PRICING GUIDE 2025

How Much Does a WCAG Accessibility Audit Cost in 2025?

Manual WCAG 2.1 AA audits from specialised agencies range from €3,000 to €15,000. This guide breaks down what drives the price, when automated audits are enough, and how Scrutia delivers a complete report for a fraction of the cost.

€3k–15k

typical agency quote

€149

Scrutia full report

5 min

vs 2-6 weeks

Get my audit for €149

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The real cost of manual accessibility audits

When businesses start looking for an accessibility audit, most are surprised by the quotes. A small marketing site receives proposals of €3,000 to €6,000. A medium e-commerce site is routinely quoted €8,000 to €12,000. Large SaaS products or public-sector portals regularly exceed €15,000, and complex authenticated applications can reach €25,000 or more.

These prices reflect real work. A manual WCAG 2.1 AA audit involves a certified expert (or a team of experts) who test each page against every applicable success criterion. They use screen readers, keyboard-only navigation, zoom tools, colour contrast analysers, and code inspectors. Every issue is documented with a severity, a location, a WCAG reference, and a remediation recommendation.

For reference, here are the price ranges you can expect on the European market in 2025:

  • €3,000–€5,000 — small site, 5-10 template pages, summary report
  • €6,000–€10,000 — medium site, 15-25 pages, detailed report with severity and remediation
  • €10,000–€15,000 — e-commerce or SaaS, 30-40 pages, multi-journey testing, assistive tech testing
  • €15,000–€25,000+ — large platforms, mobile apps, authenticated flows, re-audit included

Factors that influence accessibility audit pricing

Two agencies can quote very different prices for the same website. Here is what drives the variation:

Scope & page count

The single biggest factor. Agencies price per template or per page sampled. Doubling the page count roughly doubles the invoice.

Technical complexity

Single-page applications, custom ARIA components, PDFs, embedded videos, and authenticated flows add significant auditing time.

Expertise & certification

Certified auditors (CPACC, WAS, IAAP) charge €600-€1,200 per day. Senior consultants with legal experience command premium rates.

Reporting depth

A short executive summary is cheaper than a full remediation plan with fix code, screenshots, and WCAG mapping per issue.

Assistive technology testing

Testing with JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver, and TalkBack requires licenses and specialised testers, adding 20-40% to the cost.

Re-audit & follow-up

A follow-up audit after remediation is usually billed 30-50% of the initial fee. Some contracts bundle it, most do not.

Manual audit vs automated audit: comparison

Manual and automated audits are complementary, not interchangeable. This table helps you see what each approach delivers:

CriterionManual auditAutomated audit (Scrutia)
Price€3,000–€15,000+€0 scan / €149 full report
Delivery time2 to 6 weeks5 minutes
WCAG 2.1 AA coverage~100% (with human judgment)~60-70% (technical criteria)
Accuracy on detected issuesVery high82% concordance with experts
ScalabilityLimited by auditor hoursAny number of pages, on demand
Screen reader testingYes (JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver)No (code-level only)
Fix code includedSometimesYes, HTML/CSS/JS ready to paste
Legal certificationYes (official RGAA possible)No (technical pre-audit only)

When to choose manual vs automated

Choose automated first if...

  • You want to identify obvious blockers before involving an agency
  • Your budget is under €1,000
  • You need results this week, not next month
  • You want to track progress after each sprint
  • You are preparing a site for an EAA accessibility statement

Commission a manual audit if...

  • You need an official RGAA audit (France) or formal certification
  • You are responding to a legal complaint or demand letter
  • Your product serves users with disabilities as a core audience
  • You have already fixed automated issues and need expert validation
  • You operate a public-sector site subject to published declarations

The smart pattern: start with Scrutia (€149) to fix the 80% of issues that are code-level, then invest €3,000-€5,000 in a lean manual audit focused on the remaining human-judgment criteria.

Scrutia pricing: €149 for the full report

Scrutia is designed to be the most honest entry point to WCAG 2.1 AA compliance. Our pricing is transparent and fixed:

Free scan

€0
  • Compliance score
  • 3 most critical issues
  • WCAG 2.1 AA summary
  • No credit card

Full report

€149 one-time
  • All issues detected
  • HTML/CSS/JS fix code
  • Severity & impact rating
  • Professional PDF report

That is a fraction of a single day from a senior accessibility consultant. You get actionable output in minutes, not weeks, and you keep the budget for actually fixing the issues. Related reading: our WCAG guide, the EAA accessibility audit page, and the free WCAG audit.

Accessibility audit pricing FAQ

How much does a WCAG accessibility audit cost in 2025?
A manual WCAG 2.1 AA audit from a specialised agency typically costs between €3,000 and €15,000. Smaller sites (5-10 key pages) sit at the lower end, while larger sites with authentication, e-commerce flows, or complex single-page applications can exceed €20,000. Automated audits from tools like Scrutia start at €0 for a free scan and €149 for a complete report with fix code.
Why is manual accessibility auditing so expensive?
Manual audits are expensive because they require certified experts (CPACC, WAS, RGAA specialists) who test every success criterion by hand. An expert typically spends 2 to 4 hours per page checking keyboard navigation, screen reader behaviour, ARIA usage, colour contrast, and cognitive accessibility. For a 20-page audit, that is easily 50 to 80 hours of skilled work, which explains the €6,000-€12,000 median invoice.
Is a €149 automated audit really enough?
An automated audit covers the technical dimensions of WCAG 2.1 AA — the ones that can be tested by a real browser running JavaScript (around 60-70% of criteria). It will not replace a manual audit for criteria that require human judgment (text alternatives quality, cognitive load, etc.), but it is the fastest, cheapest way to identify the critical barriers putting you at legal risk. Many teams start with Scrutia to fix the obvious issues, then commission a manual audit to certify full compliance.
Do I need a manual audit for legal compliance?
It depends on your jurisdiction. In France, an official RGAA audit requires a human auditor following the 106-criterion methodology. In the US, no specific audit format is legally required for ADA compliance — what matters is that your site meets WCAG 2.1 AA in practice. For the European Accessibility Act (EAA), you must publish an accessibility statement that can be based on any credible audit method. A hybrid approach (automated pre-audit + manual certification) is the most cost-effective path.
What does a €3,000 vs €15,000 audit actually include?
A €3,000 audit usually covers 5-10 templates (home, product, cart, checkout, contact) with a short report listing blockers. A €15,000 audit covers 30-50 pages, multiple user journeys, mobile testing, assistive technology testing (JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver), a detailed remediation plan, and a follow-up re-audit after fixes. Scope, not quality alone, is the main driver of price.

Skip the €10,000 quote. Start with Scrutia.

Get your WCAG 2.1 AA compliance score in 5 minutes, then unlock the full report with fix code for €149.

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A professional audit costs €3,000–€15,000. Scrutia: €149.

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