Skip to content

Ahrefs vs HSTS

Based on 46 and 3295 real audits

View Ahrefs details | View HSTS details
MetricAhrefsHSTSWinner
Performance4452HSTS
Accessibility8690HSTS
Best Practices8989Tie
SEO9492Ahrefs
Security6973HSTS
TTFB391ms403msAhrefs
Composite7678HSTS
Performance
Ahrefs
44
HSTS
52
Accessibility
Ahrefs
86
HSTS
90
Security
Ahrefs
69
HSTS
73
SEO
Ahrefs
94
HSTS
92
Composite
Ahrefs
76
HSTS
78

HSTS outperforms Ahrefs in 4 of 7 categories, with a stronger composite score (78 vs 76). Ahrefs leads in SEO, TTFB.

When to choose Ahrefs

Choose Ahrefs when your primary concern is server response time and SEO. Its audit data shows consistent strength in these areas across the sampled sites.

When to choose HSTS

Choose HSTS when your primary concern is performance and accessibility. Its audit data shows consistent strength in these areas across the sampled sites.

How this comparison was built

Scores are medians across 46 audited Ahrefs sites and 3295 audited HSTS sites in the BeaverCheck database. Every audit runs the same 100+ checks — Lighthouse performance, security headers, accessibility, SEO, server response time — against a real URL. No vendor input, no sponsorship, no affiliate links. Read the full methodology →

FAQ

Which is faster, Ahrefs or HSTS?
Based on real BeaverCheck audits, HSTS sites score higher on Lighthouse performance (52 vs 44 on average).
Which has better security, Ahrefs or HSTS?
HSTS sites score higher on security analysis (73 vs 69 on average).
Which has better accessibility, Ahrefs or HSTS?
Accessibility scores measured by Lighthouse WCAG 2.1 checks favor HSTS (90 vs 86). Both technologies can be made fully accessible with care — the difference reflects common patterns in the sampled sites, not inherent platform limits.
Which is better for SEO, Ahrefs or HSTS?
Ahrefs sites score higher on Lighthouse SEO signals (94 vs 92 on average), which cover meta tags, crawlability, mobile friendliness, and structured data. Content strategy and backlinks still matter more than platform choice for ranking.
Which has faster server response (TTFB), Ahrefs or HSTS?
Ahrefs sites show lower Time to First Byte (391 ms vs 403 ms on average). TTFB depends heavily on hosting and CDN setup rather than the technology itself, but the sampled sites suggest a meaningful difference in common deployment patterns.
Should I choose Ahrefs or HSTS for my website?
Both platforms have trade-offs. HSTS scores higher on overall composite score while Ahrefs may excel in metrics you care about most. Run a free BeaverCheck audit on a real site using each to compare the metrics relevant to your use case.
Audit your own site

Send Feedback