accessiBe Pricing 2026: Full Breakdown & Cheaper Alternatives

Q: How much does accessiBe cost per year?

accessiBe pricing starts at $490 per year for their Micro plan (up to 5,000 monthly visitors). The Small plan costs $790/year (up to 10,000 visitors), the Medium plan $990/year (up to 50,000 visitors), and the Large plan $1,490/year (up to 100,000 visitors). Sites with over 100,000 monthly visitors require a custom quote. All plans are billed annually.

Q: Is accessiBe worth the money?

accessiBe's value depends on your needs. Their AI overlay widget improves some aspects of usability but cannot make a website truly WCAG compliant at the code level. The National Federation of the Blind has publicly opposed overlay widgets, and over 800 accessibility professionals signed the Overlay Fact Sheet against them. For genuine WCAG compliance, code-level scanning tools like RatedWithAI ($29/mo) or axe DevTools identify real violations that need actual fixes. Many businesses pay for accessiBe expecting legal protection, but overlays have been named in ADA lawsuits themselves.

Q: What is a cheaper alternative to accessiBe?

RatedWithAI offers WCAG 2.2 scanning and continuous monitoring starting at $29/month — compared to accessiBe's $490-1,490/year. Unlike accessiBe's overlay approach, RatedWithAI uses the axe-core engine (same as Google Lighthouse) to identify real code-level violations with specific fix guidance. Free alternatives include WAVE by WebAIM and Google Lighthouse, though these are manual, single-page tools.

Q: Does accessiBe really make websites accessible?

accessiBe's overlay widget adds a toolbar that provides text resizing, contrast adjustments, and other display modifications. However, these changes don't fix underlying code issues — missing alt text, incorrect heading structures, broken ARIA attributes, and keyboard navigation problems remain in the source code. Automated tools can only detect about 30-40% of WCAG criteria, and overlays address an even smaller subset through surface-level modifications rather than actual remediation.

Q: Can I cancel accessiBe and switch to another tool?

Yes. Since accessiBe is an overlay that sits on top of your website via a JavaScript snippet, removing it is as simple as deleting the script tag from your site. You can then switch to a code-level scanning tool like RatedWithAI by running a free scan at ratedwithai.com. The scan identifies actual WCAG violations in your source code — the issues the overlay was masking rather than fixing.

1. accessiBe Pricing Plans (2026)

accessiBe uses a traffic-based pricing model. Unlike most accessibility tools that charge per number of pages scanned, accessiBe charges based on your monthly visitors. All plans are billed annually.

Plan	Monthly Visitors	Annual Price	Per Month
Micro	Up to 5,000	$490/yr	~$41/mo
Small	Up to 10,000	$790/yr	~$66/mo
Medium	Up to 50,000	$990/yr	~$83/mo
Large	Up to 100,000	$1,490/yr	~$124/mo
Enterprise	100,000+	Custom quote

⚠️ Annual Billing Only

accessiBe requires annual billing — there's no monthly option. That means your minimum commitment is $490 upfront, even if you want to test the product. They do offer a free trial, but once you subscribe, you're locked in for a year.

At the entry level, $490/year (~$41/month) might seem reasonable. But there's an important question: what exactly are you paying for?

2. What Each Plan Includes

All accessiBe plans include the same core product — their AI accessibility overlay widget. Here's what it does:

Accessibility Interface — A widget that appears on your site letting users adjust text size, contrast, spacing, cursor size, and other display settings
AI-Powered Remediation — Background AI processes that attempt to fix certain accessibility issues automatically (alt text generation, ARIA attribute modification, keyboard navigation adjustments)
Accessibility Statement — An auto-generated accessibility statement page for your website
Compliance Scanning — Regular scanning of your website against WCAG 2.2 criteria
Daily Processing — The AI re-scans your site daily and adjusts its overlay behavior accordingly

Installation is simple — add a single JavaScript snippet to your website. The widget activates within 48 hours as the AI processes your pages.

The only difference between plans is the traffic cap. All features are identical across tiers. If your monthly visitors exceed your plan limit, you'll need to upgrade.

3. Hidden Costs and Limitations

The sticker price is just the beginning. Here are costs and limitations that aren't immediately obvious:

🔒 Annual Lock-In

No monthly option means you can't cancel mid-year if the product doesn't meet expectations. You're committed to a minimum of $490 before you can evaluate long-term value.

