Based on 2547 and 2601 real audits
| Metric | Google Tag Manager | HSTS | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Performance | 39 | 47 | HSTS |
| Accessibility | 87 | 88 | HSTS |
| Best Practices | 86 | 87 | HSTS |
| SEO | 90 | 90 | Tie |
| Security | 65 | 70 | HSTS |
| TTFB | 375ms | 364ms | HSTS |
| Composite | 73 | 75 | HSTS |
HSTS outperforms Google Tag Manager in 6 of 7 categories, with a stronger composite score (75 vs 73). Google Tag Manager leads in no categories.
Google Tag Manager doesn't clearly lead HSTS in any category on the sampled sites — pick it based on developer experience, ecosystem, or existing team skills rather than the audit scores.
Choose HSTS when your primary concern is server response time and performance. Its audit data shows consistent strength in these areas across the sampled sites.
Scores are medians across 2547 audited Google Tag Manager sites and 2601 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 →
Send Feedback