"PDF remediation" is the process of fixing a PDF so it meets an accessibility standard — usually PDF/UA-1 (ISO 14289-1), the document-layer standard behind WCAG 2.1 AA compliance. If a screen reader can't make sense of your document, or a validator flags it as non-compliant, remediation is what closes that gap. Here's what it actually involves, the tools available, and what it costs.
What remediation actually does
Most PDFs are visually laid out but structurally flat — text and images positioned on a page with no underlying meaning. Remediation rebuilds that missing structure:
- Builds the tag tree — marks content as headings, paragraphs, lists, and tables so assistive technology can navigate it
- Fixes reading order — ensures content flows logically, especially in multi-column layouts
- Sets metadata — document title, language, and the "tagged PDF" flag
- Adds alternative text — describes figures and charts for users who can't see them
- Labels tables and forms — marks header cells and adds field labels
The result is a document a screen reader can read aloud sensibly, and that a PDF/UA validator will pass.
The three approaches
Manual remediation uses a desktop tool — Adobe Acrobat Pro, axesPDF, or CommonLook — where a trained operator tags every element by hand. It's thorough and handles judgment-heavy content (complex STEM notation, intricate forms), but it's slow and priced per page: typically around $5.50/page, with days of turnaround.
Automated remediation rebuilds the tag tree, metadata, reading order, and figure tagging programmatically, then re-validates with veraPDF. It resolves the deterministic ~90% of failures in about 60 seconds. Judgment items (alt-text quality) still need a human glance on high-stakes documents.
Remediation services (CommonLook/Allyant, GrackleDocs) sell enterprise contracts — audits, certified teams, VPAT support. Thorough, but priced for enterprise budgets.
If you're comparing vendors, see our breakdowns of the GrackleDocs, axesPDF, and CommonLook alternatives.
What it costs
Manual services run ~$110 for a 20-page document; automated remediation is a flat $2.99 per document, or unlimited with membership for whole libraries. For a backlogged document library, the difference is an order of magnitude. See the full cost breakdown and the measured timing numbers.
Which approach for which job?
- Reports, agendas, forms, statements (the bulk of most libraries) — automated remediation is faster and dramatically cheaper against the same standard.
- Complex STEM, legal filings, intricate forms — manual remediation earns its price for documents needing human judgment.
- Whole-library programs with audits and VPAT needs — enterprise services.
Start by validating
Before remediating, run a PDF/UA-1 validation to get your failure list. That tells you exactly what to fix — and for most documents, automated remediation then handles it in about a minute. Learn the basics in our PDF/UA guide.