We're not another overlay. We're the fix.
The accessibility market is flooded with $25/month widgets that the FTC, DOJ, and federal courts have rejected. ADA Active Shield is the only full-service, code-level remediation provider built for small businesses — not Fortune 500 budgets.
Six reasons we win
Drawn directly from our 18-competitor market analysis.
Code-Level Remediation vs. Overlay Band-Aids
80%+ of competitors sell JavaScript overlays that the FTC, courts, and disability community have rejected. We perform actual code changes — the only approach endorsed by regulatory authorities.
SMB Price Point with Full-Service Quality
Level Access — the only other true full-service competitor — starts at $10k+/year. We deliver comparable quality starting at $997 for audit and $1,500 for remediation.
Human Audit + Ongoing Monitoring
Monthly monitoring with manual spot-checks is rare at this price point. Most competitors offer only automated scanning. The human element is both a compliance and marketing differentiator.
Certification Badge (Renewed Annually)
The annual renewal cycle communicates ongoing commitment, not a one-time fix. This directly addresses the market's shift away from 'install and forget' overlay solutions.
Ethical, Transparent Marketing
In a market where the category leader was fined $1M for deceptive advertising, transparent and honest marketing is itself a competitive advantage.
One Ecosystem, Every Growth Lever (UpPluck)
ADA Active Shield is one pillar of the UpPluck ecosystem — alongside VAS360 (fractional ops), OwlHoot Media (brand & demand), and Pipeline Navigator AI (sales automation). Complementary services, one unified team. No competitor offers this.
ADA Active Shield vs. Overlays vs. Enterprise
| Capability | ADA Active Shield | Overlay Vendors | Enterprise Providers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Code-level remediation (HTML, ARIA, CSS) | |||
| Human-led WCAG 2.1 AA audit | |||
| Monthly monitoring with manual spot-checks | Partial | ||
| Annual certification badge | Partial | ||
| SMB-friendly pricing (under $10k/yr) | |||
| Endorsed approach (FTC, DOJ, courts) | |||
| Transparent, non-deceptive marketing | |||
| Integrated business services ecosystem |
What the market actually charges
Public pricing as of May 2026, sourced from vendor websites and third-party aggregators.
| Provider | Entry Price | Full Service | Model |
|---|---|---|---|
ADA Active ShieldYou | Audit $997 | $1,500–$9,500 + $149/mo monitoring | Full Service |
accessiBe FTC fined $1M (2025) | $490/yr | $1,490–$3,990/yr; Enterprise $10k+ | Overlay only |
UserWay | $25/mo | $69–$119/mo bundles | Overlay + scan |
AudioEye | $49/mo | Custom managed plans | Hybrid |
EqualWeb | $390/yr | $1,090–$1,690/yr | Overlay + scan |
Level Access | Custom quote | $10k–$50k+/yr | Full Service (Enterprise) |
Siteimprove | Custom quote | Enterprise pricing | Scan + monitor only |
Manual remediation at the enterprise level typically costs $15,000–$50,000 upfront. Our tiered remediation maps directly to small business budgets.
The overlay era is over.
In April 2025 the FTC fined accessiBe $1M for falsely claiming its widget could make any website WCAG-compliant — the first time the FTC targeted an accessibility overlay vendor for deceptive practices. Courts, the DOJ, and the disability community now uniformly reject overlay-only solutions.
ADA Active Shield was built on the model regulators endorse: human audit, code-level remediation, ongoing monitoring, and honest marketing.
of 2025 ADA lawsuits targeted sites that already had an overlay widget installed. The widget didn't protect them — and in many cases, it became evidence against them.
average out-of-court settlement cost — more than 30x what real remediation costs.
Stop renting a widget. Start owning your compliance.
Get a free WCAG 2.1 AA scan of your site in under 60 seconds. No credit card, no overlay, no spin.