ADAGuard vs AudioEye: Scanner vs Managed Service (2026)

AudioEye is a managed accessibility service that combines a JavaScript overlay with human remediation support — and charges enterprise prices to match. ADAGuard is a developer-first accessibility scanner: automated, API-accessible, and priced for engineering teams of any size. Both appear in searches for accessibility tools. Both generate VPAT reports. Both claim to help with WCAG compliance. The differences are significant — in approach, in cost, and in what your team actually gets. --- ## How AudioEye Works AudioEye deploys a JavaScript overlay on your website (similar to accessiBe and UserWay) and supplements it with human accessibility specialists who review and attempt to remediate issues on your behalf. The service is positioned as a fully-managed solution: you install the script, AudioEye's team handles the rest. **The tradeoffs:** - **Cost:** AudioEye typically costs $1,500–$5,000+ per year depending on plan and site size, sold as annual contracts - **Control:** Remediation decisions are made by AudioEye's team, not yours. Developers who want to understand and own their accessibility posture have limited visibility into what's being changed and why - **Scope:** Like all overlay-based products, the JavaScript script cannot reach login-protected pages, SaaS app dashboards, or dynamically rendered content that only appears after authentication - **No API:** AudioEye does not offer a REST API for programmatic scanning, making CI/CD integration impossible - **Sales-gated:** Starting requires a sales conversation. There is no self-service option --- ## How ADAGuard Works ADAGuard is a self-service accessibility scanner. You give it a URL, it launches a real Playwright browser, renders your page in full (including JavaScript and dynamic content), and runs 100+ accessibility checks against the actual rendered DOM. Every issue in the report includes: - The exact HTML element selector - The WCAG 2.2 criterion that was violated (e.g. 1.4.3 Color Contrast, 2.4.6 Headings) - Severity classification (critical, warning, informational) - Step-by-step code fix guidance with before/after examples No managed service. No waiting. No sales call. You start scanning in under 60 seconds with a free account. --- ## Feature Comparison | | ADAGuard Professional | AudioEye | |---|---|---| | **Approach** | Automated scanner + your team fixes the code | Overlay + managed human remediation | | **WCAG 2.2 Level AA coverage** | ~74% automated | Managed (scope varies by plan) | | **Element-level issue selectors** | ✅ Yes — every failing element pinpointed | Partial | | **Code fix guidance** | ✅ Before/after code examples | Partial — remediation handled by AudioEye team | | **API access for CI/CD** | ✅ Full REST API on Professional+ | ❌ Not available | | **Authenticated page scanning** | ✅ Scans login-protected pages | ❌ No | | **VPAT / ACR generation** | ✅ Automated on Professional+ | ✅ Included | | **Scheduled automated scans** | ✅ Daily, weekly, monthly | ✅ Included | | **Report exports (PDF/HTML/CSV)** | ✅ All formats | ✅ Included | | **Self-service (no sales call)** | ✅ Start in 60 seconds | ❌ Requires sales conversation | | **Month-to-month billing** | ✅ No annual contract | ❌ Annual contracts required | | **Free plan** | ✅ 1 scan/month, no card required | ❌ No free option | | **Starting price** | $0 / $49/month | ~$1,500–$5,000+/year | | **Developer control** | ✅ Full — your team owns every fix | ❌ Managed by AudioEye team | --- ## The VPAT Question Both ADAGuard and AudioEye generate VPAT (Voluntary Product Accessibility Template) and ACR (Accessibility Conformance Report) documents — the formal compliance reports required by US federal agencies and enterprise procurement teams. ADAGuard generates these automatically after a scan on Professional ($129/month) and Business ($249/month) plans. You get a machine-readable scan that maps your actual findings to the VPAT format — documenting which WCAG criteria are Supported, Partially Supported, or Not Supported. AudioEye's VPAT generation is part of its managed service and is typically included in its higher-tier plans. If VPAT generation is your primary requirement, both products cover it. The difference is speed, cost, and whether you want a managed relationship or self-service tooling. --- ## The API and CI/CD Advantage This is where ADAGuard has a significant advantage for engineering teams. ADAGuard's REST API (available on Professional and Business plans) lets you: - Trigger scans programmatically on each deployment - Poll for scan completion and retrieve full JSON results - Download reports in any format (JSON, HTML, PDF, CSV) - Fail CI/CD pipelines when new WCAG violations are introduced AudioEye does not offer a scanning API. If you want to integrate accessibility checks into your GitHub Actions, Jenkins, or GitLab CI pipeline, AudioEye is not an option. ADAGuard is. --- ## Authenticated Page Scanning AudioEye's overlay runs on public-facing pages. It cannot scan authenticated pages — your SaaS app dashboard, customer account pages, checkout flow, or any page that requires a login. ADAGuard supports authenticated scanning on Starter plans and above. You log in through a real browser session, ADAGuard captures the session state, and then scans any private page your authenticated users see. For SaaS companies and e-commerce sites where the product experience lives behind authentication, this is a critical difference. --- ## Cost Comparison | Plan | ADAGuard | AudioEye | |---|---|---| | Free/trial | ✅ 1 scan/month, no card | ❌ Not available | | Entry paid | $49/month (Starter) | ~$1,500+/year | | Professional | $129/month | ~$3,000–$5,000/year | | Business/Enterprise | $249/month | Custom pricing | | Contract required | ❌ Month-to-month | ✅ Annual | For most development teams, agencies, and SaaS companies, ADAGuard costs 80–95% less than AudioEye while providing more control, API access, and authenticated scanning. --- ## Who Should Use Each Product **AudioEye is appropriate for:** - Large enterprises that want a fully-managed accessibility service with a human team handling remediation - Organisations that want to outsource accessibility entirely and are willing to pay premium pricing for it - Buyers who need a managed ongoing relationship with an established public company **ADAGuard is appropriate for:** - Development teams and agencies who want to find and fix real WCAG 2.2 violations themselves - SaaS companies that need to test authenticated app pages - Engineering teams integrating accessibility into CI/CD pipelines via API - Organisations that need VPAT documentation without an enterprise contract - Teams that want self-service tooling with immediate access and no sales process --- ## Summary AudioEye is a premium managed service for organisations that want to hand accessibility off entirely. ADAGuard is a powerful automated scanner for teams that want to understand, control, and permanently fix their accessibility issues — at a fraction of the cost. [Start a free ADAGuard scan](https://www.adaguard.io/register). No credit card required. Results in under 30 seconds.

ADAGuard vs AudioEye: Automated Scanner vs Managed Service (2026)