What does SortSite check for?

SortSite checks for WCAG 2.1 and 2.2 accessibility violations, broken links, spelling errors, browser compatibility issues, and SEO problems — all in one crawl. Its multi-standard approach is one of its differentiators: a single scan covers accessibility, link checking, and SEO quality. For compliance purposes, it reports violations by WCAG success criterion with severity levels.

Does SortSite offer a free trial?

Yes. PowerMapper offers a free trial of SortSite Desktop (typically a 30-day trial or limited scan evaluation). SortSite Online also offers a trial period. The free trials include full scanning capability against a limited number of pages or sites so you can evaluate report quality before buying.

Is SortSite worth the price?

SortSite Desktop's one-time $299 price point is genuinely competitive for freelancers and small agencies who run periodic accessibility audits. The combination of WCAG checking + link checking + SEO in one tool reduces the need for multiple paid tools. However, SortSite lacks continuous monitoring — it's a point-in-time scanner, not an always-on compliance platform. For teams that need ongoing monitoring with regression alerts, platforms like RatedWithAI ($29/month) provide better value.

How does SortSite compare to RatedWithAI?

SortSite is a desktop/cloud scanner you run manually. RatedWithAI is a continuous monitoring platform that scans your site on a schedule and alerts you when new violations appear. SortSite is better for one-time audits and multi-standard reporting (accessibility + links + SEO). RatedWithAI is better for ongoing compliance assurance, regression detection, and compliance documentation over time. Many teams use SortSite for quarterly audits and RatedWithAI for continuous monitoring between those audits.

SortSite Pricing 2026: Desktop vs. Online vs. SDK Costs

Q: How much does SortSite cost?

SortSite has three pricing models: (1) SortSite Desktop — a one-time software license starting around $299 for a single-user Standard license and $599 for Professional; (2) SortSite Online — a cloud-based subscription starting around $49/month for basic scanning and $99–$199/month for larger site plans; (3) SortSite SDK — developer licensing for embedding SortSite scanning into enterprise systems, priced per agreement with PowerMapper. PowerMapper does not always publish current prices publicly, so check powermapper.com or contact them for the latest figures.

Q: Is SortSite Desktop a one-time purchase?

Yes. SortSite Desktop (Windows application) is sold as a perpetual one-time license. You pay once and keep the software. Annual maintenance/upgrade plans are optional and typically run 20–30% of the license price per year. This model is increasingly rare in the accessibility tool market — most competitors now require annual subscriptions.

SortSite Pricing Overview

SortSite has three distinct pricing models depending on how you want to use it:

SortSite Desktop — Windows desktop application, one-time perpetual license. Standard: ~$299/user. Professional: ~$599/user. No recurring fee unless you opt into the annual maintenance plan.
SortSite Online — Cloud-based scanning, subscription model. Starts around $49/month for smaller sites; $99–$199/month for larger site plans. No desktop software required.
SortSite SDK — Developer licensing for building SortSite scanning into enterprise applications, CI/CD pipelines, or custom reporting systems. Priced per agreement — contact PowerMapper for enterprise SDK quotes.

PowerMapper does not always maintain a fully public pricing page — prices may vary by region and can change. The figures in this guide reflect current published and verified pricing as of mid-2026. Always confirm current pricing at powermapper.com before purchasing.

The key differentiator: SortSite Desktop is one of the very few accessibility tools left on the market with a one-time purchase model. For freelancers and small agencies doing periodic audits, it can be far more cost-effective than annual subscriptions that cost $500–$2,000+/year.

SortSite Desktop: One-Time License Pricing

SortSite Desktop is a Windows application that crawls websites directly from your computer. It's the original SortSite product and remains popular for its one-time pricing.

Desktop License Tiers

Standard License — ~$299/user

• Full WCAG 2.1/2.2 accessibility checking
• Broken link checking
• Basic SEO analysis
• HTML/CSS standards validation
• Up to a configured page limit per scan
• Single machine license

Professional License — ~$599/user

• Everything in Standard
• Higher page limits per scan
• Command-line interface (CLI) for automation
• Scheduled scans (automated, unattended)
• Custom scan profiles and report templates
• Priority email support

Annual Maintenance — ~$80–$120/year (optional)

• Access to new version releases
• Updated WCAG rule sets as standards evolve
• Not required to keep using the version you purchased

Is the Desktop License Right for You?

The Desktop license makes the most sense if:

You're a freelance accessibility consultant or developer doing site audits as billable work
You run periodic audits (quarterly or annually) rather than continuous monitoring
You want the one-time purchase to pay for itself within 1–2 client engagements
You already have a Windows machine and prefer desktop software over cloud subscriptions
You need the CLI (Professional) for build-time CI/CD integration

macOS note: SortSite Desktop is Windows-only. Mac users must use SortSite Online (cloud) or run Windows in a VM. This is a meaningful limitation for developers and designers who primarily use Macs.

