Comparisons & definitions
What is WCAG — and which version does the law in your country actually cite?
The short answer
WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) is the W3C's standard for accessible web content. It comes in versions (2.0 → 2.1 → 2.2) and conformance levels (A, AA, AAA). When someone says a site "must be WCAG compliant," the meaningful question is: which version, which level, cited by which law — because they differ, and the differences decide what you test against.
The structure, in one minute
- Versions add criteria; they don't replace the old ones. WCAG 2.1 contains 2.0; 2.2 contains 2.1 (with one criterion removed). Testing against a newer version generally covers the older.
- Level AA is the near-universal legal benchmark. Level A alone is rarely enough for any regulation; AAA is almost never mandated in full.
Which version the law cites (verified examples from our guides)
- Ontario (AODA): WCAG 2.0 AA — older than most tools' default. A compliance claim should name 2.0, whatever you test with.
- US DOJ Title II rule (state/local government): WCAG 2.1 AA.
- US private sector (ADA Title III): no version written into law at all — WCAG is the de-facto benchmark used in settlements.
- EU (EAA / Web Accessibility Directive): the standard EN 301 549, which points to WCAG criteria — in practice 2.1 AA as the floor (check the current EN version for your case).
- Norway (private sector): still WCAG 2.0 AA minus specific media criteria — a reminder that "latest version" and "legally cited version" are different questions.
Each jurisdiction's specifics are in our country guides — this page exists so the version question stops being fog.
What this means for testing
Test with a current tool (they cover the newer supersets), but report against the version your law cites. An audit that says "WCAG issues found" without naming version and level isn't precise enough to act on — or to defend.
The honest shortcut
SiteComply's audit reports automated WCAG signals with the criterion and the exact page state observed, and our country guides tell you which version your jurisdiction actually cites — so the claim you make is the claim the law measures.