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HSTS vs PHP

Based on 3294 and 1376 real audits

View HSTS details | View PHP details
MetricHSTSPHPWinner
Performance5248HSTS
Accessibility9088HSTS
Best Practices8989Tie
SEO9291HSTS
Security7369HSTS
TTFB403ms554msHSTS
Composite7876HSTS
Performance
HSTS
52
PHP
48
Accessibility
HSTS
90
PHP
88
Security
HSTS
73
PHP
69
SEO
HSTS
92
PHP
91
Composite
HSTS
78
PHP
76

HSTS outperforms PHP in 6 of 7 categories, with a stronger composite score (78 vs 76). PHP leads in no categories.

When to choose HSTS

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.

When to choose PHP

PHP 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.

How this comparison was built

Scores are medians across 3294 audited HSTS sites and 1376 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 →

FAQ

Which is faster, HSTS or PHP?
Based on real BeaverCheck audits, HSTS sites score higher on Lighthouse performance (52 vs 48 on average).
Which has better security, HSTS or PHP?
HSTS sites score higher on security analysis (73 vs 69 on average).
Which has better accessibility, HSTS or PHP?
Accessibility scores measured by Lighthouse WCAG 2.1 checks favor HSTS (90 vs 88). 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 PHP?
HSTS sites score higher on Lighthouse SEO signals (92 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), HSTS or PHP?
HSTS sites show lower Time to First Byte (403 ms vs 554 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 PHP for my website?
Both platforms have trade-offs. HSTS 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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