SortSite Online: Subscription Plans

SortSite Online is the cloud-based version — no software to install, runs in the browser, works on any OS including Mac and Linux.

SortSite Online Pricing Tiers

Starter — ~$49/month

• Small site scanning (typically up to 500 pages)
• WCAG accessibility, link checking, SEO
• Basic reporting and export
• Single user

Business — ~$99–$149/month

• Larger site scanning (1,000–5,000 pages)
• Multiple user seats
• Scheduled automatic scans
• Email reports and alerts
• White-label PDF exports

Agency / Enterprise — ~$199+/month

• Multiple sites and domains
• High page limits (10,000+ pages per crawl)
• Client portal or white-label reporting
• API access for automation
• Priority support

Note: SortSite Online pricing is not always publicly listed in detail. Contact PowerMapper for current plan options, especially for agency and enterprise tiers. Annual billing typically offers 15–20% savings vs. monthly.

SortSite Online vs. Desktop: Which to Choose?

Choose Desktop if:

You do periodic audits, prefer one-time purchases, use Windows, and want CLI automation for Professional users.

Choose Online if:

You use Mac/Linux, want browser-based access from anywhere, manage multiple client sites, or need team collaboration features without software installation.

SortSite SDK: Developer & Enterprise Licensing

PowerMapper offers the SortSite SDK for organizations that want to embed SortSite's scanning engine directly into their own applications, CMS platforms, or enterprise quality assurance workflows.

SDK Use Cases

CMS integrations: Running accessibility scans within content management systems before publishing
CI/CD pipelines: Automated WCAG checks triggered on every deployment, with pass/fail gates
Enterprise reporting dashboards: Pulling violation data into custom BI tools or compliance tracking systems
Managed services: Agencies or managed hosting providers offering accessibility monitoring as a value-add service to clients

SDK Pricing

SDK pricing is not published publicly — it's negotiated per agreement based on deployment scope, volume, and use case. Typical SDK licensing starts in the range of $2,000–$10,000+/year depending on usage volume and whether the customer is building an internal tool or a commercial service. Contact PowerMapper directly for SDK pricing.

SDK vs. API: If you need to automate SortSite scans programmatically but don't need deep SDK integration, the SortSite Online API (available on higher-tier Online plans) may be a more affordable path than full SDK licensing.

What SortSite Checks (WCAG, Links, SEO)

SortSite's multi-standard approach is its main value proposition — a single crawl covers several quality dimensions simultaneously:

Accessibility (WCAG)

WCAG 2.0, 2.1, and 2.2 Level A, AA, and AAA checks
Section 508 compliance (US federal standard, WCAG 2.0 Level A/AA aligned)
Missing alt text, form labels, heading structure, color contrast
ARIA usage errors, keyboard accessibility issues, language attributes
PDF accessibility checking (when PDFs are linked from pages)

Link Checking

Broken internal and external links (404s, 500s, timeouts)
Redirect chains and loops
Missing images, CSS, and JavaScript resources
Anchored link validation (links to in-page IDs that don't exist)

SEO & Standards

Missing or duplicate meta titles and descriptions
Heading hierarchy problems
HTML/CSS standards validation
Spelling and grammar checking
Mobile compatibility issues

This multi-standard scope is where SortSite genuinely stands out from pure accessibility checkers. If you're a web agency or digital team that cares about link health, SEO, and accessibility as a combined package, SortSite delivers more per scan than single-purpose tools.

Who SortSite Is Best For

Freelance Accessibility Consultants

The one-time Desktop license pays for itself with a single client engagement. Running SortSite as part of an accessibility audit deliverable is cost-effective vs. $500+/year SaaS tools when you only need it a few times per month.

Small Web Agencies

SortSite Online's agency tier handles multi-client site scanning with white-label PDF reports — useful for agencies that want to include accessibility and link audits as a service without building their own tooling.

Government & Public Sector Teams

SortSite's Section 508 compliance mapping and strong WCAG reporting make it popular with government agencies and public universities that need documented audit trails for compliance reporting.

QA Engineers Adding Accessibility to CI/CD

The Professional Desktop CLI and SortSite SDK both support automated scanning in build pipelines — useful for engineering teams adding accessibility quality gates to their deployment workflow.

Who SortSite Is NOT the Best Fit For

Teams that need continuous monitoring: SortSite doesn't alert you when new violations appear after a content update. You have to manually trigger scans.
Mac-only teams without cloud budget: The Desktop product is Windows-only; Online is cross-platform but adds subscription cost.
Teams that need remediation workflow: SortSite reports violations but doesn't track who's fixing what or integrate with project management tools.
Small businesses on tight budgets: Free tools like WAVE and axe DevTools cover many of the same WCAG checks at no cost, though without SortSite's multi-standard scope.

