Pandus compared with other accessibility tools
Pandus is an automated accessibility checker for websites and online shops: it tests every page against WCAG 2.2 AA each week, explains the problems for the business owner in seven languages and makes white-label reports for agencies. It does not install an overlay.
Updated October 14, 2026 · 4 min read · How we write and check our guides
The pages below compare it with five well-known tools, using facts from the vendors' own pages, checked on 14 October 2026.
We wrote these pages, so we are not neutral. To stay fair we only state what the vendors publish, say what each tool is good at, and link every source. If something here is out of date, tell us and we will correct it.
The comparisons
- Pandus vs WAVE — the free one-page checker by WebAIM versus weekly monitoring of whole sites.
- Pandus vs Siteimprove — an enterprise platform with prices on request versus published plans for shops and agencies.
- Pandus vs accessiBe — an overlay widget versus a checker that tells you what to fix in the code.
- Pandus vs UserWay — a widget with monitoring add-ons versus monitoring with reports.
- Pandus vs AudioEye — automated JavaScript fixes and managed services versus reports for fixing at the source.
- Alternatives to accessiBe and other overlays — ways to work on accessibility without a widget.
At a glance
| Tool | What it is | Prices published by the vendor (14 Oct 2026) | Changes your site? |
|---|---|---|---|
| WAVE (WebAIM) | Online checker and browser extensions for one page at a time; paid API | Online tool and extensions without charge; API from $0.025 to $0.04 per credit | No |
| Siteimprove | Enterprise platform: accessibility, SEO, analytics, content | No prices on the pricing page; demo on request | No |
| accessiBe | accessWidget, an overlay with automated fixes | From $59 a month or $490 a year (up to 5,000 visits a month) | Yes, through a script |
| UserWay | Accessibility widget, monitoring and audits | From $490 a year; no monthly prices shown | Yes, through a script |
| AudioEye | JavaScript automated fixes, monitoring, expert audits | No prices on the pricing page | Yes, through a script |
| Pandus | Weekly automated checks of every page, reports for owners and agency clients | Published on our pricing page; one page free | No |
"Changes your site" means that the product adds a script which changes the page in the visitor's browser. Whether that helps or harms visitors is debated; the Overlay Fact Sheet, signed by more than a thousand accessibility practitioners, argues against it, and in 2025 the US Federal Trade Commission ordered accessiBe to pay $1 million and to stop claiming, without evidence, that its automated products can make any website conform to WCAG. Our view is in why overlays are not a solution.
Where Pandus is different
- Reports for the owner, in their language. Every problem is explained in plain words in English, Ukrainian, German, Polish, Czech, Romanian or Russian, with a fix for Shopify, WooCommerce, PrestaShop or Shoptet.
- Agency pricing you can see. White-label plans for 10, 25 or 50 client sites are on the pricing page, not behind a sales call.
- The EAA filter. Before talking about the European Accessibility Act, three questions show whether it applies at all: consumers, sector and size. See who the EAA applies to.
- No overlay. We never add a widget to the checked site; problems are fixed in the theme and content.
What no automated tool does
Every tool on this page, Pandus included, finds only the part of WCAG problems that a machine can detect. Keyboard use, screen reader behaviour, meaningful alt text and clear error messages need a person. Pandus is an automated check, not a full audit, and not legal advice. For the free open-source checkers (Lighthouse, axe DevTools, Accessibility Insights, IBM Equal Access, Pa11y) see accessibility testing tools compared.
Frequently asked questions
What is the main difference between Pandus and an overlay such as accessiBe or UserWay?
An overlay adds a script that changes the page in the visitor's browser. Pandus does not change your site: it checks it every week and tells you what to fix in the theme and content, in plain words and in your language.
Is Pandus a replacement for WAVE?
Not for a quick visual review of one page; WAVE is good at that and free. Pandus adds what WAVE online does not: weekly checks of every page of a site, history and reports for business owners and agency clients.
Where do the prices on these pages come from?
From the vendors' own pricing pages, opened on 14 October 2026. Where a vendor does not publish prices, we say so instead of guessing. Prices change, so check the vendor page before you decide.
Is this comparison neutral?
No comparison written by a vendor is fully neutral. We are Pandus, so we stick to facts from the vendors' pages, say what each tool does well, and link the sources.
Sources
- WebAIM, WAVE API pricing: https://wave.webaim.org/api/
- Siteimprove, pricing: https://www.siteimprove.com/pricing/
- accessiBe, pricing: https://accessibe.com/pricing
- UserWay, pricing: https://userway.org/pricing/
- AudioEye, pricing: https://www.audioeye.com/pricing/
- US Federal Trade Commission, accessiBe order (22 April 2025): https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2025/04/ftc-approves-final-order-requiring-accessibe-pay-1-million
- Overlay Fact Sheet: https://overlayfactsheet.com/en/