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HSTS vs Play

Based on 3294 and 4 real audits

View HSTS details | View Play details
MetricHSTSPlayWinner
Performance5227HSTS
Accessibility9096Play
Best Practices8991Play
SEO9298Play
Security7379Play
TTFB403ms790msHSTS
Composite7880Play
Performance
HSTS
52
Play
27
Accessibility
HSTS
90
Play
96
Security
HSTS
73
Play
79
SEO
HSTS
92
Play
98
Composite
HSTS
78
Play
80

Play outperforms HSTS in 5 of 7 categories, with a stronger composite score (80 vs 78). HSTS leads in performance, TTFB.

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 Play

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

How this comparison was built

Scores are medians across 3294 audited HSTS sites and 4 audited Play 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, HSTS or Play?
Based on real BeaverCheck audits, HSTS sites score higher on Lighthouse performance (52 vs 27 on average).
Which has better security, HSTS or Play?
Play sites score higher on security analysis (79 vs 73 on average).
Which has better accessibility, HSTS or Play?
Accessibility scores measured by Lighthouse WCAG 2.1 checks favor Play (96 vs 90). 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 Play?
Play sites score higher on Lighthouse SEO signals (98 vs 92 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 Play?
HSTS sites show lower Time to First Byte (403 ms vs 790 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 Play 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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