SortSite vs. Alternatives: Is It Worth It?

How does SortSite stack up against the most common alternatives?

SortSite Desktop ($299 one-time)

• Best for: Periodic audits, Windows users, freelancers
• Multi-standard: WCAG + links + SEO in one scan
• Weakness: No monitoring, Windows-only, manual operation

WAVE (Free)

• Best for: Quick one-page spot-checks during development
• Single-page only, no link checking, no monitoring
• Cost: $0 — hard to beat for individual page testing

Deque axe DevTools ($0–$2,500+/year)

• Best for: Developer-centric testing, CI/CD integration
• Free browser extension; paid plans add guided manual testing and CI monitoring
• Weakness: Accessibility-focused only (no link checking or SEO)

RatedWithAI ($29/month)

• Best for: Continuous monitoring, compliance documentation
• Full-site crawl + 24-hour monitoring + scan history + email alerts
• Weakness: Accessibility focus only (vs. SortSite's multi-standard approach)

Siteimprove ($10,000+/year)

• Best for: Enterprise multi-site governance platform
• Covers accessibility, SEO, analytics, content quality — complete platform
• Cost is prohibitive for most small/mid organizations

Verdict: SortSite Desktop at $299 is genuinely good value for its multi-standard scope. The combination of WCAG, broken links, and SEO in one crawl makes it efficient for agencies running comprehensive site audits. The main gap is continuous monitoring — which requires a separate tool.

SortSite vs. RatedWithAI: When to Use Each

SortSite and RatedWithAI are complementary, not direct competitors. They solve different problems in an accessibility program.

Use SortSite For:

Comprehensive initial audits covering accessibility + links + SEO in one pass
Client-facing audit reports with multi-standard coverage
Point-in-time WCAG certification documentation for Section 508 or procurement
Quarterly/annual site-wide reviews where you want PDF deliverables

Use RatedWithAI For:

Continuous monitoring between audits — know immediately when new violations appear
Automated daily/weekly scans without manual triggering
Compliance documentation with timestamped scan history over months/years
Email alerts when violations spike after content updates or deploys
Teams that don't want to maintain Windows desktops for scanning

The Recommended Stack

SortSite Desktop ($299 one-time): Quarterly full-site audits — comprehensive, client-ready, multi-standard
RatedWithAI ($29/month): Continuous monitoring between audits — catches regressions the moment they're introduced

Combined annual cost: ~$348–$648/year (SortSite one-time amortized + RatedWithAI). Combined coverage: both deep point-in-time audits and always-on monitoring. This is the practical accessibility program for small businesses and agencies.

Try RatedWithAI free — get a full-site WCAG scan with no credit card required. See how continuous monitoring compares to SortSite's point-in-time approach.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does SortSite cost?

SortSite Desktop starts at approximately $299 for a one-time Standard license and ~$599 for Professional. SortSite Online (cloud) starts around $49/month. SDK pricing is negotiated — contact PowerMapper for enterprise quotes. Annual maintenance for Desktop updates is optional at ~$80–$120/year.

Is SortSite Desktop a one-time purchase?

Yes. SortSite Desktop is a perpetual Windows license. You pay once and keep the software indefinitely. Annual maintenance is optional — you only need it to access new version releases and updated rule sets. The version you purchase continues working without the maintenance plan.

Does SortSite work on Mac?

SortSite Desktop is Windows-only. Mac users need to use SortSite Online (the cloud-based subscription version), which runs in any browser including Safari and Chrome on macOS. Running SortSite Desktop via Parallels or Boot Camp is technically possible but not officially recommended by PowerMapper.

What accessibility standards does SortSite check?

SortSite checks WCAG 2.0, 2.1, and 2.2 at Levels A, AA, and AAA, as well as Section 508 (US federal standard). It also covers broken links, HTML/CSS validation, SEO basics, spelling, and mobile compatibility — all in a single site crawl.

Is SortSite worth it compared to free tools?

For freelancers and agencies doing site audits as billable work, yes — the one-time $299 Desktop license typically pays for itself in a single engagement. The multi-standard scope (WCAG + links + SEO) also reduces the need for multiple free tools running separately. For pure WCAG checking on a personal project, free tools like WAVE or axe may be sufficient.

Does SortSite do continuous monitoring?

Not in the way purpose-built monitoring platforms do. SortSite Professional Desktop and higher Online tiers support scheduled scans (automated, unattended), but they don't provide real-time alerts or regression detection between scans. For true continuous monitoring with email alerts, a dedicated platform like RatedWithAI is the better choice.

SortSite Audits + RatedWithAI Monitoring = Complete Coverage

SortSite finds everything in a point-in-time audit. RatedWithAI catches what changes between audits. Together, you get the coverage that a defensible accessibility program requires.

Run a Free Full-Site Scan See RatedWithAI Pricing