UserWay sells a widget priced by page views, with monitoring of a set number of pages as an add-on or bundled tier; BearScan is a scanner that reports issues for you to fix in your code. UserWay's widget starts at $490 a year; BearScan's scan is free and a full report is $49 for one site.
Summary
| Question | BearScan | UserWay | Better fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| How it checks your site | Real-browser scan, then models read what text and images mean | Widget with automated remediation applied on each page load | Depends |
| How much of the site it covers | 10 pages free; 100 with a free account; up to 1,000 in a report | Every page via the widget; monitoring of 10 to 100 pages by tier | Depends |
| What you get back | Every issue with its page, element, fix and rule; a PDF; what it couldn't check | Remediation report, legal-trends monitor; audits and VPATs on request | Depends |
| Whether it changes your site | No: it only reads public pages | Yes: an embedded script alters pages as they load | BearScan |
| What it costs | Free scan; $49 report per site; $29 a month for Monitoring | $490 to $2,490 a year for the widget; monitoring from $990 a year | Depends |
| How it fits your workflow | API, MCP server, GitHub pull-request checks, weekly rescans | Install guides for many CMS and shop platforms | Depends |
| What it promises about the law | Never claims compliance; no legal protection offered | Terms: no guarantee of compliance; discretionary legal support | Depends |
Which should you choose?
| If you want | Choose |
|---|---|
| You want every page of the site scanned, not a capped list of monitored pages. | BearScan |
| You want fix instructions per element, plus a prompt you can hand to a coding agent. | BearScan |
| You want to pay once for a report rather than annually for a widget. | BearScan |
| You want a widget and a litigation support program from one vendor. | UserWay |
| You want a vendor-written audit or VPAT. | UserWay |
How we compared
We compared the two on seven questions a buyer asks: how each checks a site, how much of it they cover, what you get back, whether they change your pages, what they cost, how they fit a team’s workflow, and what they promise about the law. We make BearScan, so weigh our description of it accordingly. To keep the comparison honest we describe UserWay from its own pages, attribute its marketing claims to it, cite every source, and say where UserWay is the better choice. Prices and terms were read on and change often; check the vendor’s page before you buy.
UserWay at a glance
UserWay is a overlay and monitoring service. An overlay widget with page monitoring, audits and a litigation support program, sold by page views.
BearScan at a glance
BearScan is a website accessibility scanner. It checks a site against WCAG 2.2 Level A and AA in a real browser, reports each issue with the page, the element, how to fix it and the rule it breaks, and lists what it couldn’t check. Scanning is free; a full report is $49.
Feature by feature
How it checks your site
BearScan. BearScan loads pages in a real browser and measures what a visitor gets: computed names, contrast from computed styles, Tab order and visible focus, layout at 320 pixels wide, text spacing and content that moves. It then uses language and vision models to judge what text and images mean, such as whether a label or alt text fits. A rule it can't decide is reported as incomplete, never as a pass.
UserWay. UserWay's flagship is an accessibility widget, installed with a snippet, which it says uses AI to find and fix common issues with every page load. It also sells monitoring, manual audits and VPAT documentation. Sources: userway.org (opens in a new tab), userway.org (opens in a new tab).
Why this matters. How a tool finds problems decides which problems it can find. Rules run on markup miss what only a rendered, operated page shows, such as focus order and whether a label means what it says. A tool that repairs pages as they load leaves your own code as it was, and your own code is what an accessibility claim examines.
Better fit: Depends. Same trade as any overlay: quick for visitors, but your source code is untouched.
How much of the site it covers
BearScan. A scan without an account covers 10 pages. A free account covers up to 100 pages of one site, and a report up to 1,000. BearScan picks pages by template, one of each distinct kind, rather than by what the address looks like, and the report says how many pages of each kind it evaluated. It reads public pages only and never signs in.
UserWay. The widget is installed site-wide and priced by monthly page views. Monitoring covers a set number of pages: 10 on Pro, 50 on Pro Plus and 100 on Ultimate, or 100, 500 or 1,500 pages as a standalone product. UserWay names WCAG 2.1 and 2.2. How many pages its free checker scans isn't stated on the page. Sources: userway.org (opens in a new tab), userway.org (opens in a new tab).
Why this matters. Accessibility problems live in page templates, so a tool that tests one page at a time can miss the template where the problem starts, and a tool that tests a handful of pages can miss most of the site. Check how pages are chosen and how many are included in the price.
