Skip to content

GitHub Pages vs HSTS

Based on 35 and 3294 real audits

View GitHub Pages details | View HSTS details
MetricGitHub PagesHSTSWinner
Performance7552GitHub Pages
Accessibility9090Tie
Best Practices9589GitHub Pages
SEO9692GitHub Pages
Security6773HSTS
TTFB182ms403msGitHub Pages
Composite7878Tie
Performance
GitHub Pages
75
HSTS
52
Accessibility
GitHub Pages
90
HSTS
90
Security
GitHub Pages
67
HSTS
73
SEO
GitHub Pages
96
HSTS
92
Composite
GitHub Pages
78
HSTS
78

GitHub Pages outperforms HSTS in 4 of 7 categories, with a stronger composite score (78 vs 78). HSTS leads in security.

When to choose GitHub Pages

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

When to choose HSTS

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

How this comparison was built

Scores are medians across 35 audited GitHub Pages 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, GitHub Pages or HSTS?
Based on real BeaverCheck audits, GitHub Pages sites score higher on Lighthouse performance (75 vs 52 on average).
Which has better security, GitHub Pages or HSTS?
HSTS sites score higher on security analysis (73 vs 67 on average).
Which has better accessibility, GitHub Pages or HSTS?
Accessibility scores measured by Lighthouse WCAG 2.1 checks favor GitHub Pages (90 vs 90). 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, GitHub Pages or HSTS?
GitHub Pages sites score higher on Lighthouse SEO signals (96 vs 92 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), GitHub Pages or HSTS?
GitHub Pages sites show lower Time to First Byte (182 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 GitHub Pages or HSTS for my website?
Both platforms have trade-offs. GitHub Pages scores higher on overall composite score while GitHub Pages 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.
Audit your own site

Send Feedback