Quick Comparison
accessiBe
- 💰 Price: $490–$3,990/yr (by traffic tier)
- 🛠️ Approach: JavaScript overlay widget
- 🎯 Best for: Small sites wanting a quick "solution"
- ⚠️ Notable: $1M FTC fine (Jan 2025)
- ⭐ G2: 4.0/5 (400+ reviews)
- ❌ Doesn't fix: Underlying code violations
Siteimprove
- 💰 Price: ~$5,000–$30,000+/yr (custom)
- 🛠️ Approach: Full digital quality platform
- 🎯 Best for: Enterprises, governments, universities
- ✅ Notable: Used by 7,000+ organizations worldwide
- ⭐ G2: 4.4/5 (650+ reviews)
- ✅ Does fix: Identifies violations in source code
The Core Difference: Overlay vs. Platform
The most important thing to understand when comparing accessiBe and Siteimprove is that they take fundamentally different approaches to web accessibility. This isn't just a pricing difference — it's a philosophical one.
accessiBe: Overlay Approach
accessiBe adds a JavaScript file to your site that runs in the browser and attempts to modify the rendered page for assistive technology users. Your underlying HTML code doesn't change — the overlay intercepts how screen readers and other AT interact with your page.
The problem: WCAG compliance is evaluated based on your actual HTML, CSS, and JavaScript — not the overlay-modified version. Courts examining ADA complaints look at source code. The FTC found that accessiBe's claims about this approach were deceptive.
Siteimprove: Platform Approach
Siteimprove crawls your website, tests each page against WCAG rules, and reports exactly which violations exist in your actual source code. Your development team then fixes those violations — Siteimprove tells you what to fix, tracks fixes over time, and monitors for regressions.
The result: Genuine WCAG compliance in your source code. The accessibility is there with or without JavaScript. This approach survives legal scrutiny because the compliance is real.
⚠️ The FTC Fine: What It Means for accessiBe Users
In January 2025, the FTC fined accessiBe $1 million and issued a consent order restricting what claims it can make. The FTC found that accessiBe falsely claimed its AI overlay makes websites "fully compliant" with WCAG 2.1 AA "within 48 hours." These claims were found to be unsubstantiated and deceptive.
For current or former accessiBe customers: if you placed any of accessiBe's trust badges or "WCAG compliant" language on your site based on accessiBe's marketing, those claims may be problematic if challenged in court. The underlying accessibility may not be what was promised.
Pricing Comparison
The pricing gap between these two products is enormous — but so is the scope of what they do.
The price difference reflects the different scope of the products. accessiBe is a single JavaScript file. Siteimprove is a multi-module platform covering accessibility, content quality, SEO, analytics, and policy. You're not paying 10x more for the same thing — you're paying for a fundamentally more capable product.
For small and mid-sized businesses that need real WCAG compliance without enterprise pricing, RatedWithAI starts at $29/month — less than accessiBe's entry tier — and provides scanner-based compliance (not an overlay) with continuous monitoring and compliance reports.
Feature Comparison
ADA Lawsuit Protection: The Real Question
If you're comparing accessiBe and Siteimprove, your underlying question is probably: which one actually protects me from ADA web accessibility lawsuits?
The honest answer is that Siteimprove — when used properly — provides significantly better lawsuit protection. But it's important to understand why, and what the limits are.
accessiBe's lawsuit problem
- 22%+ of 2025 ADA suits targeted overlay users
- Courts reject overlays as good-faith compliance
- FTC found its compliance claims were deceptive
- Overlay doesn't change underlying HTML/ARIA/keyboard nav
- Screen reader users can disable the widget entirely
- accessiBe clients have been sued while paying for the service
Siteimprove's compliance value
- Identifies actual WCAG violations in source code
- Tracks remediation progress over time
- Generates VPAT documentation for compliance claims
- Provides audit trail showing good-faith effort
- Continuous monitoring catches regressions
- Used by organizations with serious compliance needs
Important caveat: Siteimprove tells you what's broken and tracks fixes — but it doesn't fix anything itself. You still need developers to implement the remediation it identifies. A Siteimprove subscription with no developer resources to act on its findings won't protect you. The tool is only as good as the remediation it enables.
Who Should Use Which?
