An accessibility scan subscription typically includes recurring automated scans of your website, a dashboard or reporting interface for reviewing identified issues, and some form of monitoring schedule. The specifics vary by provider, but most subscriptions bundle scheduled scans, issue reporting, and prioritization into a single recurring cost.
| Component | What It Means |
|---|---|
| Scheduled Scans | Automated checks run on a recurring basis, often daily, weekly, or monthly |
| Issue Reporting | A dashboard or report listing identified issues with location and description |
| Prioritization | Issues ranked by user impact or risk factor to guide remediation order |
| Page Coverage | A set number of pages or URLs included per scan cycle |
Scheduled Scans and Monitoring Frequency
Most accessibility scan subscriptions operate on a monitoring model. Scans run on a recurring schedule, with common intervals being daily, weekly, or monthly.
The frequency you need depends on how often your site changes. A static informational site may only need monthly scans. A site with frequent content updates or dynamic pages benefits from weekly or daily scans to catch new issues as they appear.
Page Coverage and Scope
Subscriptions are often priced by the number of pages scanned per cycle. A small business plan might cover 100 pages, while higher tiers may include thousands.
Some providers also offer authenticated page scanning, which allows scans to run behind login screens. This requires a browser extension running within an active session and is particularly relevant for web applications with user dashboards or account areas.
Issue Reporting and Prioritization
Every subscription includes some form of issue reporting. At a minimum, this means a list of identified issues with their locations in your site’s code. Better subscriptions provide prioritization based on user impact scoring and risk factor scoring.
Prioritization matters because not all issues carry the same weight. An issue that prevents a screen reader user from completing a purchase is more urgent than a minor labeling inconsistency on an internal page.
What Scans Do Not Cover
Scans evaluate HTML, CSS, and ARIA attributes against Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) success criteria. This automated process identifies approximately 25% of accessibility issues. The remaining 75% requires human evaluation.
A scan subscription is a monitoring tool, not a replacement for an accessibility audit. It tracks your site’s automated conformance status over time, flags regressions, and gives your team actionable data. A full evaluation of your site’s WCAG conformance still requires a manual audit conducted by an accessibility professional.
Common Subscription Pricing Structures
Pricing for scan subscriptions varies based on page count, scan frequency, and the depth of reporting included. Monthly subscriptions are the most common billing model, though annual plans often reduce the per-month cost.
Some providers charge a flat monthly fee for a set number of pages. Others use tiered pricing where cost scales with the number of URLs. Features like authenticated scanning or API access sometimes appear only in higher tiers.
Knowing what each tier includes, and where the limitations fall, helps prevent paying for capacity you do not need or missing coverage on pages that matter most.