Before we get into comparing Equally vs UserWay, it is essential to address what digital accessibility actually is. In short, web accessibility is the process of getting websites to create or adjust their content so that it is accessible to everybody, including people with disabilities.
If you owned a supermarket, you would be required to build a wheelchair ramp so that the motor-impaired could access your shop. Not only is this a human thing to do, but it also improves the reputation of your business, not to mention that it protects you from potential litigation and lawsuits.
As the drive for achieving 100% accessibility continues to grow (achieve global compliance by 2025), so does the digital accessibility industry, as it offers more and more tools that can aid you with achieving full compliance with web accessibility regulations.
In this review, we shall be taking a closer look at UserWay and Equally, two of the premier options on the market. Without further ado, let’s start with the most important part, the features which they offer.
Equally vs UserWay Features Comparison
Let’s start with Equally. They may be one of the newest competitors in the industry, but they are quickly growing into one of the better options. That is in part due to their versatile and all-encompassing features. Here is a list of some of them:
- Link skipping
- Adjustable navigation of keyboards
- Image Recognition Tech for accurate ALT tagging
- Adjustment of font sizes
- Image hiding
- Emphasizing links
- GIF, animation, and flashing image pausing
- Hotkeys provided for the visually impaired
UserWay is one of the more established options, and here are some of the better features that they offer:
- Screen readers
- A contrasting feature
- Enhanced readability via font adjustments
- Alt-text for images provided by the automated accessibility widget
- Dyslexia Friendly Font
Both companies offer automated accessibility solutions, but only Equally provides users with Intelligence Augmentation, where a team of dedicated experts takes over from the AI to help achieve 100% compliance with accessibility laws, which is not possible without manual remediation.
In fact, UserWay doesn’t even offer full automation but rather a system utilizing AI to find optimal solutions to digital accessibility issues. It is then the responsibility of clients to remediate these issues. Add to that the fact that they do not offer regular updates, and it’s not hard to see Equally as the superior option. It’s a no-brainer that Equally is more efficient and affordable than the competition.
Compliance
Equally.ai makes your life easier by providing an “Accessibility Assistant”. This brilliant tool allows access to AI. Through it, you’ll be able to create the ideal setup for you, with tons of factors being customizable.
AI algorithms can’t bring you up to 100% compliance all by themselves. Manual remediation is always a must. However, the Intelligence Augmentation System can help you achieve complete compliance.
Consistency issues will disappear in no time thanks to Equally’s ability to scale. Also, the installation couldn’t be easier, which is another plus for the company. To get straight to the point, Equally.ai covers many accessibility compliance regulations, such as:
- WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines)
- ADA (Americans With Disabilities Act)
- Section 508 (An Alteration to The Rehabilitation Act)
- EN 301 549 (European Accessibility Law)
- AODA (Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act)
- IS 5568 (The Israeli Compliance Standard)
- Stanca Act (Digital Accessibility Law in Italy)
On the other hand, UserWay offers accessibility solutions that are compliant with the following regulations:
- ADA
- Section 508
- WCAG
- EN 301 549
- AODA
- GDPR (Genral Data Protection Regulations Law)
- COPPA (Children’s Online Privacy Protection Rule)
- HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act)
- FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act)
- ATAG (Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines)
- CVAA (21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act)
Pricing
Although many competitors don’t provide information about prices, Equally does. This is what their price layout is:
- Unlimited, $3,479/year – Meant for websites that contain a million+ pages
- Large, $1,979/year – For sites with fewer than 100,000 pages
- Medium, $1,479/year – Caters to websites with 10,000 pages or less
- Small, $479/year – For sites with 1,000 or fewer unique pages
When it comes to UserWay and its widget plans, you have a lot of alternatives. Here are a few possibilities:
- For $49 a month, you can obtain the most basic plan. It can manage any websites with less than 100k monthly visits with the same level of efficacy and efficiency.
- At $107 per month, the regular subscription is for people who have a million or more views every month.
- If your website has more than 10 million visitors per month, you will be charged $299 per month.
In any case, if you sign up for a full year of service, you’ll receive a free two-month trial. There is even an account manager if you go with the medium or big selections. UserWay also offers a slew of other features, including the following:
- Modifications are listed here (This is where features can be disabled, enabled or reordered).
- The total number of people who have accessed the site (These indicate which types of users are the most represented).
- Customizable brand identity.
- Remove UserWay’s branding from the labels.
All of these cost $10/pm.
Customer Support
Equally.ai
Starting off with Equally.ai, it offers superior remediation services, but their customer service doesn’t offer phone service, which is a significant negative. The company does provide tutorials and manuals, however. If you’d like to get in touch with Equally, you can do so via e-mail or through their live chat.
UserWay
It is clear that Userway’s customer service was not one of the company’s priorities. They have a paltry two methods for contacting care staff, and one of them is very inefficient. Contact can be achieved through contact forms or the Live chat window, which is at least a little bit more efficient. In a nutshell, their customer support is rated highly by other users.
The Final Verdict: Eqaully vs Userway
Equally is one of the top options available if you’re looking for efficient accessibility issue resolution. AI solutions usually can’t remediate more than 15-20% of issues without manual aid. However, Equally guarantees full WCAG 2.1 AA compliance. Their AI has the support of the Intelligence Augmentation crew, which handles the manual part of remediation.
You won’t need $50,000 to achieve full compliance with Equally. Probably not even $5,000 is required. There is a promise of 48-hour access, and the ability to scale up and down as your needs change. Consequently, we are pleased to recommend Equally’s services.
Now, when it comes to UserWay, our final verdict is a little harsher. The company can’t guarantee full compliance. Their customer service leaves a lot to be desired. Manual remediation is complicated, seeing as their platform doesn’t resolve issues, it only locates them. However, their toolbar is very complex and offers more options for customization than most competitors. Configuring this toolbar is also efficient and fast. Finally, UserWay provides an accessibility widget that has AI capacities. Therefore, the complete package isn’t overly impressive, but can still help you on your way towards 100% compliance with accessibility standards.
