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Ahrefs vs HSTS

Based on 37 and 2488 real audits

View Ahrefs details | View HSTS details
MetricAhrefsHSTSWinner
Performance3848HSTS
Accessibility8689HSTS
Best Practices8887Ahrefs
SEO9391Ahrefs
Security6569HSTS
TTFB289ms354msAhrefs
Composite7475HSTS
Performance
Ahrefs
38
HSTS
48
Accessibility
Ahrefs
86
HSTS
89
Security
Ahrefs
65
HSTS
69
SEO
Ahrefs
93
HSTS
91
Composite
Ahrefs
74
HSTS
75

HSTS outperforms Ahrefs in 4 of 7 categories, with a stronger composite score (75 vs 74). Ahrefs leads in best practices, 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 security. Its audit data shows consistent strength in these areas across the sampled sites.

How this comparison was built

Scores are medians across 37 audited Ahrefs sites and 2488 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 (48 vs 38 on average).
Which has better security, Ahrefs or HSTS?
HSTS sites score higher on security analysis (69 vs 65 on average).
Which has better accessibility, Ahrefs or HSTS?
Accessibility scores measured by Lighthouse WCAG 2.1 checks favor HSTS (89 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 (93 vs 91 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 (289 ms vs 354 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.
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