The cost for an improvement plan itself is usually limited: it is the document with the prioritized list of gaps, the associated deadlines, and the reasoning for why something is or is not urgent. The real costs are in the next step, actually having the website, webshop, or app modified by a developer. And that amount varies enormously, depending on a few factors discussed below.
What determines it most is not the number of gaps found but the type of gap and where it is located. Missing color contrast on a few headings can be fixed in an afternoon. A checkout step that cannot be operated with a keyboard often affects the underlying code of a paid or custom-built component, and that takes noticeably more time. The improvement plan says what needs to happen and in what order; it does not say how many hours a developer needs for it, because that depends on how the site is built.
Where the amount comes from
Most quotes for fixing accessibility gaps are structured in three parts: the time to understand the problem, the time to fix it, and the time to verify that the solution also works with a screen reader or keyboard alone. That last part is often forgotten in an initial estimate, but it is precisely where remediation work runs over: a button that looks good visually can still fail to announce what it does to assistive technology.
A second cost factor is the platform itself. A webshop on a standard platform with well-maintained themes often already has much of the basics in order, such as correct heading structure and basic focus order. A business site with a custom-built login environment or its own checkout flow sometimes lacks that foundation entirely, and then it is not a matter of adjusting settings but of rewriting components. review per situation what is being tested exactly gives a picture of which parts of a site usually require the most work.
A third factor is who does the work. In-house developers who already know the code are often faster than an external party who first has to figure out how everything fits together. Conversely, an external party that does this type of remediation work more often has an advantage in experience with precisely this type of defect, such as form labels or alternative text that are systematically missing.
What does not reduce the amount
An accessibility widget that claims to improve the site in one click does not solve any of these underlying problems and therefore does not reduce the actual cost either. Such an overlay adds a layer to the front of the site, but the underlying code, the form labels, the focus order, remains unchanged. Regulators and the legislation itself assume the actual accessibility of the underlying service, not what a widget promises to do. Anyone relying on this merely postpones the cost of real remediation.
Another misconception is that everything must be fixed at once to save costs on hourly rates. In practice, a phased approach is often cheaper, because the most serious gaps — for example a checkout step that cannot be completed with a screen reader — are solved first, while smaller issues such as color contrast move along in a regular maintenance cycle. That is precisely where a prioritized action list in plain language adds value: developers then know where to start first, instead of tackling everything at once.
What axessia does and does not do
Axessia draws up the action list, documents what has been tested and monitors whether a change to the site requires retesting. The actual remedial work, writing new code or adapting a theme, is up to your own developer or agency. This distinction is deliberate: an automated scan cannot test all requirements, and carrying out repairs requires knowledge of your specific platform that a scan does not have.
Anyone who wants to know which part of the costs is relevant to their own situation should start by asking whether the law applies. to get a first indication in a few questions shows whether an exemption applies, for example for micro-enterprises, before thinking about remedial costs. For those who already know that the law applies and are curious about what axessia's own reporting and declaration cost, that is separate from the remedial work in the overview of subscriptions and what is included in them.
Are you still unsure about a part of your site, or do you want to know how a previous assessment was conducted before you engage a developer? review where the assessment comes from explains which sources are used in the process.
The free quick-scan gives a first picture on a handful of core pages of where the biggest bottlenecks are, without requiring an account for it. This is a good starting point to estimate how much remedial work is likely to be needed before you request a quote from a developer.