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HSTS vs WebsiteBuilder

Based on 2852 and 12 real audits

View HSTS details | View WebsiteBuilder details
MetricHSTSWebsiteBuilderWinner
Performance5055WebsiteBuilder
Accessibility8995WebsiteBuilder
Best Practices8898WebsiteBuilder
SEO9188HSTS
Security7171Tie
TTFB369ms202msWebsiteBuilder
Composite7678WebsiteBuilder
Performance
HSTS
50
WebsiteBuilder
55
Accessibility
HSTS
89
WebsiteBuilder
95
Security
HSTS
71
WebsiteBuilder
71
SEO
HSTS
91
WebsiteBuilder
88
Composite
HSTS
76
WebsiteBuilder
78

WebsiteBuilder outperforms HSTS in 5 of 7 categories, with a stronger composite score (78 vs 76). HSTS leads in SEO.

When to choose HSTS

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

When to choose WebsiteBuilder

Choose WebsiteBuilder 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 2852 audited HSTS sites and 12 audited WebsiteBuilder 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 WebsiteBuilder?
Based on real BeaverCheck audits, WebsiteBuilder sites score higher on Lighthouse performance (55 vs 50 on average).
Which has better security, HSTS or WebsiteBuilder?
HSTS sites score higher on security analysis (71 vs 71 on average).
Which has better accessibility, HSTS or WebsiteBuilder?
Accessibility scores measured by Lighthouse WCAG 2.1 checks favor WebsiteBuilder (95 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 WebsiteBuilder?
HSTS sites score higher on Lighthouse SEO signals (91 vs 88 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 WebsiteBuilder?
WebsiteBuilder sites show lower Time to First Byte (202 ms vs 369 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 WebsiteBuilder for my website?
Both platforms have trade-offs. WebsiteBuilder 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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