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AWS CloudFront vs HSTS

Based on 426 and 3294 real audits

View AWS CloudFront details | View HSTS details
MetricAWS CloudFrontHSTSWinner
Performance3952HSTS
Accessibility8990HSTS
Best Practices8789HSTS
SEO9192HSTS
Security6673HSTS
TTFB263ms403msAWS CloudFront
Composite7378HSTS
Performance
AWS CloudFront
39
HSTS
52
Accessibility
AWS CloudFront
89
HSTS
90
Security
AWS CloudFront
66
HSTS
73
SEO
AWS CloudFront
91
HSTS
92
Composite
AWS CloudFront
73
HSTS
78

HSTS outperforms AWS CloudFront in 6 of 7 categories, with a stronger composite score (78 vs 73). 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 426 audited AWS CloudFront sites and 3294 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 (52 vs 39 on average).
Which has better security, AWS CloudFront or HSTS?
HSTS sites score higher on security analysis (73 vs 66 on average).
Which has better accessibility, AWS CloudFront or HSTS?
Accessibility scores measured by Lighthouse WCAG 2.1 checks favor HSTS (90 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?
HSTS sites score higher on Lighthouse SEO signals (92 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 (263 ms vs 403 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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