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PHP vs WordPress

Based on 1012 and 762 real audits

View PHP details | View WordPress details
MetricPHPWordPressWinner
Performance4645PHP
Accessibility8988PHP
Best Practices8786PHP
SEO9191Tie
Security6565Tie
TTFB409ms350msWordPress
Composite7474Tie
Performance
PHP
46
WordPress
45
Accessibility
PHP
89
WordPress
88
Security
PHP
65
WordPress
65
SEO
PHP
91
WordPress
91
Composite
PHP
74
WordPress
74

PHP outperforms WordPress in 3 of 7 categories, with a stronger composite score (74 vs 74). WordPress leads in TTFB.

When to choose PHP

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

When to choose WordPress

Choose WordPress when your primary concern is 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 1012 audited PHP sites and 762 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 (46 vs 45 on average).
Which has better security, PHP or WordPress?
PHP sites score higher on security analysis (65 vs 65 on average).
Which has better accessibility, PHP or WordPress?
Accessibility scores measured by Lighthouse WCAG 2.1 checks favor PHP (89 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?
PHP 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), PHP or WordPress?
WordPress sites show lower Time to First Byte (350 ms vs 409 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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