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Astra vs PHP

Based on 19 and 1540 real audits

View Astra details | View PHP details
MetricAstraPHPWinner
Performance5150Astra
Accessibility8988Astra
Best Practices8989Tie
SEO8991PHP
Security7570Astra
TTFB1867ms632msPHP
Composite7977Astra
Performance
Astra
51
PHP
50
Accessibility
Astra
89
PHP
88
Security
Astra
75
PHP
70
SEO
Astra
89
PHP
91
Composite
Astra
79
PHP
77

Astra outperforms PHP in 4 of 7 categories, with a stronger composite score (79 vs 77). PHP leads in SEO, TTFB.

When to choose Astra

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

How this comparison was built

Scores are medians across 19 audited Astra sites and 1540 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 →

FAQ

Which is faster, Astra or PHP?
Based on real BeaverCheck audits, Astra sites score higher on Lighthouse performance (51 vs 50 on average).
Which has better security, Astra or PHP?
Astra sites score higher on security analysis (75 vs 70 on average).
Which has better accessibility, Astra or PHP?
Accessibility scores measured by Lighthouse WCAG 2.1 checks favor Astra (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 89 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 (632 ms vs 1867 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. Astra 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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