Audit and remediate PDFs for accessibility – automatically
Accessful uses AI to add tags, establish the correct reading order and generate alt text in line with PDF/UA-2 and WCAG 2.2 – typically in seconds rather than weeks. Process anything from a single document to an entire collection through the web app, API or your own infrastructure.
Organisations that work with Accessful
Manual PDF remediation does not scale
Making a single PDF accessible requires specialist knowledge of tags, reading order and alt text – and a lot of time. With hundreds or thousands of documents, manual processing becomes a bottleneck: expensive, slow and difficult to keep consistent.
Accessful automates this process. Its AI understands text, layout and visual content, adds the missing document structure and provides an audit report for every document. You retain control wherever human judgement remains important, such as subject-matter approval.
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Seconds instead of weeks
Results are typically available in seconds – even for large document volumes.
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All common documents, over 110 languages
Works with all common document types and understands content in over 110 languages.
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Layout remains unchanged
Only the structural level is expanded - appearance and content remain identical.
Accessible PDF in four steps
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Submit PDF
Load documents into the web app using drag-and-drop or submit them automatically via the API – individually or in batches.
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Analyze document
The AI understands text, layout and image content and recognizes missing structure: tags, reading order, alt text, tables and lists.
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Correct barriers
Accessful automatically adds the structural layer - the layout and content of your document remain unchanged.
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Receive the accessible PDF and audit report
You will receive the accessible PDF including an audit-ready report – as proof of audit and compliance.
Everything an accessible document needs
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Document structure & tags
Headings, paragraphs, lists and tables are tagged correctly in the PDF – the foundation screen readers rely on.
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Reading order
The AI determines the correct reading order automatically, including for multi-column layouts and complex pages.
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Alt text
Images, graphics and diagrams receive precise alt text - the AI recognizes the visual context.
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Tables & lists
Table headers, cell references and list structures are marked semantically correctly.
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Audit reports
Every document receives an audit-ready report - traceable and verifiable at any time.
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Batch processing
Thousands of documents in one run - with live status in the dashboard or via webhook notification.
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REST API
Upload, status query, download and deletion as documented endpoints – for integration into your systems.
View API & Integration -
On-Premises
Operation completely in your infrastructure – air-gapped if desired, with your own AI models behind your firewall.
Explore on-premises deployment
BFSG, EAA, WCAG, PDF/UA – this is how everything is connected
BFSG & European Accessibility Act
The European Accessibility Act (EAA) obliges digital accessibility across the EU; In Germany, the German Accessibility Strengthening Act (BFSG) implements it. Since June 28, 2025, the requirements have applied to many companies - including electronic documents such as PDFs.
Understanding BFSG for PDFsWCAG & EN 301 549
The WCAG define what “accessible” actually means. The European standard EN 301 549 refers to these criteria for documents and is the technical benchmark behind BFSG and BITV.
WCAG for PDF documentsPDF/UA
PDF/UA (ISO 14289) is the technical standard for accessible PDFs: correct tags, reading order and metadata. Accessful remediates according to PDF/UA-2 and documents the result in the audit report.
Understanding PDF/UANote: This content provides information about legal requirements, but does not replace legal advice.
Accessibility directly in your workflows
Process documents automatically from document management, CRM, contract management, archive systems or web portals. The REST API handles upload (as a file or via URL), asynchronous processing with status query, download of results and deletion - webhooks notify your systems about each processing step.
- Authentication via API key
- Webhooks with HMAC signatures and automatic retries
- Batch processing of entire document collections
POST /api/v1/upload-service/pdf/upload Your infrastructure, your data
For organisations with the strictest requirements, Accessful runs entirely in your own environment – optionally air-gapped and using your own AI models behind your firewall. Documents remain within your organisation, with no reliance on external cloud services.
Alternatively, we operate Accessful for you in a GDPR-compliant manner on German infrastructure in ISO/IEC-27001-certified data centers.
For regulated companies, authorities and agencies
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Insurance
Policies, terms and conditions and customer mail accessible - automated for entire document collections.
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Banking & financial services
Prepare account statements, product information and contracts in an accessible manner – support with BFSG requirements, directly from your systems.
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Government & public sector
Make notices, forms and publications accessible according to BITV 2.0 and EN 301 549.
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Higher education
Make scripts, regulations and administrative documents accessible to all students.
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Energy utilities
Invoices, tariff information and contract documents are accessible – even in high volumes.
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Healthcare
Make patient information and forms accessible - process sensitive data optionally entirely in-house.
Manual, semi-automated or Accessful?
| Criterion | Manual remediation | Partially automated tools | Accessful |
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| Processing time per document | Hours to days, depending on scope and complexity | Faster, but often requires manual rework per document | Typically seconds, without manual rework in the standard case |
| Scalability | Limited by available skilled workers | Limited by rework effort | Batch processing thousands of documents via web app or API |
| Required expertise | High (PDF/UA expertise required) | Medium (tool and standard knowledge) | No specialist knowledge required – expertise is in the AI |
| Consistency | Depending on the person processing it | Often inconsistent with manual steps | Uniform rules across all documents |
| Evidence/audit report | To be created manually | Tool dependent | audit-ready report for each document, automatically |
| Integration into systems | Not intended | Often limited, often desktop software | REST API, webhooks, on-premises operation |
Remediation guarantee
If a document remediated by Accessful is not recognized as accessible during an accessibility audit, we will remediate it free of charge - quickly, easily and at no additional cost.
Frequently asked questions about accessible PDFs
How much does it cost to correct PDFs?
Accessful is billed via prepaid page quotas - without user licenses and without a fixed term. Packages start at €1,950 net for 780 PDF pages; With larger quotas, the page price drops to up to €2.00 per page. Details can be found on the Pricing page. You can check your PDFs in advance for free.
Will the layout of my documents be retained?
Yes. Accessful does not change the layout or content. Only the structural level that is necessary for accessibility is added: tags, reading order and alt text. The appearance of the document remains identical.
Which standards are supported?
Accessful audits and remediates according to PDF/UA-2, WCAG 2.2 and EN 301 549 and thus supports you with the requirements of the BFSG and the European Accessibility Act. An audit-ready report is created for each remediated document.
Can large PDF quantities be processed?
Yes. Accessful is designed for batch processing and also processes thousands of documents automatically - via web app or directly from your systems via the API.
Is there an API?
Yes. The REST API offers upload via file or URL, status queries, download of the remediated PDFs, delete functions and webhooks for asynchronous processing. All details are in the API documentation.
Is there an on-premises version?
Yes. If desired, Accessful can run completely in your own infrastructure - on request also air-gapped, with its own AI models behind your firewall. More about this on the page On-Premises.
Are my documents saved?
Processing takes place on German infrastructure in ISO/IEC-27001-certified data centers. You can use the API to delete individual processes or entire inventories at any time. When operating on-premises, your documents remain within your organisation.
How long does processing take?
Results are typically available in seconds – even for extensive documents. Large inventories are processed asynchronously; You can track the progress in the dashboard or via status queries and webhooks via the API.
Which document types are supported?
Accessful processes PDF documents of all kinds - from marketing documents to contracts to forms - and understands content in over 110 languages.
What cannot an automatic check detect?
Some criteria require human judgment - for example whether an alternative text perfectly matches the technical context or whether the order of content makes sense for your readers. Accessful reliably detects and corrects typical, machine-testable barriers and documents the results in the audit report so that targeted editorial approvals remain possible.
Check your PDFs for accessibility – free of charge.
Upload a document and receive a result in seconds - without registering. Or let us show you Accessful in person.