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HSTS vs Nginx

Based on 2601 and 983 real audits

View HSTS details | View Nginx details
MetricHSTSNginxWinner
Performance4751Nginx
Accessibility8885HSTS
Best Practices8787Tie
SEO9091Nginx
Security7067HSTS
TTFB364ms480msHSTS
Composite7574HSTS
Performance
HSTS
47
Nginx
51
Accessibility
HSTS
88
Nginx
85
Security
HSTS
70
Nginx
67
SEO
HSTS
90
Nginx
91
Composite
HSTS
75
Nginx
74

HSTS outperforms Nginx in 4 of 7 categories, with a stronger composite score (75 vs 74). Nginx leads in performance, SEO.

When to choose HSTS

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

When to choose Nginx

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

How this comparison was built

Scores are medians across 2601 audited HSTS sites and 983 audited Nginx 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, HSTS or Nginx?
Based on real BeaverCheck audits, Nginx sites score higher on Lighthouse performance (51 vs 47 on average).
Which has better security, HSTS or Nginx?
HSTS sites score higher on security analysis (70 vs 67 on average).
Which has better accessibility, HSTS or Nginx?
Accessibility scores measured by Lighthouse WCAG 2.1 checks favor HSTS (88 vs 85). 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, HSTS or Nginx?
Nginx sites score higher on Lighthouse SEO signals (91 vs 90 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), HSTS or Nginx?
HSTS sites show lower Time to First Byte (364 ms vs 480 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 HSTS or Nginx for my website?
Both platforms have trade-offs. Nginx scores higher on overall composite score while HSTS 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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