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Cloudflare vs mod_ssl

Based on 2264 and 1 real audits

View Cloudflare details | View mod_ssl details
MetricCloudflaremod_sslWinner
Performance4948Cloudflare
Accessibility8878Cloudflare
Best Practices8681Cloudflare
SEO8991mod_ssl
Security6977mod_ssl
TTFB310ms293msmod_ssl
Composite7576mod_ssl
Performance
Cloudflare
49
mod_ssl
48
Accessibility
Cloudflare
88
mod_ssl
78
Security
Cloudflare
69
mod_ssl
77
SEO
Cloudflare
89
mod_ssl
91
Composite
Cloudflare
75
mod_ssl
76

mod_ssl outperforms Cloudflare in 4 of 7 categories, with a stronger composite score (76 vs 75). Cloudflare leads in performance, accessibility, best practices.

When to choose Cloudflare

Choose Cloudflare when your primary concern is accessibility and best practices. Its audit data shows consistent strength in these areas across the sampled sites.

When to choose mod_ssl

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

How this comparison was built

Scores are medians across 2264 audited Cloudflare sites and 1 audited mod_ssl 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, Cloudflare or mod_ssl?
Based on real BeaverCheck audits, Cloudflare sites score higher on Lighthouse performance (49 vs 48 on average).
Which has better security, Cloudflare or mod_ssl?
mod_ssl sites score higher on security analysis (77 vs 69 on average).
Which has better accessibility, Cloudflare or mod_ssl?
Accessibility scores measured by Lighthouse WCAG 2.1 checks favor Cloudflare (88 vs 78). 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, Cloudflare or mod_ssl?
mod_ssl 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), Cloudflare or mod_ssl?
mod_ssl sites show lower Time to First Byte (293 ms vs 310 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 Cloudflare or mod_ssl for my website?
Both platforms have trade-offs. Cloudflare scores higher on overall composite score while Cloudflare 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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