How Much Does an Accessibility Audit Cost? A 2025 Pricing Guide

Table of Contents

1. Quick Cost Overview
2. Manual Accessibility Audits
3. Automated Scanning Tools
4. Factors That Affect Audit Costs
5. Manual vs. Automated: The Real Trade-offs
6. Cost of Doing Nothing
7. Creating an Accessibility Budget
8. Continuous Monitoring: The Cost of Compliance

Quick Cost Overview

If you're in a hurry, here are the essentials:

• Manual audits: $1,500 – $5,500 for most websites ($100–$250 per page)
• Automated scanning tools: $49 – $3,599+ per month depending on scope
• Initial remediation: $5,000 – $100,000+ depending on site complexity
• Ongoing monitoring: $200 – $1,000 per month
• Cost of lawsuits: $50,000 – $200,000+ (not including legal fees and remediation)

The investment in accessibility isn't optional—it's a business imperative. The question isn't whether you can afford an audit, but whether you can afford not to do one.

---

Manual Accessibility Audits

What Are Manual Audits?

Manual accessibility audits involve expert accessibility consultants thoroughly testing your website against Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) standards. Unlike automated tools, human auditors use assistive technologies like screen readers, test keyboard navigation, and evaluate the overall user experience for people with disabilities.

Manual Audit Pricing

Most professional accessibility consulting firms charge between $1,500 and $5,500 for a complete audit of a typical website. Here's how pricing typically breaks down:

By Page Count:

• Small websites (5–10 pages): $1,500 – $2,500
• Medium websites (11–25 pages): $2,500 – $4,000
• Large websites (26+ pages): $4,000 – $5,500+

Per-Page Pricing:

• Basic review: $100 – $150 per page
• Comprehensive audit: $150 – $250 per page

By Website Type:

• Content/Marketing sites: ~$10,000 (low end for basic information websites)
• E-commerce sites: $25,000 – $35,000 (due to complexity and multiple workflows)
• Web applications: $35,000 – $100,000+ (highly variable based on complexity)

What Manual Audits Include

A thorough manual audit typically covers:

• WCAG 2.1 Level AA conformance review (or AAA for an additional fee)
• Testing with popular screen readers (NVDA, JAWS, VoiceOver)
• Keyboard navigation assessment
• Color contrast verification
• Form field labeling and interaction testing
• Multimedia content accessibility (captions, transcripts)
• Mobile and responsive design testing
• Detailed remediation recommendations with severity levels
• Executive summary and technical report

Timeline

Manual audits typically take 2–4 weeks from start to final report, depending on website size and complexity. You should add an additional 4–12 weeks for remediation based on the number of issues found.

---

Automated Scanning Tools

The Rise of Automated Accessibility Testing

Automated accessibility scanning tools have democratized accessibility testing, making it affordable for businesses of all sizes. These tools use engines like Axe-core (the industry standard) to scan web pages for WCAG violations in minutes, not weeks.

Automated Tool Pricing

The market offers a wide range of price points to fit different budgets:

Free or Freemium Options:

• WAVE (WebAIM): Free browser extension and web-based tool
• Lighthouse (Google): Free, built into Chrome DevTools
• Axe DevTools (Deque): Free browser extension with premium options
• Accessibility Checker: Free for up to 5 pages/day; $99/month for larger sites

Affordable SaaS Solutions:

• accessiBe: $59 – $249/month
• Tenon: $82/month (3,000 API calls)
• UserWay Accessibility Widget: $490/year
• Equalize Digital Accessibility Checker: Starts around $100/month

Growth-Oriented Plans:

• Accessibility Checker (Enterprise):
  • Starter: $699/year (up to 100 URLs)
  • Growth: $1,799/year (up to 500 URLs)
  • Scale: $3,599/year (up to 2,000 URLs)

Enterprise & Custom Solutions:

• Many vendors offer custom pricing for large organizations requiring dedicated support, API integrations, or full-site scanning capabilities

What Automated Tools Can (and Can't) Do

What they scan automatically:

• Contrast ratio violations
• Missing alt text on images
• Form input labeling errors
• Heading hierarchy issues
• Duplicate ID attributes
• Empty buttons and links
• ARIA role misuse

What they flag for manual review:

• Color contrast (complex situations)
• Text alternatives (for context appropriateness)
• Target size adequacy
• Motion/animation impacts
• User experience nuances

---

Factors That Affect Audit Costs

1. Website Scope (Number of Pages)

The most significant cost driver is how many pages need evaluation. Consultants typically audit 7–15 representative pages covering:

• Homepage
• Primary user workflows (registration, checkout, search)
• Pages with unique content or layouts
• Frequently visited pages
• Pages with complex interactive elements

Cost impact: A 5-page site might cost $1,500; a 50-page e-commerce site could exceed $5,000.

