There are three kinds of Article 50 tool: scanners that look at your live website, questionnaires that work from your answers, and disclosure generators that write the notice text for you. The right one depends on what you need: a quick yes/no on your chatbot, an ongoing monitor, or a full report across every Article 50 duty that applies to a website.
Key point: A questionnaire can only be as accurate as your answers. A scanner shows what is actually on your page, but every scanner has blind spots. Pick the tool that covers the AI you actually use: a chat widget, voice agent, avatar, AI images or AI-written text.
Disclosure: this page is written by Article50.io. Everything about other tools comes from their own websites as of 16 October 2026; prices exclude VAT unless stated. If something is out of date, email [email protected] and we will correct it.
The tools at a glance
| Tool | Type | How it checks | Free | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Article50.io | Live-site scanner | Loads your page in a real browser | Scan with the most severe finding, no signup | €499 one-off full report, incl. a free recheck within 30 days |
| Veracly | Live-site scanner (accessibility, privacy and AI Act) | Crawls pages and checks the rendered page | One page, no account | From €79/month |
| EU AI Scanner | Live-site crawler | Fetches and parses page HTML | 3 scans/month, up to 10 pages | €49 one-off audit, or from €29/month |
| Shieldra | Chatbot disclosure scan + questionnaire | Checks your site for a chatbot disclosure; questionnaire for the rest | Free, no account | Governance platform from $299/month |
| Article 50 Ready | Quick scanner + disclosure widget | ~5-second scan for 35+ chat platforms | Free, no signup | €29 one-time (one site) |
| Complee | Assessment | Reads your site plus your description of AI use | Free, asks for an email | €10/month, or €9 one-time record |
| Witness | Questionnaire | Your answers only, no site scan | Free, no signup | From €290/year (not yet purchasable) |
| DiscloseKit | Disclosure text generator | Your selections, no site scan | 1 chatbot disclosure/day | €19 one-time pack |
| EU Commission compliance checker | Official guidance tool (beta) | Your answers | Free | — |
What each one covers
| Chatbots | Voice agents | AI avatars | AI images | Disclosure visibility (50(5)) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Article50.io | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ (AI markers, no visible label) | ✓ (visibility, size, contrast, accessibility) |
| Veracly | ✓ | not stated | not stated | not stated | not stated |
| EU AI Scanner | ✓ | ✓ | not stated | ✓ (C2PA/IPTC metadata) | not stated |
| Shieldra | ✓ | not stated | not stated | not stated | checks for a visible disclosure at first interaction |
| Article 50 Ready | ✓ | not stated | not stated | not stated | not stated |
"Not stated" means the tool's own pages don't say it checks this, not that it can't.
How to choose
- You just want to know whether your chat widget has a disclosure: a free quick scan (Article 50 Ready, Shieldra, or the free Article50.io scan) will tell you in under a minute. If it flags a vendor widget, see how to add an AI disclosure to Intercom, Zendesk, Drift and Crisp.
- You need to work out which duties apply to you before you build anything: a questionnaire (the Commission's checker, Witness) is the right starting point. For what a live scan catches that a form misses, and the reverse, see Article50.io vs manual compliance checklists.
- You need the disclosure wording: a generator such as DiscloseKit is cheap and fast. You still have to check it shows up on your site.
- You want ongoing monitoring across accessibility, cookies and AI: a subscription scanner such as Veracly or EU AI Scanner fits.
- You want one report covering every Article 50 duty a website can trigger (chatbots, voice agents, avatars, AI images, and whether disclosures are clear enough), with the fix for each finding: that is what Article50.io is built for.
Where Article50.io is different, and where it isn't
What it does that most others don't state:
- Loads the live page in a real browser, so widgets that only appear after scripts run are found.
- Covers voice agents and AI avatars, not just chat widgets. Voice agents fall under Article 50(1) like chatbots: see do AI phone and voice agents need a disclosure?
- Checks how a disclosure is shown (visibility, text size, contrast, accessibility) under Article 50(5), not only whether one exists.
- Every finding cites the Article 50 paragraph it relates to, with fix instructions and disclosure wording.
Where it isn't the obvious pick:
- Price. At €499 it is a one-off professional report, not the cheapest option. If you only need a chatbot check, a free scan elsewhere may be enough.
- Coverage limits. It reads up to 8 images per page and recognises image labels in English only. Like every scanner, it can't see AI that leaves no trace on the page, and it can't tell you whether you are legally a provider or a deployer.
- Not a monitor. It is a point-in-time report with one recheck, not a monthly subscription.
What does an Article 50 check cost?
From the tools above: quick scans are free; one-off reports run from €29 (Article 50 Ready) and €49 (EU AI Scanner) to €499 (Article50.io); subscriptions run from €10/month (Complee) to €599/month (Veracly's top plan) and $599/month (Shieldra Premium). Legal advice from a lawyer is separate from all of these.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best tool to check if my website complies with Article 50?
It depends on what AI you use. For a quick chatbot check, any free scanner works. For a full report across chatbots, voice agents, avatars, AI images and disclosure quality, use a live-browser scanner that covers all of them, such as Article50.io. No tool can certify legal compliance.
Is there a free EU AI Act compliance checker for websites?
Yes. Article50.io, Veracly, EU AI Scanner, Shieldra and Article 50 Ready all offer free scans without signup, and the European Commission runs a free official checker (beta) that works from your answers.
What are the alternatives to Veracly?
Live-site scanners: Article50.io, EU AI Scanner and Article 50 Ready. Questionnaires: Witness and the Commission's checker. Disclosure generators: DiscloseKit.
How much does an Article 50 audit of my website cost?
Free for a quick scan. One-off reports cost from €29 to €499 depending on depth, and subscriptions from €10 to around €600 a month. Legal advice is extra.
Can a scanner prove my site is compliant?
No. Scanners show what is on your page and flag likely gaps. Whether an obligation applies, and whether your disclosure is enough, is ultimately a legal judgement.
Sources: each tool's own website, checked 16 October 2026: veracly.app, euaiscanner.com, shieldra.ai, article50ready.com, complee.eu, witness-compliance.eu, disclosekit.com, EU AI Act Service Desk. This article is general information, not legal advice.