Accessibility audit pricing factors

Accessibility audit pricing depends on scope, complexity, and conformance level. Most audits for small-to-midsized sites fall between $1,000 and $3,000.

Accessibility audit pricing depends on a handful of measurable factors, and most audits for small to mid-sized websites fall between 1,000 and 3,000 dollars. The final cost reflects the scope of work required, the complexity of the content being evaluated, and the conformance level targeted.

Key Factors That Affect Accessibility Audit Pricing
Factor How It Affects Cost
Number of pages or screens Per-page pricing typically ranges from 100 to 250 dollars. More pages means a higher total.
Application complexity Dynamic content, custom components, and interactive features require more evaluation time.
Conformance level Evaluating against WCAG 2.2 AA covers more criteria than 2.0 A, increasing the scope of work.
Timeline Rush timelines may carry a premium. Standard delivery keeps costs at baseline rates.
Deliverable detail Reports with remediation guidance, severity ratings, and developer-ready documentation add to the total.

How Page Count Drives Accessibility Audit Pricing Factors

Page count is the most direct cost driver. Audits are priced per page or screen, with rates between 100 and 250 dollars depending on the provider and the content on each page.

A 10-page marketing site will cost significantly less than a 30-screen web application. Providers often evaluate a representative sample of unique page templates rather than every individual URL, which keeps costs proportional to the variety of content rather than the raw page count.

Why Application Complexity Changes the Price

A static informational page takes less time to evaluate than a page with modals, date pickers, multi-step forms, or embedded media players. Each interactive component requires keyboard testing, screen reader testing, and code inspection.

Single-page applications, dashboards, and authenticated workflows add layers of evaluation. An auditor working through a checkout flow or a data visualization spends more time per screen than someone evaluating a standard content page.

Conformance Level and WCAG Version

Most organizations target Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 AA or 2.2 AA conformance. Higher conformance levels and newer WCAG versions expand the number of success criteria that must be evaluated.

An audit against WCAG 2.2 AA covers more ground than one scoped to 2.0 A. The version and level should be defined before an audit begins, because they set the boundaries of what the evaluation includes.

Timeline and Scheduling

Standard audit timelines typically run two to four weeks depending on scope. Compressed timelines require auditors to prioritize the engagement, and some providers charge a rush fee.

Planning ahead and scheduling during non-peak periods can keep pricing at standard rates. Organizations preparing for a product launch or legal deadline often pay more for expedited delivery.

Deliverable Depth

The audit report itself varies in depth across providers. A basic report may list the issues identified and their WCAG criterion references. A more detailed deliverable includes severity ratings, user impact analysis, screenshots, code examples, and step-by-step remediation guidance.

Reports designed for developer handoff, with specific code locations and recommended fixes, take more time to produce. That additional detail raises the cost but reduces the time development teams spend interpreting results.

What Does Not Typically Affect Cost

The industry a site operates in, the CMS it runs on, or the programming language behind it generally do not change audit pricing. Auditors evaluate the rendered output: the HTML, CSS, ARIA attributes, and user-facing behavior. The underlying technology stack is secondary to what appears in the browser.

Understanding these pricing factors before requesting proposals makes it easier to compare quotes and set a realistic budget for the evaluation.