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HSTS vs Signals

Based on 2599 and 6 real audits

View HSTS details | View Signals details
MetricHSTSSignalsWinner
Performance4830HSTS
Accessibility8991Signals
Best Practices8878HSTS
SEO9193Signals
Security7070Tie
TTFB365ms139msSignals
Composite7574HSTS
Performance
HSTS
48
Signals
30
Accessibility
HSTS
89
Signals
91
Security
HSTS
70
Signals
70
SEO
HSTS
91
Signals
93
Composite
HSTS
75
Signals
74

HSTS and Signals are closely matched, each leading in different categories. HSTS has a composite score of 75 while Signals scores 74.

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 Signals

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

How this comparison was built

Scores are medians across 2599 audited HSTS sites and 6 audited Signals 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 Signals?
Based on real BeaverCheck audits, HSTS sites score higher on Lighthouse performance (48 vs 30 on average).
Which has better security, HSTS or Signals?
HSTS sites score higher on security analysis (70 vs 70 on average).
Which has better accessibility, HSTS or Signals?
Accessibility scores measured by Lighthouse WCAG 2.1 checks favor Signals (91 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 Signals?
Signals sites score higher on Lighthouse SEO signals (93 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 Signals?
Signals sites show lower Time to First Byte (139 ms vs 365 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 Signals 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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