RGAA vs WCAG: what’s the difference?
WCAG is the international standard for web accessibility. The RGAA is the French method used to check those rules and publish a compliance rate. The European standard EN 301 549 links the two. Here is what each one contains, who must follow it and how to test a website.
In short
- WCAG: rules published by the W3C and used worldwide. Level AA is the usual target.
- EN 301 549: the European standard. For the web, it includes WCAG 2.1 level AA.
- RGAA: the French framework. It turns those requirements into 106 testable criteria, with an audit method and an accessibility statement.
WCAG, the international reference
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines are published by the W3C. They rest on four principles: content must be perceivable, operable, understandable and robust. Each rule, called a success criterion, has a level: A (the minimum), AA (the level required in practice) or AAA (the strictest).
Version 2.1 dates from 2018. Version 2.2, published in October 2023, adds nine criteria: minimum touch target size, focus that must not be hidden, authentication without memory tests, alternatives to dragging, help kept in the same place…
The RGAA, France’s method
The Référentiel général d’amélioration de l’accessibilité is published by the French government. Version 4.1.2 has 106 criteria across 13 topics: images, frames, colours, multimedia, tables, links, scripts, mandatory elements, structure, presentation, forms, navigation and consultation.
The RGAA targets the same level as WCAG 2.1 AA. What it adds is the method: precise tests for each criterion, a sample of pages to audit, a compliance rate calculation and a mandatory public accessibility statement.
Who must follow what?
| Who | Reference | What is expected |
|---|---|---|
| French public bodies, organisations with a public service mission, companies with over €250M turnover in France | RGAA (law of 11 February 2005, article 47) | RGAA compliance, accessibility statement, multi-year plan |
| Businesses selling or providing certain online services to consumers in the EU | European Accessibility Act (EN 301 549, so WCAG 2.1 AA) | An accessible service and published information about its accessibility |
| Other websites | No general obligation | WCAG AA remains the right target so no visitor is left out |
How to test a website
An automated test quickly finds code errors: insufficient contrast, images without alternative text, fields without labels. It cannot judge meaning: alternative text that exists but is wrong, or a confusing journey, needs a person.
A full RGAA audit reviews all 106 criteria on a representative sample of pages and calculates a compliance rate. It is the only way to establish compliance.
Odeet covers the first step: an automated pre-audit that maps each issue to the relevant WCAG and RGAA criteria, then an RGAA checklist where a person confirms what a robot cannot decide.
Frequently asked questions
- Is the RGAA stricter than WCAG?
- It targets the same level, WCAG 2.1 AA, but requires a test method, a sample of pages and a public statement. Some criteria are described in more detail.
- Is a WCAG-compliant site RGAA-compliant?
- Not automatically. RGAA compliance is measured with its own method, on a sample of pages, and published in an accessibility statement.
- Should I target WCAG 2.2?
- The RGAA 4.1.2 and the current EN 301 549 build on WCAG 2.1. The criteria added in 2.2, such as touch target size, are still useful and cheap to meet.
- Does an automated score give a compliance rate?
- No. An automated score measures the issues detected. The RGAA compliance rate comes from a human audit of all 106 criteria.
Test a page of your website
Further reading
- European Accessibility Act: who does it apply to and what should you do?Services in scope, exemptions, obligations and penalties since 28 June 2025.
- Automated accessibility testing: what it finds and what it missesWhat a robot finds, what it misses and the checks to do by hand.
- Methodology and limitsWhat Odeet analyses and how the score is calculated.
- Test a page’s accessibilityFree test on desktop and mobile, no account needed.