added to your pages that promises to fix accessibility automatically. In April 2025 the Federal Trade Commission [approved a final order](https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2025/04/ftc-approves-final-order-requiring-accessibe-pay-1-million) requiring accessiBe to pay USD 1 million. The FTC's complaint alleged that its accessWidget plug-in did not make all user websites WCAG-compliant. The order bars the company from claiming that its automated products can make any website compliant, or keep it compliant, without evidence, and from presenting paid endorsements as independent reviews. An overlay leaves your source code as it was, so the barriers an audit would find are still in it. If a proposal bundles a widget with the "audit", ask what is tested by hand. ## How to compare accessibility audit quotes Send every vendor the same scope, then compare line by line. A self-check first makes quotes easier to compare: our free [WCAG 2.2 checklist](https://dardo.studio/en/tools/wcag-2-2-checklist/) lists every Level A and AA criterion with how to test it. | Ask each vendor | Why it matters | | ----------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Which pages, screens and flows are in the sample, listed by name? | The sample sets the price; WCAG-EM is the reference method | | Which standard and level: WCAG 2.1 AA or 2.2 AA? | 2.2 adds six A and AA criteria and covers 2.1 | | Which devices, browsers and screen readers? | Each combination is testing time | | How much is manual, and who does it? | Scans miss what only a person can judge | | What does each issue in the report include? | Look for the success criterion, location, screenshot, severity and the fix | | How many retests are included, and at what price after that? | Retests are included by some vendors and hourly at others | | Is a VPAT / ACR included, and which edition? | It can be a separate fee per edition | | How many consultation hours? | Developers will have questions while fixing | | What is excluded? | PDFs, third-party widgets (chat, booking, payments) and logged-in areas are common exclusions | | What do you need from us, and how long will it take? | Test accounts, staging access and a fixed date affect the schedule | Be wary of three things: a "compliance certificate" issued from an automated scan, a price set by total page count with no sample listed, and a monthly widget sold as the fix. ## Where Dardo fits Dardo's [web accessibility audit](https://dardo.studio/en/services/web-accessibility/) starts at USD 690: WCAG 2.2 AA, an automated scan plus manual keyboard, screen reader, zoom and contrast tests, and a prioritized report. The final price follows the sample we agree first (templates, journeys, logged-in areas and documents) and whether fixes and retests are included. Our [pricing page](https://dardo.studio/en/pricing/) lists it with our other published prices, and you can [send us your site](https://dardo.studio/en/contact/) for a scoped quote. ## Common questions **How much does an accessibility audit cost for a small business website?** Among vendors that publish prices, Accessible.org says most of its audits cost USD 1,250–2,750, and WebAIM says most initial evaluations cost USD 2,000–8,000 with consultation included. Fixed tiers from smaller vendors start lower: thefrontkit lists USD 499 for up to five pages against WCAG 2.1 AA. Compare what each sample includes, not only the total. **Is a free automated scan enough?** No. A scan is a useful first pass and a good regression check, but the W3C says tools cannot check every aspect of accessibility and human judgment is required. Keyboard use, screen reader output, focus order and the meaning of alternative text need manual testing. **Should we audit against WCAG 2.1 or 2.2?** For a US business, WCAG 2.2 AA is the practical target: it is the current W3C Recommendation, and content that conforms to it also conforms to 2.1. State and local governments are held to 2.1 AA by the Title II rule, which a 2.2 AA audit also covers. Expect a small premium; Accessible.org charges 10% more for 2.2 AA. **How much does a VPAT cost?** A VPAT is completed from an audit, so the audit comes first. Accessible.org publishes its add-on prices: USD 350 for the WCAG edition, USD 550 for Section 508, USD 650 for EN 301 549 and USD 950 for the international edition. Other vendors include VPAT-ready documentation in higher tiers or quote it separately. **Did the ADA Title II deadline change in 2026?** Yes. A DOJ interim final rule published on 20 April 2026 moved the dates to 26 April 2027 for state and local governments with a total population of 50,000 or more, and to 26 April 2028 for smaller entities and special district governments. The standard is still WCAG 2.1 AA. A lawsuit challenging the extension was filed in May 2026, so check for updates. **How often should a website be re-audited?