An EAA compliance audit typically starts at 1,000 dollars and ranges to 3,000 dollars for most products, with per-page or per-screen pricing falling between 100 dollars and 250 dollars. Larger digital products, multiple environments, and complex user flows push the total higher. The audit evaluates a product against WCAG 2.1 Level AA, which the European Accessibility Act references as the technical standard for digital products and services sold into the EU market.
| Cost Factor | What to Expect |
|---|---|
| Typical Total | 1,000 dollars to 3,000 dollars for most product audits |
| Per Page or Screen | 100 dollars to 250 dollars depending on complexity |
| Standard Evaluated | WCAG 2.1 Level AA, referenced by EN 301 549 |
| Audit Type | Full manual evaluation by accessibility professionals |
| Deliverable | Detailed report identifying issues, locations, and remediation guidance |
What Determines the Cost of an EAA Compliance Audit
Pricing is driven by scope. Auditors price per page, per screen, or per user flow, and the total reflects how much unique content and functionality exists across the product.
A marketing website with ten templated pages costs less to evaluate than a banking application with authenticated dashboards, transaction flows, and document viewers. Complexity inside each page also matters. A page with custom widgets, modals, and dynamic content takes longer to evaluate than a static informational page.
Pricing Factors That Affect the Final Quote
- Page or screen count: The number of unique templates, views, or screens included in scope.
- Complexity per page: Custom interactive components, forms, and dynamic content add evaluation time.
- Environment coverage: Desktop only, mobile only, or both. Native mobile apps are evaluated separately from responsive web.
- Authentication: Logged-in flows require credentials and additional setup.
- Assistive technology coverage: Audits include screen reader testing across NVDA, JAWS, and VoiceOver, plus keyboard testing.
- Turnaround time: Expedited delivery can affect pricing.
Why EAA Audits Require Manual Evaluation
Automated scans detect approximately 25% of accessibility issues. The remaining 75% requires human evaluation: screen reader testing, keyboard testing, visual inspection, and code inspection. An EAA compliance audit produces an accurate picture of conformance because accessibility professionals review the product against each applicable WCAG success criterion.
A scan-only report does not satisfy what the EAA expects from a covered product. Organizations relying on scan output alone often discover significant conformance issues during procurement reviews or after entering the EU market.
What an EAA Audit Includes
A professional audit delivers a report that identifies each issue, where it appears in the product, the WCAG criterion it relates to, and guidance on how to fix it. The report supports a remediation plan and provides documentation that can inform conformance statements for EU customers and regulators.
The audit also serves as the foundation for a VPAT or ACR using the EN 301 549 or INT edition, which buyers often request when verifying EAA conformance.
Audit Cost Versus the Cost of Non-Conformance
EAA enforcement varies by EU member state, with penalties and market access consequences for products that do not meet the referenced standard. An audit priced between 1,000 dollars and 3,000 dollars is a small fraction of what remediation costs after a product is already on the market or after a buyer flags conformance shortfalls during procurement.
Pricing also scales down on a per-page basis for larger products, which means enterprise-scale audits remain predictable when sized correctly at the start.
How to Get an Accurate Quote
Provide the auditor with the full list of unique pages, screens, or user flows in scope, the environments to evaluate, and any authenticated areas that require access. A defined scope produces a fixed quote. Vague scope produces a range, and the high end of the range usually applies once the product is reviewed.
Audit pricing is one part of an EAA conformance budget. Remediation, validation, and VPAT or ACR issuance are separate line items that follow the audit.