Better fit: Depends. The widget covers every page; the monitoring that tells you what is failing covers only the pages you pay for.
What you get back
BearScan. The free scan lists every issue and the pages it appears on. The report ($49 per site) adds each issue's element, an explanation, the fix, a prompt you can hand to a coding agent and a PDF, with 48 hours of free reruns to verify your fixes. Every report lists what the scan could not check and never says a site is compliant.
UserWay. UserWay lists a Remediation Report, a Legal Trends Monitor and an accessibility statement generator with its legal support program. Audits and VPATs are add-ons on every plan, priced by request. Sources: userway.org (opens in a new tab), userway.org (opens in a new tab).
Why this matters. A list of failures is not a fix. What matters is whether each result names the page and the element, explains the rule it breaks, says how to fix it, and says what the tool could not check, so you know where the gaps are.
Better fit: Depends. More documents and services at UserWay; more specific fix guidance per element at BearScan.
Whether it changes your site
BearScan. BearScan visits public pages the way a visitor does and reports what it finds. Nothing is installed on your site. To check that forms explain their errors it may submit a simple email-only form once, to its own origin, with an obviously invalid value; it never signs in, signs up, pays or buys anything.
UserWay. UserWay's terms describe the widget as embedded into your site, and its homepage says it fixes issues with every page load. Sources: userway.org (opens in a new tab), userway.org (opens in a new tab).
Why this matters. Some products work by adding a script that alters your pages as they load. That can fix some problems for visitors, but it adds a third-party dependency to every page, and it doesn't change the source code your developers maintain.
Better fit: BearScan. Choose a scanner if you don't want a third-party script on every page.
What it costs
BearScan. Scanning is free. A full report is $49 per site, once. Monitoring is $29 a month ($228 a year) per site and adds the full report on every scan, weekly rescans with alerts and pull-request checks. The price doesn't change with your traffic.
UserWay. Widget plans are annual and priced by page views: Small $490 a year up to 100,000 views a month, Medium $1,490 up to 1 million, Pro Plus $1,190 and Ultimate $2,490 with more monitored pages. Standalone monitoring is $990 a year for 100 pages, $4,490 for 500 and $10,990 for 1,500. Sources: userway.org (opens in a new tab).
Why this matters. Price models differ more than price. Some scale with your traffic, some with the pages monitored, some are quotes you only get after a call. Compare the cost for your site over a year, and what happens to the bill if your traffic doubles.
Better fit: Depends. A one-off report costs less than a year of a widget; Monitoring ($228 a year) costs under half of UserWay's smallest widget plan and covers every page.
How it fits your workflow
BearScan. BearScan has a REST API with an OpenAPI spec, an MCP server so coding agents can scan a site and read its findings, and a GitHub App that checks pull requests and scans the preview against the pull request's base commit, commenting only on lines the pull request added. Monitoring rescans weekly and emails you when something new fails. It has no browser extension and no library for unit-testing components.
UserWay. UserWay lists install guides for WordPress, Shopify, Wix, Weebly, Joomla, Magento, Elementor and others, plus Google Tag Manager. The pages we read don't list an API, a CI integration or an MCP server. Sources: userway.org (opens in a new tab), help.userway.org (opens in a new tab).
Why this matters. A finding only helps if it reaches the person who fixes it. Look at whether results go where your team already works: pull requests, tickets, coding assistants, a CI job.
Better fit: Depends. Platform plugins are easier to install; BearScan reaches developers through an API, an MCP server and pull-request checks.
What it promises about the law
BearScan. BearScan reports what a scan found and what it couldn't check. It isn't legal advice, doesn't certify compliance, and offers no litigation support, guarantee or indemnity. Each issue links to the standard or law it is based on, so you and your lawyer can review it.
UserWay. UserWay's terms say its products don't guarantee full compliance with WCAG or any other accessibility standard, law or regulation. Its Litigation Support Program is included with annual plans, and UserWay says it doesn't provide legal representation or create an attorney-client relationship. Its terms cap liability at the fees paid in the prior six months, or $100 if none. Sources: userway.org (opens in a new tab), userway.org (opens in a new tab).
Why this matters. No tool can certify that a site is ADA compliant, because the ADA doesn't certify websites, and the Justice Department's guidance says a clean automated report doesn't necessarily mean everything is accessible. What differs is what a vendor claims and what it will stand behind in writing.
Better fit: Depends. UserWay offers support services BearScan doesn't, none of which promise an outcome.