** No rule sets a schedule. Re-audit after a redesign, a new template or a new user flow, and when you need fresh evidence for a buyer or a complaint. Between audits, automated monitoring and accessibility checks in your release process catch many regressions early. ## Sources & further reading Sources behind this page, with further detail from the original publishers. - [Accessible.org: Accessibility services pricing](https://accessible.org/pricing/) · accessible.org - [Accessible.org: How much do we charge for a WCAG 2.2 AA audit?](https://accessible.org/?p=6017748) · accessible.org - [WebAIM: Frequently asked questions](https://webaim.org/contact/faq) · webaim.org - [DigitalA11Y: Web accessibility audit cost guide](https://digitala11y.com/how-much-does-a-web-accessibility-audit-cost/) · digitala11y.com - [thefrontkit: How much does an accessibility audit cost in 2026?](https://thefrontkit.com/blogs/accessibility-audit-cost-2026) · thefrontkit.com - [Level Access: Accessibility audit: what it is and why it matters](https://www.levelaccess.com/blog/accessibility-audit/) · levelaccess.com - [Deque: Audits and compliance testing](https://www.deque.com/accessibility-services/audits-compliance-testing/) · deque.com - [Vispero (TPGi): Accessibility audit and VPAT testing](https://vispero.com/accessibility-audit-vpat-testing/) · vispero.com - [Pope Tech: Website accessibility pricing](https://www.pope.tech/websites/pricing) · pope.tech - [W3C: WCAG-EM 2.0](https://www.w3.org/TR/wcag-em-2/) · w3.org - [W3C WAI: What's new in WCAG 2.2](https://www.w3.org/WAI/standards-guidelines/wcag/new-in-22/) · w3.org - [W3C WAI: Selecting web accessibility evaluation tools](https://www.w3.org/WAI/test-evaluate/tools/selecting/) · w3.org - [ITI: VPAT](https://www.itic.org/policy/accessibility/vpat) · itic.org - [US Department of Justice: Title II web and mobile app rule](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/04/24/2024-07758/nondiscrimination-on-the-basis-of-disability-accessibility-of-web-information-and-services-of-state) · federalregister.gov - [US Department of Justice: Interim final rule extending compliance dates](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/04/20/2026-07663/extension-of-compliance-dates-for-nondiscrimination-on-the-basis-of-disability-accessibility-of-web) · federalregister.gov - [ADA.gov: Fact sheet: the Title II web and mobile app rule](https://www.ada.gov/resources/2024-03-08-web-rule/) · ada.gov - [ADA.gov: Guidance on web accessibility and the ADA](https://www.ada.gov/resources/web-guidance/) · ada.gov - [National Federation of the Blind: Federation sues government agencies over delayed web accessibility rules](https://nfb.org/images/nfb/publications/bm/bm26/bm2607/bm260703.htm) · nfb.org - [Federal Trade Commission: FTC approves final order requiring accessiBe to pay $1 million](https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2025/04/ftc-approves-final-order-requiring-accessibe-pay-1-million) · ftc.gov [Nicolás Cerón](https://dardo.studio/en/nicolas-ceron/) Nicolás Cerón is the founder of Dardo, a brand, web design and development studio in Bogotá, Colombia. ## Related articles - [**ADA website compliance in 2026: what the law requires, why overlays fail and what to fix first**No federal rule sets a web standard for private businesses, yet over 5,000 lawsuits were filed in 2025. What the ADA requires, why overlays fail, what to fix.](https://dardo.studio/en/blog/ada-website-compliance/) - [**Bilingual English–Spanish website: how to plan it, what it costs and how to rank in Spanish**When a Spanish version pays off for a US business, how to set up URLs and hreflang, what it costs in 2026 and how to rank in Spanish, with Census data.](https://dardo.studio/en/blog/bilingual-website-english-spanish/) - [**Webflow alternatives in 2026: what each one costs to run, and what it takes to move off Webflow**Framer, WordPress, a coded site, Wix Studio, Squarespace or HubSpot: what each costs to run a 20-page site with a blog, and what leaving Webflow takes.](https://dardo.studio/en/blog/webflow-alternatives/) - [**How much does a website migration cost in 2026? Published prices by platform, site size and migration type**What website migrations cost in 2026 from providers that publish prices, by type and site size, plus what drives a quote and what a botched move risks.](https://dardo.studio/en/blog/website-migration-cost/) ## Keep exploring. - [Service · **Web accessibility audit and remediation (WCAG 2.2 AA)**](https://dardo.studio/en/services/web-accessibility/) - [Your project · **Start a conversation**](https://dardo.studio/en/contact/)