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Automatic vs. manual testing

Automatic scanning engines cover between 25% and 57% of WCAG, even by the most optimistic estimates. That means no tool can tell you whether your site is truly accessible based on automatic tests alone.

Accessibility Cloud doesn’t offer misleading compliance claims, arbitrary accessibility scores, or feel-good pie charts generated solely from automation. Instead, it uses automatic testing for what it’s good at: monitoring and identifying non-compliance. Compliance itself can only be determined through a manual test or audit, and that’s exactly how Accessibility Cloud handles it.

Graphic taken from Accessibility Cloud product user interface, showing that the compliance with a guideline / standard can only be determined by manual accessibility testing

Threat: Misled belief of compliance

Graphic depicting EN 301 549/EAA encompassing the entirety of WCAG, including all conformance levels, namely A, AA, and AAA and showing how little of WCAG could be automatically tested, highlighting the necessity and importance of manual testing when it comes to web accessibility. Accessibility Cloud differentiates itself by offering manual testing capabilities along with automatic testing capabilities. Although we are continuously investing into automation for increasing our platforms’ already cutting-edge capabilities when it comes to automatic accessibility defect scanning, we are also guiding our customers correctly into learning about accessibility, and not misguide them by showing arbitrary scores which are based solely on automatic testing.