📈 Traffic-Based Scaling

If your site grows (which is the goal of any business), your costs increase automatically. A site growing from 5,000 to 50,000 monthly visitors sees costs jump from $490 to $990 per year — a 102% increase for the exact same product.

🌐 Per-Domain Pricing

Each domain requires a separate subscription. Running three websites at the Micro tier costs $1,470/year — more than many dedicated accessibility consulting engagements.

⚡ Performance Impact

The overlay widget adds a JavaScript payload to every page load. While accessiBe has optimized their script, any third-party JavaScript impacts Core Web Vitals — particularly Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) and Total Blocking Time (TBT). This can affect your Google rankings.

⚖️ No Legal Protection Guarantee

Despite marketing that implies compliance, accessiBe's terms of service explicitly state they don't guarantee legal protection. Websites using accessiBe have been named in ADA lawsuits, and courts have not accepted overlay usage as a defense.

4. The Overlay Problem: What accessiBe Can't Fix

This is the critical context for any pricing discussion. accessiBe's core product is an overlay widget — a JavaScript layer that sits on top of your existing website. It doesn't change your source code.

Here's why that matters:

❌ What Overlays Can't Fix

Missing or broken heading hierarchies
Forms without proper label associations
Complex data tables without headers
Custom JavaScript widgets without ARIA patterns
Keyboard trap issues in interactive elements
Incorrect document language declarations
Missing skip navigation links
Inaccessible SVG and icon implementations
Focus management in single-page applications
Semantically incorrect HTML structure

✅ What Overlays Can Do

Adjust text size and spacing
Change color contrast
Generate basic alt text for images
Modify cursor size
Add basic ARIA labels to some elements
Highlight links
Pause animations
Provide a visible accessibility statement

📢 What the Accessibility Community Says

The pushback against overlay products has been significant:

The National Federation of the Blind (NFB) publicly terminated its partnership with accessiBe in 2021, stating that "the overwhelming response from blind people was that the product did not work well"
Over 800+ accessibility professionals signed the Overlay Fact Sheet (overlayfactsheet.com), explicitly recommending against overlay products
Multiple ADA lawsuits have been filed against companies using overlay products, with courts rejecting the overlay as a compliance defense

This doesn't mean accessiBe is entirely without value — the widget can improve some aspects of usability for some users. But at $490-1,490/year, you're paying for a product that the accessibility community broadly considers insufficient for WCAG compliance.

5. Pricing Comparison: accessiBe vs. Alternatives

Here's how accessiBe's pricing stacks up against tools that take a code-level scanning approach:

Tool	Approach	Starting Price	Annual Cost
accessiBe	Overlay widget	~$41/mo	$490/yr
RatedWithAI	Code-level scanning (axe-core)	$29/mo	$348/yr
AccessibilityChecker.org	Code-level scanning	$69/mo	$828/yr
Siteimprove	Enterprise scanning	~$300/mo	$3,600+/yr
UserWay	Overlay widget	$49/mo	$588/yr
WAVE (WebAIM)	Manual scanning	Free	$0
Google Lighthouse	Manual scanning (axe-core)	Free	$0

💡 The Key Distinction

accessiBe and UserWay are overlay tools — they add a widget layer on top of your site. RatedWithAI, AccessibilityChecker.org, Siteimprove, WAVE, and Lighthouse are scanning tools — they identify actual code-level violations that need real fixes. These are fundamentally different approaches. Overlays mask issues; scanners expose them.

At $29/month, RatedWithAI is:

29% cheaper than accessiBe's entry-level plan ($348/yr vs $490/yr)
58% cheaper than AccessibilityChecker.org ($348/yr vs $828/yr)
90% cheaper than Siteimprove ($348/yr vs $3,600+/yr)

And unlike accessiBe, RatedWithAI identifies real WCAG violations in your source code with specific fix guidance — using the same axe-core engine that powers Google Lighthouse.

