Honest comparison
The alternative to an accessibility overlay
The alternative to an overlay widget is not a better widget. It is fixing the real source of your site, so the work holds up for actual visitors, and for anyone who inspects the code. Here is the honest comparison, with the public facts and the real costs.
Why owners go looking for an alternative
For years the pitch was seductive: paste one line of code and a widget makes your site accessible. Three public developments changed the conversation. First, the accessibility community itself organized against overlays: the Overlay Fact Sheet, signed by more than 800 accessibility professionals, advises against relying on them, and screen-reader users regularly report widgets making sites harder to use, not easier. Second, in April 2025 the FTC finalized a $1 million settlement with accessiBe, the largest overlay vendor, over unsubstantiated claims that its widget could make sites fully accessible and conformant. Third, industry trackers report that sites running overlays continue to be sued, and a meaningful share of web accessibility suits now cite the overlay itself as a barrier.
None of that makes overlay companies evil, and we would rather explain than bash. But it does mean the question has shifted from “which widget?” to “what actually works?”
Widget vs. real fixes, side by side
| Overlay widget | Kat ADA |
|---|---|
| A script patches the page in each visitor’s browser. The source stays as it was. | A specialist edits your actual Squarespace content: alt text, labels, names, headings, contrast. |
| Everything reverts the moment the script is removed or fails to load. | Fixes live in your site and keep working with no script at all. |
| Machine guesses published instantly, which can mislead screen-reader users. | Human-reviewed changes, with every change listed in your monthly report. |
| Entry pricing typically around $49/mo (June 2026). | From $25/mo billed annually, real fixes and the dated record included. |
| Sold with big promises. The FTC fined the largest vendor $1M over unsubstantiated claims. | Honest framing: a dated good-faith record, and we plainly say no tool can guarantee outcomes. |
Your real options, honestly
If you are comparing alternatives, there are three credible paths:
- Do it yourself. Free except for your time. Our complete Squarespace accessibility guide covers every fix. The catch is recurrence: each edit can introduce new issues, so this is an ongoing habit, not a weekend project.
- Hire an agency audit. Thorough and human, typically $500 to $5,000 as a one-time project. Excellent for complex sites; usually overkill for a 10-page small business site, and the site keeps changing after the auditors leave.
- A done-for-you service. Kat ADA is a done for you Squarespace accessibility service: a specialist makes real source fixes inside your site, documents the work per WCAG 2.1 AA, and sends a monthly report. Not an overlay. As far as we know, it is the only done for you accessibility service built specifically for Squarespace that makes the fixes in your site’s actual source. From $25 a month billed annually, which is about half the entry price of the big overlay widgets, and there is a free scan first so you can see exactly what needs fixing before paying anything.
What to demand from any alternative
Whatever you pick, including us, hold it to this checklist:
- Does it change the real source, or patch the page at runtime?
- Will the work survive if a script is removed?
- Is a human reviewing the changes?
- Do you get a dated record of what was fixed and when?
- Does it honestly say what it cannot do? Anyone promising a guarantee is overpromising.
For the deeper technical comparison of how overlays work versus source fixes, read overlays vs. real fixes. If you came here searching for a plugin, the honest answer is on the Squarespace accessibility plugin page.
Pricing comparisons reflect publicly listed entry prices as of June 2026 and may change.