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WebPagetest VS PageSpeed Insights

Compare WebPagetest VS PageSpeed Insights and see what are their differences

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Ensure healthy website performance, uptime, and free from vulnerabilities. Automatic checks for SSL Certificates, domains and monitor issues with your websites all from one console and get instant notifications on any issues. featured
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WebPagetest logo WebPagetest

Run a free website speed test from multiple locations around the globe using real browsers...

PageSpeed Insights logo PageSpeed Insights

PageSpeed is addon for ...
  • WebPagetest Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-07-05
  • PageSpeed Insights Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-01-02

WebPagetest features and specs

  • Detailed Performance Metrics
    WebPagetest provides extensive performance metrics, including Time to First Byte (TTFB), Speed Index, and First Contentful Paint, allowing for a deep understanding of website performance.
  • Real Browsers
    Tests are conducted using real browsers, which ensures that the results are closely aligned with real user experiences.
  • Geolocation Testing
    Supports testing from various locations worldwide, which is useful for understanding performance in different markets.
  • Advanced Testing Options
    Offers advanced options such as scripting for complex interactions, multi-step transactions, and authenticating users.
  • Free and Open Source
    WebPagetest is free to use and its code is open-source, allowing for community contributions and customizable implementations.
  • Video Capture
    Provides video capture of the loading process, giving a visual representation of loading performance.
  • Waterfall Charts
    Generates detailed waterfall charts that help identify bottlenecks in resource loading.

Possible disadvantages of WebPagetest

  • Complexity for Beginners
    The extensive options and detailed metrics may be overwhelming for beginners who are not familiar with web performance testing.
  • Intermittent Performance
    As a free service, sometimes the performance can be inconsistent due to high demand or limited resources.
  • Dated Interface
    The user interface of the website is somewhat dated and could benefit from modernization to improve user experience.
  • Limited Instant Support
    Lack of immediate support options can be a downside; users often have to rely on forums and community support.
  • Potential for Inconsistent Results
    Results might vary between tests due to variability in internet speed, server conditions, and other external factors.
  • Configuration Overhead
    Advanced testing options require a significant amount of configuration, which can be time-consuming.

PageSpeed Insights features and specs

  • Comprehensive Analysis
    PageSpeed Insights provides a thorough analysis of both mobile and desktop versions of your website, offering insights into performance, accessibility, best practices, and SEO metrics.
  • Actionable Recommendations
    The tool offers specific, actionable recommendations to improve page load times and overall site performance, making it easier for developers to implement necessary changes.
  • Integration with Other Google Tools
    PageSpeed Insights seamlessly integrates with other Google tools such as Google Analytics and Search Console, providing a more holistic view of your website's performance.
  • User Experience Metrics
    It measures Core Web Vitals, which are essential for understanding user experience metrics like loading time, interactivity, and visual stability.
  • Free to Use
    The tool is completely free, making it accessible for developers, businesses, and individuals without any associated cost.

Possible disadvantages of PageSpeed Insights

  • Limited Historical Data
    PageSpeed Insights doesn't maintain historical data or trends, making it difficult to track progress over time directly within the tool.
  • Lack of Advanced Features
    While it's excellent for basic to intermediate analysis, it lacks some advanced features and customization options found in paid tools like GTmetrix or WebPageTest.
  • Potential for Misinterpretation
    The results and recommendations can sometimes be technical and difficult for non-developers to understand, leading to potential misinterpretation or incorrect implementation.
  • Server Dependency
    The tool's performance score can be influenced by server locations and current network conditions, which may not always provide a consistent assessment.
  • Lag in Updates
    There can be a lag in updates to reflect the most recent changes in web development practices and Google’s own algorithms, meaning the tool might not always offer the latest best practices.

WebPagetest videos

+ Add

WebPageTest - The State of the Web

More videos:

  • Tutorial - How To Use WebPageTest.org - For Beginners

PageSpeed Insights videos

+ Add

The New Google PageSpeed Insights & How To Use It

More videos:

  • Review - Ezoic Site Speed Accelerator Review — 100 Google PageSpeed Insights Scores on Mobile and Desktop?

