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HSTS vs Varnish

Based on 2488 and 440 real audits

View HSTS details | View Varnish details
MetricHSTSVarnishWinner
Performance4844HSTS
Accessibility8989Tie
Best Practices8789Varnish
SEO9191Tie
Security6965HSTS
TTFB354ms202msVarnish
Composite7574HSTS
Performance
HSTS
48
Varnish
44
Accessibility
HSTS
89
Varnish
89
Security
HSTS
69
Varnish
65
SEO
HSTS
91
Varnish
91
Composite
HSTS
75
Varnish
74

HSTS outperforms Varnish in 3 of 7 categories, with a stronger composite score (75 vs 74). Varnish leads in best practices, TTFB.

When to choose HSTS

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

When to choose Varnish

Choose Varnish when your primary concern is server response time and best practices. 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 440 audited Varnish 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 Varnish?
Based on real BeaverCheck audits, HSTS sites score higher on Lighthouse performance (48 vs 44 on average).
Which has better security, HSTS or Varnish?
HSTS sites score higher on security analysis (69 vs 65 on average).
Which has better accessibility, HSTS or Varnish?
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 Varnish?
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 Varnish?
Varnish sites show lower Time to First Byte (202 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 Varnish 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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