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Astra vs PHP

Based on 8 and 1128 real audits

View Astra details | View PHP details
MetricAstraPHPWinner
Performance4548PHP
Accessibility8989Tie
Best Practices8088PHP
SEO8891PHP
Security7167Astra
TTFB2022ms445msPHP
Composite7775Astra
Performance
Astra
45
PHP
48
Accessibility
Astra
89
PHP
89
Security
Astra
71
PHP
67
SEO
Astra
88
PHP
91
Composite
Astra
77
PHP
75

PHP outperforms Astra in 4 of 7 categories, with a stronger composite score (75 vs 77). 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 8 audited Astra sites and 1128 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 (48 vs 45 on average).
Which has better security, Astra or PHP?
Astra sites score higher on security analysis (71 vs 67 on average).
Which has better accessibility, Astra or PHP?
Accessibility scores measured by Lighthouse WCAG 2.1 checks favor Astra (89 vs 89). 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 88 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 (445 ms vs 2022 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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