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HSTS vs PHP

Based on 2487 and 1012 real audits

View HSTS details | View PHP details
MetricHSTSPHPWinner
Performance4846HSTS
Accessibility8989Tie
Best Practices8887HSTS
SEO9191Tie
Security6965HSTS
TTFB354ms409msHSTS
Composite7574HSTS
Performance
HSTS
48
PHP
46
Accessibility
HSTS
89
PHP
89
Security
HSTS
69
PHP
65
SEO
HSTS
91
PHP
91
Composite
HSTS
75
PHP
74

HSTS outperforms PHP in 5 of 7 categories, with a stronger composite score (75 vs 74). PHP leads in no categories.

When to choose HSTS

Choose HSTS when your primary concern is server response time and security. 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 2487 audited HSTS sites and 1012 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 (48 vs 46 on average).
Which has better security, HSTS or PHP?
HSTS sites score higher on security analysis (69 vs 65 on average).
Which has better accessibility, HSTS or PHP?
Accessibility scores measured by Lighthouse WCAG 2.1 checks favor HSTS (89 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, HSTS or PHP?
HSTS sites score higher on Lighthouse SEO signals (91 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 (354 ms vs 409 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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