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PHP vs Site Kit

Based on 1030 and 45 real audits

MetricPHPSite KitWinner
Performance4651Site Kit
Accessibility8990Site Kit
Best Practices8891Site Kit
SEO9193Site Kit
Security6567Site Kit
TTFB421ms623msPHP
Composite7477Site Kit
Performance
PHP
46
Site Kit
51
Accessibility
PHP
89
Site Kit
90
Security
PHP
65
Site Kit
67
SEO
PHP
91
Site Kit
93
Composite
PHP
74
Site Kit
77

Site Kit outperforms PHP in 6 of 7 categories, with a stronger composite score (77 vs 74). PHP leads in TTFB.

When to choose PHP

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

When to choose Site Kit

Choose Site Kit 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 1030 audited PHP sites and 45 audited Site Kit 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, PHP or Site Kit?
Based on real BeaverCheck audits, Site Kit sites score higher on Lighthouse performance (51 vs 46 on average).
Which has better security, PHP or Site Kit?
Site Kit sites score higher on security analysis (67 vs 65 on average).
Which has better accessibility, PHP or Site Kit?
Accessibility scores measured by Lighthouse WCAG 2.1 checks favor Site Kit (90 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, PHP or Site Kit?
Site Kit 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), PHP or Site Kit?
PHP sites show lower Time to First Byte (421 ms vs 623 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 PHP or Site Kit for my website?
Both platforms have trade-offs. Site Kit scores higher on overall composite score while PHP 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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