Use Siteimprove if…
- You're a government entity, university, or large organization with compliance obligations
- You need VPAT documentation for procurement or legal purposes
- You manage 100+ pages and need continuous monitoring across them all
- You have a development team that can implement accessibility fixes
- You have budget for a comprehensive platform ($5,000–$30,000+/yr)
- You need content quality and SEO tools alongside accessibility
Avoid accessiBe if…
- Your goal is genuine WCAG compliance (it doesn't fix your code)
- You're in a high-litigation industry (healthcare, banking, retail)
- You previously used accessiBe's "WCAG compliant" badges on your site
- Your legal team has concerns about the FTC consent order
- You need compliance documentation that holds up in court
Consider RatedWithAI if…
- You're a small or mid-sized business that can't afford Siteimprove
- You want real scan-and-fix compliance (not an overlay) at small-business pricing
- You need continuous monitoring, violation reports, and compliance documentation
- Your budget is $29–$99/month, not $5,000+/year
- You want to start with a free scan today to see what's broken
The Middle Ground: Scanner Tools at Small-Business Pricing
Most small and mid-sized businesses that compare accessiBe and Siteimprove don't actually need either: they need a scanning tool that costs less than Siteimprove but works better than an overlay. Here's the landscape:
RatedWithAI — Best for Small & Mid-Sized Businesses
Starts at $29/month
Scanner-based (not an overlay) using axe-core. Full site crawl, continuous monitoring, compliance reports. Less than accessiBe's price, none of accessiBe's legal risk. Not as comprehensive as Siteimprove, but appropriate for businesses that don't need a multi-module enterprise platform.
Start Free Scan →AudioEye — Mid-Market Hybrid
$49–$199/month
AudioEye combines automated scanning with some overlay features plus a team of accessibility experts. Sits between accessiBe (pure overlay) and Siteimprove (pure platform) in both price and approach. Has attorney-led legal support included. Better than accessiBe for businesses that want some expert involvement without Siteimprove's price.
Level Access AMP — Enterprise Alternative to Siteimprove
Custom pricing (enterprise)
Combines automated scanning with expert manual auditing for the highest-confidence compliance program. More thorough than Siteimprove for organizations facing active litigation or government procurement requirements. Significantly more expensive, but includes human expert review that no automated tool provides.
Get Real Compliance — Not an Overlay
Run a free site scan powered by axe-core. See your actual WCAG violations — not a JavaScript mask over them. Continuous monitoring from $29/month.
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Also audit your site's full technical health
SEMrush Site Audit checks 130+ issues — missing alt text, broken links, slow pages. Free crawl up to 100 pages, no credit card required.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is accessiBe or Siteimprove better for WCAG compliance?
Siteimprove is significantly better for WCAG compliance. Siteimprove scans your actual source code to identify real WCAG violations and provides tools for your development team to fix them. accessiBe is a JavaScript overlay that modifies how your site appears to assistive technology without changing the underlying HTML. The FTC fined accessiBe $1 million in 2025 for falsely claiming its overlay creates WCAG-compliant websites. Siteimprove has not faced any equivalent regulatory scrutiny.
Can I use accessiBe and Siteimprove together?
Technically yes, but it would be inadvisable. Installing accessiBe on a site you're also auditing with Siteimprove creates conflicting signals: Siteimprove identifies code-level violations, but accessiBe's overlay may partially mask those violations in the rendered version. This can make it harder to accurately assess what's actually been fixed. Additionally, given the FTC's findings about accessiBe's effectiveness claims, having an overlay installed alongside a legitimate scanner raises questions about whether the overlay is providing any real value.
Why is Siteimprove so much more expensive than accessiBe?
Siteimprove and accessiBe are fundamentally different products. accessiBe is a single JavaScript widget. Siteimprove is a comprehensive digital quality platform that includes accessibility scanning, content quality analysis, SEO tools, analytics, policy management, and more. You're not paying 10x more for accessibility monitoring — you're paying for an enterprise platform that does many things accessiBe doesn't attempt. For small businesses that need just accessibility compliance without the full platform, tools like RatedWithAI offer scanner-based compliance at small-business pricing.
Has Siteimprove had any legal or regulatory issues?
No. Siteimprove has not faced any FTC enforcement action or equivalent regulatory scrutiny. The company is used by over 7,000 organizations worldwide, including governments, universities, and Fortune 500 companies, and operates under standard business terms. This is a meaningful contrast to accessiBe, which operated under an FTC consent order from April 2025 restricting its marketing claims.
What if I can't afford Siteimprove?
For businesses that need real scan-based accessibility compliance without Siteimprove's enterprise pricing, RatedWithAI Pro starts at $29/month and provides continuous axe-core scanning, full site crawls, historical tracking, and compliance PDF reports. It's not as comprehensive as Siteimprove's multi-module platform, but it provides the core accessibility scanning and monitoring functionality at a fraction of the price.