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Astra vs PHP

Based on 6 and 1030 real audits

View Astra details | View PHP details
MetricAstraPHPWinner
Performance3746PHP
Accessibility8889PHP
Best Practices7888PHP
SEO8791PHP
Security6865Astra
TTFB1348ms421msPHP
Composite7574Astra
Performance
Astra
37
PHP
46
Accessibility
Astra
88
PHP
89
Security
Astra
68
PHP
65
SEO
Astra
87
PHP
91
Composite
Astra
75
PHP
74

PHP outperforms Astra in 5 of 7 categories, with a stronger composite score (74 vs 75). Astra leads in security, composite score.

When to choose Astra

Choose Astra when your primary concern is security. Its audit data shows consistent strength in these areas across the sampled sites.

When to choose PHP

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

How this comparison was built

Scores are medians across 6 audited Astra sites and 1030 audited PHP 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 →

Small sample: one or both technologies have fewer than 10 audited sites. Treat these numbers as directional — medians stabilize around 20–30 audits per side.

FAQ

Which is faster, Astra or PHP?
Based on real BeaverCheck audits, PHP sites score higher on Lighthouse performance (46 vs 37 on average).
Which has better security, Astra or PHP?
Astra sites score higher on security analysis (68 vs 65 on average).
Which has better accessibility, Astra or PHP?
Accessibility scores measured by Lighthouse WCAG 2.1 checks favor PHP (89 vs 88). 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, Astra or PHP?
PHP sites score higher on Lighthouse SEO signals (91 vs 87 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), Astra or PHP?
PHP sites show lower Time to First Byte (421 ms vs 1348 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 Astra or PHP for my website?
Both platforms have trade-offs. PHP scores higher on overall composite score while Astra 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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