2. WCAG Conformance Level

WCAG 2.1 has three conformance levels, each with increasing requirements:

• Level A: Basic accessibility (cheapest to audit)
• Level AA: Recommended standard for most organizations (standard audit cost)
• Level AAA: Enhanced accessibility (typically 10–20% premium)

Most audits target Level AA compliance, which balances accessibility and implementation feasibility. Level AAA is rarely required except in specific sectors (government, education).

3. Website Complexity

Simple versus complex websites incur vastly different costs:

Lower cost:

• Static marketing websites
• Blog platforms
• Brochure sites
• Simple content management systems

Higher cost:

• E-commerce platforms with product filters
• Web applications with forms and modals
• Real-time data visualizations
• Video/multimedia sites
• Progressive web apps

Complexity multiplies the effort required to test every interaction, workflow, and component state.

4. Current Accessibility Status

The number of existing violations impacts costs:

• Well-maintained sites: Fewer issues to document and estimate for fixes
• Neglected sites: More extensive testing required; consultants need to investigate root causes

If a site has many existing violations, auditors spend more time categorizing severity levels and documenting implementation complexity for fixes.

5. Turnaround Time

Standard audits take 2–4 weeks. Expedited audits (needed before a product launch or legal deadline) may incur:

• Rush fees: 20–50% premium for 1-week turnaround
• Emergency audits: Potential 100%+ premium for same-day results

6. Included Remediation Services

Some firms bundle remediation estimates or implementation into the audit:

• Audit only: Base price
• Audit + remediation planning: 20–30% premium
• Audit + full remediation: Often negotiated as a separate contract

---

Manual vs. Automated: The Real Trade-offs

This is the central question most organizations face. The answer isn't "one or the other"—it's about using them strategically.

Automated Tools: Strengths

• Speed: Scan dozens or hundreds of pages in hours
• Cost: $49–$3,599/month vs. $1,500–$5,500 per audit
• Continuous monitoring: Track issues over time, catch regressions
• Developer feedback: Immediate guidance during development
• Scale: Ideal for large sites and frequent testing

Automated Tools: Limitations

Axe-core, the most advanced automated engine, catches approximately 57% of WCAG violations (projected to reach 70% by end of 2025). This means:

• 43% of issues go undetected by automation alone
• Complex user experience issues can't be assessed without human evaluation
• Context-dependent problems (like whether an image alt text is appropriate) require human judgment
• Assistive technology compatibility isn't fully testable through automation

Manual Audits: Strengths

• Comprehensive: Find 90–100% of issues through expert review and assistive tech testing
• Context-aware: Evaluate whether alt text, form labels, and remediation actually solve problems
• Expert guidance: Recommendations from people who understand accessibility deeply
• User perspective: Testing with actual screen readers and assistive technologies
• Compliance confidence: Better defensibility in legal situations

Manual Audits: Limitations

• Cost: $1,500–$5,500 per audit (vs. ongoing monitoring for $49+/month)
• Time: 2–4 weeks for full audit
• Point-in-time: Captures accessibility status on a specific date; changes after aren't detected
• Scalability: Impractical for frequent testing of large, fast-changing sites

The Hybrid Approach (Recommended)

Smart organizations use both:

1. Initial manual audit: Get a comprehensive baseline assessment and expert recommendations
2. Implement fixes: Address issues discovered in the manual audit
3. Automated monitoring: Use continuous scanning to catch regressions and new issues
4. Annual manual re-audit: Schedule full audits yearly or when major changes occur
5. Quarterly checks: Run manual spot-checks on high-risk areas between full audits

Cost: ~$3,500 (initial audit) + $100–$500/month (monitoring) + $3,500/year (annual re-audit) = ~$10,000–$15,000 annually

Compare this to a single lawsuit (starting at $50,000) and the hybrid approach looks like a bargain.

---

Cost of Doing Nothing

The financial risk of ignoring accessibility is substantial and growing.

