Askem PDF Fixer vs PDFAccessibility.ai

Askem PDF Fixer is a paid web service that checks PDF accessibility, applies automatic corrections, and validates results against PDF/UA-1 and applicable WCAG 2.1 AA criteria. Fixes cover document structure and tags, reading order, image alternative text, metadata, artifacts, and untagged content. Every document receives a validation result and a per-document record; Askem says more than 9 in 10 documents pass. A single upload accepts PDFs up to 500 pages and needs no integration, project, or procurement process. Batches can contain up to 200,000 documents. Files can be processed in any language, with the language set in PDF metadata. Scanned PDFs, complex tables or infographics with ambiguous meaning, context-dependent alternative text, and forms with conditional logic are flagged for manual handling. Documents are processed and stored on EU infrastructure and are not transferred outside the EU. OCR and API access are not available. Pricing is on request, with a 20-minute call offered for prospective customers.

PDFAccessibility.ai combines PDF accessibility checks, automated remediation, manual editing, accessible export, and an API for structured PDF data. Its checks report issues against WCAG, PDF/UA, Section 508, ADA, and EN 301 549 expectations. Remediation can tag document structure, adjust reading order, and detect headings and tables. Users can review tags, heading levels, text, and image alt text when automation flags complex items. Batch workflows support file-specific actions and ZIP downloads. The Smart PDF RAG API returns JSON and Markdown with typed elements, tables, reading order, page references, and bounding boxes; its documented workflow uses asynchronous uploads followed by polling. API guidance recommends keeping keys server-side and sending them in an X-API-Key header. The free PDF Accessibility plan includes 10 accessible exports and retains files for seven days. Paid plans start at $29 a month. The privacy policy says uploads are not used to train public AI models, while noting that some processing may send necessary information to infrastructure or AI providers. Complex layouts and other difficult PDFs may need manual review.