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PDF.js vs reCAPTCHA

Based on 3 and 364 real audits

View PDF.js details | View reCAPTCHA details
MetricPDF.jsreCAPTCHAWinner
Performance2035reCAPTCHA
Accessibility9188PDF.js
Best Practices7885reCAPTCHA
SEO9291PDF.js
Security6566reCAPTCHA
TTFB275ms307msPDF.js
Composite7172reCAPTCHA
Performance
PDF.js
20
reCAPTCHA
35
Accessibility
PDF.js
91
reCAPTCHA
88
Security
PDF.js
65
reCAPTCHA
66
SEO
PDF.js
92
reCAPTCHA
91
Composite
PDF.js
71
reCAPTCHA
72

reCAPTCHA outperforms PDF.js in 4 of 7 categories, with a stronger composite score (72 vs 71). PDF.js leads in accessibility, SEO, TTFB.

When to choose PDF.js

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

When to choose reCAPTCHA

Choose reCAPTCHA when your primary concern is performance 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 3 audited PDF.js sites and 364 audited reCAPTCHA 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, PDF.js or reCAPTCHA?
Based on real BeaverCheck audits, reCAPTCHA sites score higher on Lighthouse performance (35 vs 20 on average).
Which has better security, PDF.js or reCAPTCHA?
reCAPTCHA sites score higher on security analysis (66 vs 65 on average).
Which has better accessibility, PDF.js or reCAPTCHA?
Accessibility scores measured by Lighthouse WCAG 2.1 checks favor PDF.js (91 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, PDF.js or reCAPTCHA?
PDF.js 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), PDF.js or reCAPTCHA?
PDF.js sites show lower Time to First Byte (275 ms vs 307 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 PDF.js or reCAPTCHA for my website?
Both platforms have trade-offs. reCAPTCHA scores higher on overall composite score while PDF.js 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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