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Contao vs PHP

Based on 1 and 1002 real audits

View Contao details | View PHP details
MetricContaoPHPWinner
Performance9846Contao
Accessibility9389Contao
Best Practices10087Contao
SEO10091Contao
Security8265Contao
TTFB1260ms407msPHP
Composite8574Contao
Performance
Contao
98
PHP
46
Accessibility
Contao
93
PHP
89
Security
Contao
82
PHP
65
SEO
Contao
100
PHP
91
Composite
Contao
85
PHP
74

Contao outperforms PHP in 6 of 7 categories, with a stronger composite score (85 vs 74). PHP leads in TTFB.

When to choose Contao

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

How this comparison was built

Scores are medians across 1 audited Contao sites and 1002 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, Contao or PHP?
Based on real BeaverCheck audits, Contao sites score higher on Lighthouse performance (98 vs 46 on average).
Which has better security, Contao or PHP?
Contao sites score higher on security analysis (82 vs 65 on average).
Which has better accessibility, Contao or PHP?
Accessibility scores measured by Lighthouse WCAG 2.1 checks favor Contao (93 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, Contao or PHP?
Contao sites score higher on Lighthouse SEO signals (100 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), Contao or PHP?
PHP sites show lower Time to First Byte (407 ms vs 1260 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 Contao or PHP for my website?
Both platforms have trade-offs. Contao scores higher on overall composite score while Contao 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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