ADA Lawsuits Are Increasing

• 2024 saw a 68% increase in digital accessibility lawsuits
• Q1 2024 alone: 1,136 cases filed in U.S. courts
• The trend is accelerating, not slowing

Typical Settlement Costs

• Small business settlements: $5,000 – $20,000
• Mid-market settlements: $20,000 – $100,000
• Enterprise settlements: $100,000 – $500,000+
• Not included: Legal defense fees ($50,000–$200,000+) and remediation costs

Reputational Damage

• Negative media coverage and social media backlash
• Damage to brand trust among disabled customers (26% of U.S. adults have disabilities)
• Loss of enterprise customers (many B2B procurement requirements mandate accessibility)

Lost Revenue Opportunities

• Disabled adults have $1 trillion in disposable income globally
• Inaccessible sites exclude roughly 26% of the U.S. population
• Accessibility improvements boost SEO, benefiting all users

The Math

An accessibility audit costing $3,500 prevents a lawsuit averaging $50,000–$150,000 in costs. Even a single prevented lawsuit pays for 14–43 years of continuous monitoring.

---

Creating an Accessibility Budget

For Small Businesses (1–50 employees)

Year 1:

• Manual accessibility audit: $2,000
• Basic remediation support: $2,000–$5,000
• Total: $4,000–$7,000

Ongoing (Years 2+):

• Automated monitoring tool: $100–$300/month
• Annual re-audit: $2,000–$3,000
• Total annual: $3,200–$6,600

For Mid-Market Companies (50–500 employees)

Year 1:

• Comprehensive manual audit: $4,000–$6,000
• Remediation consulting: $5,000–$15,000
• Automated monitoring tool (enterprise): $500–$1,500/month
• Total: $13,000–$24,000

Ongoing (Years 2+):

• Automated monitoring: $6,000–$18,000/year
• Quarterly manual spot-checks: $4,000–$6,000/year
• Annual re-audit: $3,000–$5,000/year
• Total annual: $13,000–$29,000

For Enterprise Organizations (500+ employees)

Year 1:

• Comprehensive audit with remediation planning: $15,000–$50,000
• Initial remediation work (often significant): $50,000–$200,000+
• Enterprise automated platform: $2,000–$5,000/month
• Total: $65,000–$310,000+

Ongoing (Years 2+):

• Automated continuous monitoring: $24,000–$60,000/year
• Regular manual audits and testing: $20,000–$40,000/year
• Dedicated accessibility team: $150,000–$500,000+ (salaries)
• Total annual: $194,000–$600,000+

Note: Enterprises often build dedicated accessibility teams rather than outsourcing entirely, though consulting support remains valuable.

---

Continuous Monitoring: The Cost of Compliance

Why One-Time Audits Aren't Enough

Websites change constantly. New features, content updates, redesigns, and dependency updates can introduce accessibility regressions. A site that passes an audit today might have violations tomorrow.

The Cost of Ongoing Monitoring

Monthly Tools:

• Basic tier: $49–$199/month (small sites, limited features)
• Growth tier: $199–$499/month (medium sites, more frequent scans)
• Enterprise tier: Custom pricing (large sites, dedicated support)

What Monitoring Includes:

• Automated scans on a recurring schedule (daily, weekly, or monthly)
• Issue tracking and trend reporting
• Email alerts for new violations
• Integration with development workflows
• Historical data to demonstrate compliance efforts

ROI of Continuous Monitoring

Consider the numbers:

• Cost of automated monitoring: $100–$500/month ($1,200–$6,000/year)
• Cost of one prevented lawsuit: $50,000+
• Break-even point: Preventing 1 lawsuit every 8–50 years (depending on monitoring cost)
• Additional benefit: Catching issues early means cheaper remediation

Organizations that monitor continuously also build a legal defense record showing good-faith accessibility efforts, which significantly improves outcomes if disputes occur.

Monitoring Best Practices

Scan frequency recommendations:

• High-risk sites (e-commerce, healthcare, finance): Daily or weekly
• Standard sites: Weekly or bi-weekly
• Low-change sites: Monthly

Coverage:

• Full site scans (thousands of pages)
• Critical user flows (checkout, registration, search)
• New pages within 24 hours of deployment

---

Making the Investment Decision

Questions to Ask When Budgeting

1. What's your risk profile? Industries like healthcare, finance, and government face higher litigation risk.

2. How large is your site? 10 pages vs. 1,000 pages dramatically changes strategy.

3. How frequently do you release updates? Sites with daily deployments need continuous monitoring.

4. What's your team structure? In-house developers can leverage automated tools; smaller teams benefit from consulting support.

5. Do you serve disabled users directly? Educational institutions, healthcare providers, and government agencies have higher compliance expectations.

