Skip to content

PHP vs WordPress

Based on 1203 and 916 real audits

View PHP details | View WordPress details
MetricPHPWordPressWinner
Performance4848Tie
Accessibility8888Tie
Best Practices8887PHP
SEO9191Tie
Security6768WordPress
TTFB468ms449msWordPress
Composite7576WordPress
Performance
PHP
48
WordPress
48
Accessibility
PHP
88
WordPress
88
Security
PHP
67
WordPress
68
SEO
PHP
91
WordPress
91
Composite
PHP
75
WordPress
76

WordPress outperforms PHP in 3 of 7 categories, with a stronger composite score (76 vs 75). 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 server response time and security. Its audit data shows consistent strength in these areas across the sampled sites.

How this comparison was built

Scores are medians across 1203 audited PHP sites and 916 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?
WordPress sites score higher on security analysis (68 vs 67 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?
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 (449 ms vs 468 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.
Audit your own site

Send Feedback