Complyko vs AudioEye: ecommerce compliance scanner vs overlay platform

AudioEye (Nasdaq: AEYE) is a publicly traded accessibility platform that combines automated JavaScript overlay technology with monthly human expert review. It sells VPAT documentation, compliance certificates and, at higher tiers, a litigation support package. Complyko is an ecommerce compliance scanner that covers accessibility, PCI DSS 4.0 and privacy in a single scan. The two products approach the same problem from fundamentally different angles.

This comparison covers how each product works technically, what each can and cannot detect, and how to decide which fits your situation.

How AudioEye works

AudioEye injects a JavaScript file into your site that runs after the page loads. The script reads the DOM and applies patches: adding missing ARIA attributes, adjusting color contrast with CSS overlays, generating alt text for unlabeled images and restructuring some interactive elements. These changes happen at runtime in the visitor's browser. They do not exist in your source code.

On top of the automated layer, AudioEye employs human accessibility experts who review pages monthly and create additional custom patches for issues the automation misses. The result is a combined product: automated fixes running continuously plus periodic human-authored patches.

AudioEye also produces VPAT (Voluntary Product Accessibility Template) documents and compliance certificates, which are formal audit artifacts used in enterprise procurement processes. The Assurance tier ($799/month and above) includes these documents. The company's litigation support package provides legal assistance if a customer is sued.

The core limitation of this architecture is what it cannot change. If the JavaScript file fails to load due to a network error, ad blocker, CSP policy or slow connection, all fixes vanish instantly and the original inaccessible page is served. More fundamentally, overlay technology cannot modify source code, cannot access third-party iframes (such as payment widgets loaded from Stripe or Adyen) and cannot navigate dynamic application flows.

How Complyko works

Complyko uses Playwright, a browser automation library, to launch a real headless Chromium instance and navigate your store like a human visitor. It adds products to the cart, proceeds through checkout steps, interacts with account creation forms and scrolls product pages. At each step, it injects axe-core (the industry-standard accessibility testing engine) and runs it against the current page state.

Custom checks run on top of axe-core for ecommerce-specific patterns: cart quantity controls, price announcements to screen readers, autocomplete attributes on address fields and touch target sizes on mobile checkout buttons. These are violations axe-core does not cover by default.

For PCI DSS 4.0, Complyko checks payment pages for Requirement 6.4.3 (script inventory and authorization) and Requirement 11.6.1 (HTTP security headers and change detection). For privacy, it detects consent banner presence, pre-consent tracking cookie loading, GDPR reject mechanisms, CCPA Do Not Sell links and consent persistence across pages.

All findings point to source code locations. Fix suggestions tell your developers what to change and where. There is no runtime patching layer. Fixes persist because they exist in the code.

Feature comparison

The overlay reality

AudioEye's product is more sophisticated than a pure overlay because of its human review layer. That distinguishes it from pure-automation vendors like accessiBe. But it still relies fundamentally on runtime DOM manipulation, which creates a category of unfixable problems.

Independent testing by accessibility researchers consistently shows that overlay technology masks only a fraction of detectable violations. A 2024 study found overlays addressed approximately 9% of violations found by manual testing. The remainder persist because they exist in source code the overlay cannot touch.

The lawsuit data makes this concrete. In H1 2025, 22.6% of ADA web accessibility cases targeted sites that had overlay widgets installed. Plaintiff attorneys have explicitly noted in legal filings that overlay presence does not constitute compliance. Courts have not accepted it as a defense. The fact that AudioEye sells a litigation support package is itself evidence that customers on standard tiers continue to face legal exposure.

For mid-market ecommerce stores, real AudioEye contracts run around $35,000 per year at the managed tier. At that price point, you are paying for an artifact (the VPAT) and a risk management product (litigation support), not a guarantee that your site is accessible.

What each product misses

AudioEye does not scan ecommerce flows. Add-to-cart interactions, multi-step checkout, shipping address autocomplete, payment field accessibility, order confirmation announcements: none of these are tested in a live flow. For a store where the entire revenue-generating path happens in checkout, this is a significant gap. Violations that only appear during dynamic flow steps go undetected and unpatched.

Complyko does not produce VPAT documents or formal audit certificates in its current form. If your procurement process requires a signed VPAT, or if you need a formal accessibility audit report for a government contract, AudioEye's Assurance tier produces those artifacts. Complyko produces a violation report with severity rankings and fix suggestions, not a conformance statement against a specific standard version.

When to choose each

Choose AudioEye if your primary need is formal documentation: a VPAT for enterprise procurement, a compliance certificate for a government tender or litigation support as a risk management layer. These are legitimate needs, particularly for large enterprises with procurement compliance requirements.

Choose Complyko if you need to find actual violations across your ecommerce flows. If your concern is ADA lawsuit exposure from real accessibility barriers on your checkout, cart and account pages, or if you need PCI DSS 4.0 script compliance and privacy compliance covered in the same scan, Complyko addresses that directly at a fraction of the cost.

For mid-market stores in the $5-50M revenue range, the more pressing question is usually: does my checkout work for disabled users? Complyko answers that question. AudioEye produces a document that says you tried.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between Complyko and AudioEye?

AudioEye uses JavaScript overlay technology that patches the DOM at runtime, combined with monthly human expert review. It does not modify source code. Complyko is a scanner that uses a real browser to navigate checkout, cart and account flows, identifies violations in source code and provides fix suggestions. Complyko also covers PCI DSS 4.0 and privacy compliance; AudioEye covers accessibility only.

Does AudioEye prevent ADA lawsuits?

AudioEye sells a litigation support package at higher tiers, which implies its standard product does not reliably prevent lawsuits. Independent data shows 22.6% of ADA cases in H1 2025 targeted sites with overlay widgets installed. Courts have not accepted overlay presence as a compliance defense.

How much does AudioEye cost?

AudioEye's automated-only tier starts around $49/month. Managed plans with human review start around $599/month. Enterprise and litigation support packages run $35,000 or more per year for mid-market contracts. Complyko starts at $199/month with a free scan available.

Can AudioEye fix checkout accessibility issues?

AudioEye scans static pages and applies runtime DOM patches. It does not navigate dynamic ecommerce flows like add-to-cart, checkout steps or account creation. Violations that only appear during these flows are not detected or patched. Complyko uses Playwright to navigate these flows and runs axe-core on each step.