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to WebPagetest and PageSpeed Insights)

WebPagetest

PageSpeed Insights

Website Monitoring
33 33%
Website Monitoring
67% 67
Performance Monitoring
41 41%
Performance Monitoring
59% 59
Monitoring Tools
50 50%
Monitoring Tools
50% 50
Uptime Monitoring
33 33%
Uptime Monitoring
67% 67

User comments

Share your experience with using WebPagetest and PageSpeed Insights. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, PageSpeed Insights should be more popular than WebPagetest. It has been mentiond 112 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

WebPagetest mentions (51)

  • A PageSpeed insight report, but for every page in your domain
    Trust neither. The most optimal option I've found is webpagetest.org Its been quite handy lately. This tool does look interesting. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • How are you all accurately checking your website load time? Not sure PageSpeedInsights is very helpful.
    Webpagetest.org is another. Pagespeedinsights and lighthouse are great for identifying page load issues to fix, but actual page load times will always vary between the user and your web server. Universal analytics has some page load timings but that's going away soon and nothing afaik is in GA4. I've seen an example of building a page load timer in tag manager and dumping the results into an event. Source: about 2 years ago
  • Extreme confusing over Speed Index results -- webpagetest.org
    So I am working on rebuilding our company's site with a new stack. I am running tests using webpagetest.org, and I am having trouble fully understanding the speed index results as well as the film strip view. The page renders quite fast everywhere I test it. Google Lighthouse shows it in the 90s + for performance score, however when I test the page on webpagetest, I get load times of 77 seconds (NOT MS) which is... Source: about 2 years ago
  • Does anyone else experience pure ecstasy when they get 100 on Lighthouse? 😩
    Webpagetest.org is great, and checking OP's site they have done an incredible job, I don't think I have ever made or seen an Ecom site this slick. Super clean waterfall view. Source: about 2 years ago
  • Performance scores for Google Lighthouse/Insights seem to be very inaccurate
    Thanks for the recommendation regarding webpagetest.org, another user made a similar recommendation so I will check it out. Source: about 2 years ago
View more

PageSpeed Insights mentions (112)

  • 100+ Must-Have Web Development Resources
    Google PageSpeed Insights: Tests your site and provides optimization suggestions. - Source: dev.to / 7 months ago
  • How to Create an Awesome Landing Page 💻 📱 with Tailwind CSS(Step-by-Step guide)
    Monitoring and Profiling: Use tools like Google's PageSpeed Insights or Web.dev Measure to analyze your page's performance and get actionable recommendations. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
  • Best Resources For Web Developers 💻 [HTML + CSS + JavaScript]
    Google PageSpeed Insights - Analyze the performance of your web pages and get suggestions for improvement. Website: https://developers.google.com/speed/pagespeed/insights/. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
  • Being sued for not complying with WCAG 2.1 AA standards
    Try Google's Lighthouse test instead (aka PageSpeed Insights). It's primarily for testing performance but also gives a score for accessibility, with tips and links to articles on how to solve any issues it detects. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Enable text compression using React, Webpack and Apache
    Const CompressionPlugin = require('compression-webpack-plugin');... plugins: [ new CompressionPlugin({ filename: "[path].gz[query]", algorithm: "gzip", test: /\.(js|css)$/i, }),... When I used page insights to check how fast my webpage loads, it looks like my gz files aren't recognized, or at least one of them isn't recognized. Source: about 2 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing WebPagetest and PageSpeed Insights, you can also consider the following products

GTmetrix - GTmetrix is a free tool that analyzes your page's speed performance. Using PageSpeed and YSlow, GTmetrix generates scores for your pages and offers actionable recommendations on how to fix them.

Google Lighthouse - Lighthouse is an open-source, automated tool for improving the quality of web pages.

DareBoost - DareBoost is an online tool to test, analyze and monitor your website: speed, SEO, quality, security. All you need for website optimization in a single service.

Website Speed Test by Pingdom - Pingdom is a website performance monitoring software.

Pingdom - With website monitoring from Pingdom you will be the first to know when your website is down. No installation required. 30-day free trial.

Yellow Lab Tools - Website test that checks performance and HTML, CSS and JavaScript quality.

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