Both claim to solve AODA/WCAG. Only one actually does. Here's the honest comparison.
At a glance
| Overlay widget | Source-code remediation | |
|---|---|---|
| How it works | JavaScript layer on top of your site | Fixes the actual HTML/components/content |
| WCAG coverage | ~30–40% (automation ceiling) | Full WCAG 2.2 AA, verified manually |
| Survives script removal | ❌ reverts to inaccessible | ✅ baked into the site |
| Accepted by courts as defense | ❌ no | ✅ audit + plan support good-faith |
| Lawsuit signal | 🚩 plaintiff firms target the script | none |
| Real screen-reader users | often breaks their experience | tested with their tools |
| Regulator view | FTC fined the biggest vendor $1M | standards-based, documented |
| Cost shape | recurring subscription, forever | one-time fix (+ optional care) |
| Site speed / SEO | adds a script, can slow you down | cleaner, faster, better-ranking |
| Documentation for ACR | none meaningful | audit-ready conformance docs |
The cost illusion
An overlay looks cheaper: a small monthly fee, live in minutes. But you pay it forever, it doesn't fix the site, and it can invite the very lawsuit you bought it to avoid — and defending one runs $30,000+. Remediation is a one-time cost that actually removes the risk and improves the asset. Over any real time horizon, "cheap" loses.
The legal reality
Courts don't accept overlays as evidence of compliance; settlements often require removing them. In 2025 the FTC fined accessiBe $1M for overstating its widget, and 456 sites with widgets installed were still sued in H1 2025. The data is here. Remediation plus a documented audit is what supports a good-faith position if a complaint reaches the Human Rights Tribunal.
The experience reality
This is the part that gets lost: overlays frequently interfere with the screen readers and keyboard navigation disabled people already rely on. The tool meant to help can actively get in the way. Real remediation is tested with those tools, so the site works for everyone — which is the entire point of the law.
The growth bonus
Accessible, well-built sites are faster, rank better, and convert more — because clean semantic code helps both assistive tech and search engines, and removes friction for everyone. An overlay adds a script; remediation improves the foundation. Compliance is the floor; growth is the upside.
When is an overlay ever okay?
As a temporary stopgap on a single page while real remediation is scheduled — never as your compliance strategy, and never as something you'd present as a defense.
See exactly what remediation your site needs — free
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PassProof is a remote-first accessibility-engineering studio serving Ontario. Accessibility-engineering guidance, not legal advice.