Pricing in detail
| Plan | Price | What sets the price or what it includes |
|---|---|---|
| Pro (Small widget) | $490 a year | Up to 100,000 page views a month; Pro monitors 10 pages |
| Pro Plus | $1,190 a year | Up to 100,000 page views; monitors 50 pages |
| Medium | $1,490 a year | Up to 1 million page views a month |
| Ultimate | $2,490 a year | Up to 100,000 page views; monitors 100 pages |
| Standalone monitoring | $990 to $10,990 a year | 100, 500 or 1,500 pages |
Source: userway.org (opens in a new tab), read 2026-10-11.
| Plan | Price | What it includes |
|---|---|---|
| Free scan | $0 | 10 pages without an account; up to 100 pages of one site with a free account; every issue and the pages it’s on |
| Full report | $49 per site, once | Up to 1,000 pages; each issue’s element, explanation, fix and coding-agent prompt; a PDF; 48 hours of free reruns |
| Monitoring | $29 a month or $228 a year, per site | The full report on every scan, weekly rescans with alerts, pull-request checks |
Strengths and gaps
Where UserWay is stronger than BearScan
- It installs on many site builders with a guide for each.
- Its legal support program and audits are available from the same vendor.
- Visitors get a toolbar for adjusting the page, which some audiences value.
Where BearScan is stronger than UserWay
- You want every page of the site scanned, not a capped list of monitored pages.
- You want fix instructions per element, plus a prompt you can hand to a coding agent.
- You want to pay once for a report rather than annually for a widget.
Where BearScan falls short
- It has no manual expert audits, VPATs or accessibility training.
- It reads public pages only, so it can't test anything behind a login.
- It has no browser extension or in-test library for checking a component while you build it.
- It offers no litigation support, financial protection or guarantee.
- It scans websites, not mobile apps.
What independent sources say
- A customer, BloomsyBox, sued UserWay in Delaware federal court alleging consumer-fraud and misrepresentation claims after being sued itself over its site's accessibility. On February 13, 2026 a magistrate judge recommended that key parts of the claim proceed. No court has found that UserWay violated the law, and a district judge must still act on the recommendation. (lflegal.com (opens in a new tab))
- In WebAIM's 2021 survey of accessibility practitioners, 67% rated overlays, plugins and widgets as not at all or not very effective. The finding covers the category, not UserWay alone. (webaim.org (opens in a new tab))
Our verdict: BearScan or UserWay
Choose UserWay if you want a widget with a toolbar for visitors and a vendor-backed support program. Choose BearScan if you want a list of what to fix in your code and don't want a script on every page. Many teams scan first to learn how large the problem is before deciding whether any widget is worth buying.
Whichever you pick, no automated tool can certify that a site is ADA compliant. The Justice Department’s guidance (opens in a new tab) says a “clean” report doesn’t necessarily mean everything is accessible, and our WCAG criteria pages say which criteria need a person.
Check your own site
The quickest way to compare is to see your own results. The scan is free and takes about a minute.
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Sources are listed beside each claim. UserWay’s own site: userway.org (opens in a new tab).
Questions
Is BearScan an alternative to UserWay?
For finding accessibility problems, yes. UserWay is a overlay and monitoring service: An overlay widget with page monitoring, audits and a litigation support program, sold by page views. BearScan is a scanner that reports each issue with the page, the element, the fix and the rule it breaks, and never claims a site is compliant.
How much does BearScan cost compared with UserWay?
Scanning is free: 10 pages without an account, up to 100 pages of one site with a free account. A full report is $49 per site and Monitoring is $29 a month per site. UserWay: $490 to $2,490 a year for the widget; monitoring from $990 a year.
Does BearScan change my website like UserWay can?
No. BearScan only reads your public pages and reports what it finds. UserWay: Yes: an embedded script alters pages as they load.
Does UserWay make a website ADA compliant?
UserWay's terms say its products don't guarantee full compliance with WCAG or any other accessibility standard, law or regulation.
Does UserWay cover me if I'm sued?
Annual plans include a Litigation Support Program. UserWay says it is not a law firm, doesn't provide legal representation and doesn't guarantee outcomes. Its terms cap its liability at six months of fees.
Has UserWay been sued?
A customer, BloomsyBox, sued UserWay in Delaware. In February 2026 a magistrate judge recommended that key claims proceed; no court has found UserWay violated the law.
How much does UserWay cost?
Widget plans run $490 to $2,490 a year by page views, and standalone monitoring is $990 to $10,990 a year by number of pages. Audits and VPATs are quoted individually.