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HSTS vs PWA

Based on 2488 and 111 real audits

View HSTS details | View PWA details
MetricHSTSPWAWinner
Performance4839HSTS
Accessibility8988HSTS
Best Practices8783HSTS
SEO9192PWA
Security6967HSTS
TTFB354ms325msPWA
Composite7574HSTS
Performance
HSTS
48
PWA
39
Accessibility
HSTS
89
PWA
88
Security
HSTS
69
PWA
67
SEO
HSTS
91
PWA
92
Composite
HSTS
75
PWA
74

HSTS outperforms PWA in 5 of 7 categories, with a stronger composite score (75 vs 74). PWA leads in SEO, TTFB.

When to choose HSTS

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

When to choose PWA

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

How this comparison was built

Scores are medians across 2488 audited HSTS sites and 111 audited PWA 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 PWA?
Based on real BeaverCheck audits, HSTS sites score higher on Lighthouse performance (48 vs 39 on average).
Which has better security, HSTS or PWA?
HSTS sites score higher on security analysis (69 vs 67 on average).
Which has better accessibility, HSTS or PWA?
Accessibility scores measured by Lighthouse WCAG 2.1 checks favor HSTS (89 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 PWA?
PWA 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 PWA?
PWA sites show lower Time to First Byte (325 ms vs 354 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 PWA 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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