6. What's your customer base? Enterprise customers increasingly require accessibility in vendor contracts.

When Manual Audits Make Sense

• Initial baseline: First-time comprehensive assessment
• Major redesigns: Significant changes warrant expert review
• Legal concerns: If defending accessibility practices, expert testimony is valuable
• Complex applications: Web apps with sophisticated interactions benefit from expert guidance
• Regulated industries: Some sectors require certified audits

When Automated Tools Suffice

• Small, simple sites: If you have 10–15 static pages, automated scanning catches most issues
• High-velocity development: Teams shipping daily updates need rapid feedback
• Limited budget: Better to monitor continuously at $100/month than audit once every 2 years
• Well-resourced teams: Teams with accessibility expertise can interpret automated results effectively

---

Building an Accessibility Roadmap

Phase 1: Baseline Assessment (Months 1–2)

Activity: Conduct manual audit or comprehensive automated scan Cost: $1,500–$5,500 (manual) or $0–$500 (automated) Deliverable: Detailed issue inventory with severity levels

Phase 2: Remediation Planning (Months 2–3)

Activity: Prioritize issues, estimate remediation effort, plan implementation Cost: $1,000–$5,000 (consulting) or internal effort Deliverable: Remediation roadmap with timelines and ownership

Phase 3: Implementation (Months 3–12)

Activity: Fix high-severity issues first, then medium, then low-priority Cost: Highly variable ($5,000–$100,000+) based on complexity Deliverable: Progressively remediated site with regular testing

Phase 4: Verification (Month 12)

Activity: Run automated tools and schedule manual re-audit Cost: $1,500–$3,500 (manual re-audit) + $200–$500/month (monitoring setup) Deliverable: Confirmation of compliance and ongoing monitoring setup

Phase 5: Continuous Improvement (Ongoing)

Activity: Monitor for regressions, fix issues promptly, scan new features Cost: $100–$500+/month (monitoring) + staff time Deliverable: Maintained accessibility standards over time

---

Real-World Budget Examples

Example 1: Small Marketing Agency (20 people, 15-page website)

Initial investment:

• Professional audit: $2,500
• Basic remediation consulting: $2,000
• Total: $4,500

Ongoing (annual):

• Automated monitoring tool: $100/month ($1,200/year)
• Annual re-audit: $2,500
• Total: $3,700

5-year cost: $4,500 + (5 × $3,700) = $22,000

Example 2: E-commerce Business (50 people, 200-page site)

Initial investment:

• Comprehensive audit: $5,000
• Remediation planning: $3,000
• Implementation (outsourced): $15,000
• Total: $23,000

Ongoing (annual):

• Enterprise monitoring: $500/month ($6,000/year)
• Quarterly spot-checks: $3,000
• Annual re-audit: $4,000
• Total: $13,000

5-year cost: $23,000 + (5 × $13,000) = $88,000

Litigation cost prevented: 1 lawsuit ≈ $75,000 (easily justified)

Example 3: SaaS Company (200 people, complex application)

Initial investment:

• Expert accessibility assessment: $10,000
• Remediation planning: $5,000
• Part-time accessibility specialist salary (6 months): $30,000
• Total: $45,000

Ongoing (annual):

• Accessibility specialist salary: $80,000
• Enterprise monitoring platform: $1,500/month ($18,000/year)
• Quarterly manual testing: $8,000
• Annual comprehensive audit: $6,000
• Total: $112,000

5-year cost: $45,000 + (5 × $112,000) = $605,000

ROI context: Protecting a company with thousands of users from one major lawsuit ($150,000+), avoiding market restrictions, and expanding customer base justifies this investment.

---

Conclusion: The Real Cost of Accessibility

The cost of accessibility isn't a one-time expense—it's an ongoing commitment to inclusive design and legal risk management. The good news: you have options at every budget level.

Key takeaways:

• One-time audits cost $1,500–$5,500. This is your baseline investment.
• Ongoing monitoring costs $100–$500/month. This prevents expensive regressions.
• Lawsuits cost $50,000–$500,000+. They're expensive enough to justify any prevention investment.
• Hybrid approaches work best. Use automated tools for continuous monitoring and manual audits for comprehensive reviews.
• Start small, scale up. Even a free automated tool is better than nothing; automation beats procrastination.

The accessibility landscape is shifting. Lawsuits are increasing, customer expectations are rising, and regulations are tightening. The real question isn't "Can we afford to invest in accessibility?" but "Can we afford not to?"

If you're ready to implement continuous accessibility monitoring, tools like Beacon make it easy to catch issues early, track progress, and maintain compliance over time. Start with what fits your budget today, and scale your accessibility program as your organization grows.

Your customers—and your legal team—will thank you.

---

About the Author

This article was written to help organizations understand the true costs of accessibility auditing and make informed decisions about their compliance strategies. Whether you choose manual audits, automated monitoring, or a combination of both, the investment in accessibility pays dividends through better user experiences, expanded market reach, and reduced legal risk.