6. Who Should (and Shouldn't) Use accessiBe

accessiBe Might Work If:

✅ You want a quick usability improvement while planning proper remediation
✅ You need a temporary bridge solution (emphasis on "temporary")
✅ Your site has minimal interactive elements (mostly static content)
✅ You understand it's not a complete compliance solution

Don't Use accessiBe If:

❌ You think it will make your site WCAG compliant (it won't)
❌ You're buying it as lawsuit protection (courts don't accept overlays)
❌ You have complex interactive elements (forms, dashboards, SPAs)
❌ You're a government entity facing the April 2026 ADA Title II deadline
❌ Performance (Core Web Vitals) is critical for your SEO
❌ You want to actually understand and fix your accessibility issues

The honest advice: if you're serious about accessibility, invest in a tool that shows you your actual code-level violations — then fix them. An overlay is a band-aid on a wound that needs stitches.

7. How to Switch from accessiBe

If you're currently paying for accessiBe and want to move to code-level compliance, here's the process:

Get Your Baseline

Visit ratedwithai.com and scan your site for free. This reveals the actual WCAG violations in your source code — the issues the overlay has been masking, not fixing. No signup required.

Start Fixing Real Issues

Use the code-level fix guidance to address actual violations. Start with critical issues (missing alt text, broken forms, keyboard traps) and work down to warnings.

Set Up Monitoring

Sign up for RatedWithAI's $29/month monitoring plan to track your compliance score over time and catch regressions as your site evolves.

Remove the Overlay

Delete the accessiBe JavaScript snippet from your site. Your page load speed will improve, and your site will rely on actual code-level accessibility rather than a surface layer.

Cancel accessiBe

Cancel your annual subscription. Your current billing cycle will complete, and no further charges will apply.

The switch typically saves $142-1,142+ per year depending on which accessiBe tier you're on — and you get a tool that actually identifies fixable code-level violations.

8. The Bottom Line

accessiBe is a well-marketed product that solves the wrong problem. It makes websites appear more accessible through a surface-level widget, but it doesn't fix the underlying code issues that cause accessibility barriers.

At $490-1,490+/year, you're paying a premium for a solution that the accessibility community has broadly rejected, that courts haven't accepted as a compliance defense, and that the National Federation of the Blind publicly disavowed.

For $348/year ($29/month), RatedWithAI identifies your actual WCAG violations, tells you exactly how to fix them at the code level, tracks your compliance score over time, and includes free tools like a color contrast checker, alt text generator, and accessibility statement generator. That's real compliance work, not a cosmetic widget.

See What accessiBe Has Been Hiding

Run your site through our free WCAG 2.2 scanner and see the code-level violations the overlay is masking. No signup, no credit card — just the truth about your site's accessibility.

Free Accessibility Scan →Read Our Full accessiBe Review

9. Frequently Asked Questions

How much does accessiBe cost per year?

accessiBe pricing starts at $490/year for their Micro plan (up to 5,000 monthly visitors). The Small plan costs $790/year (10,000 visitors), Medium $990/year (50,000 visitors), and Large $1,490/year (100,000 visitors). Sites with over 100,000 visitors require a custom enterprise quote. All plans are billed annually with no monthly option.

Is accessiBe worth the money?

It depends on your expectations. If you understand it's a usability enhancement widget and not a compliance solution, it can add some value. However, the accessibility community broadly considers overlay products insufficient for WCAG compliance, and they haven't been accepted as a defense in ADA lawsuits. For genuine compliance, code-level scanning tools starting at $29/month offer more value per dollar.

What is a cheaper alternative to accessiBe?

RatedWithAI offers WCAG 2.2 scanning and monitoring at $29/month ($348/year) — 29% cheaper than accessiBe's entry plan. Free alternatives include WAVE by WebAIM and Google Lighthouse, though these are manual single-page tools. For a full comparison, see our accessiBe alternatives guide.

Does accessiBe really make websites accessible?

accessiBe's overlay widget adds display adjustments and generates some ARIA attributes, but doesn't fix underlying code issues. Missing heading structures, broken form labels, keyboard traps, and incorrect HTML semantics remain in your source code. Automated tools can detect about 30-40% of WCAG criteria, and overlays address an even smaller subset through surface modifications rather than actual code remediation.

Can I cancel accessiBe and switch to another tool?

Yes. Removing accessiBe is as simple as deleting the JavaScript snippet from your website. You can run a free scan at ratedwithai.com to see your actual code-level violations, then switch to $29/month monitoring. Your accessiBe subscription continues until the end of your annual billing cycle.