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PHP vs WordPress

Based on 1376 and 1050 real audits

View PHP details | View WordPress details
MetricPHPWordPressWinner
Performance4848Tie
Accessibility8888Tie
Best Practices8988PHP
SEO9192WordPress
Security6969Tie
TTFB554ms553msWordPress
Composite7676Tie
Performance
PHP
48
WordPress
48
Accessibility
PHP
88
WordPress
88
Security
PHP
69
WordPress
69
SEO
PHP
91
WordPress
92
Composite
PHP
76
WordPress
76

WordPress outperforms PHP in 2 of 7 categories, with a stronger composite score (76 vs 76). PHP leads in best practices.

When to choose PHP

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

When to choose WordPress

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

How this comparison was built

Scores are medians across 1376 audited PHP sites and 1050 audited WordPress 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 WordPress?
Based on real BeaverCheck audits, PHP sites score higher on Lighthouse performance (48 vs 48 on average).
Which has better security, PHP or WordPress?
PHP sites score higher on security analysis (69 vs 69 on average).
Which has better accessibility, PHP or WordPress?
Accessibility scores measured by Lighthouse WCAG 2.1 checks favor PHP (88 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, PHP or WordPress?
WordPress 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), PHP or WordPress?
WordPress sites show lower Time to First Byte (553 ms vs 554 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 WordPress for my website?
Both platforms have trade-offs. PHP 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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