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AWS CloudFront vs HSTS

Based on 401 and 2599 real audits

View AWS CloudFront details | View HSTS details
MetricAWS CloudFrontHSTSWinner
Performance3948HSTS
Accessibility8989Tie
Best Practices8788HSTS
SEO9191Tie
Security6670HSTS
TTFB238ms365msAWS CloudFront
Composite7275HSTS
Performance
AWS CloudFront
39
HSTS
48
Accessibility
AWS CloudFront
89
HSTS
89
Security
AWS CloudFront
66
HSTS
70
SEO
AWS CloudFront
91
HSTS
91
Composite
AWS CloudFront
72
HSTS
75

HSTS outperforms AWS CloudFront in 4 of 7 categories, with a stronger composite score (75 vs 72). AWS CloudFront leads in TTFB.

When to choose AWS CloudFront

Choose AWS CloudFront when your primary concern is server response time. 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 401 audited AWS CloudFront sites and 2599 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, AWS CloudFront or HSTS?
Based on real BeaverCheck audits, HSTS sites score higher on Lighthouse performance (48 vs 39 on average).
Which has better security, AWS CloudFront or HSTS?
HSTS sites score higher on security analysis (70 vs 66 on average).
Which has better accessibility, AWS CloudFront or HSTS?
Accessibility scores measured by Lighthouse WCAG 2.1 checks favor AWS CloudFront (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, AWS CloudFront or HSTS?
AWS CloudFront sites score higher on Lighthouse SEO signals (91 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), AWS CloudFront or HSTS?
AWS CloudFront sites show lower Time to First Byte (238 ms vs 365 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 AWS CloudFront or HSTS for my website?
Both platforms have trade-offs. HSTS scores higher on overall composite score while AWS CloudFront 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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