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GoatCounter vs HSTS

Based on 1 and 2429 real audits

View GoatCounter details | View HSTS details
MetricGoatCounterHSTSWinner
Performance9747GoatCounter
Accessibility10089GoatCounter
Best Practices9288GoatCounter
SEO10091GoatCounter
Security8869GoatCounter
TTFB62ms355msGoatCounter
Composite9175GoatCounter
Performance
GoatCounter
97
HSTS
47
Accessibility
GoatCounter
100
HSTS
89
Security
GoatCounter
88
HSTS
69
SEO
GoatCounter
100
HSTS
91
Composite
GoatCounter
91
HSTS
75

GoatCounter outperforms HSTS in 7 of 7 categories, with a stronger composite score (91 vs 75). HSTS leads in no categories.

When to choose GoatCounter

Choose GoatCounter 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

HSTS doesn't clearly lead GoatCounter in any category on the sampled sites — pick it based on developer experience, ecosystem, or existing team skills rather than the audit scores.

How this comparison was built

Scores are medians across 1 audited GoatCounter sites and 2429 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 →

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, GoatCounter or HSTS?
Based on real BeaverCheck audits, GoatCounter sites score higher on Lighthouse performance (97 vs 47 on average).
Which has better security, GoatCounter or HSTS?
GoatCounter sites score higher on security analysis (88 vs 69 on average).
Which has better accessibility, GoatCounter or HSTS?
Accessibility scores measured by Lighthouse WCAG 2.1 checks favor GoatCounter (100 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, GoatCounter or HSTS?
GoatCounter 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), GoatCounter or HSTS?
GoatCounter sites show lower Time to First Byte (62 ms vs 355 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 GoatCounter or HSTS for my website?
Both platforms have trade-offs. GoatCounter scores higher on overall composite score while GoatCounter 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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