Updated November 6, 2026
Lighthouse: Open-source audit for performance, accessibility and SEO basics. People look for alternatives when they need a lower price, a free plan or a better fit for a specific job.
These 3 tools cover similar ground. Each entry explains who it suits, how pricing works and what to watch out for.
| Tool | Best for | Pricing | Free plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Search Console | Every website owner. Start here | Free | Yes |
| GTmetrix | Developers diagnosing exactly what slows a page down | Freemium | Yes |
| PageSpeed Insights | A quick, authoritative speed check of any page | Free | Yes |
Search Console shows the queries people use to find your site, your clicks, impressions and average position, plus indexing problems, Core Web Vitals and manual actions. Every website should have it set up.
Free from Google.
Who it suits: Every website owner. Start here.
GTmetrix tests page speed and shows a detailed waterfall of every request, along with Web Vitals and recommendations. Paid plans add scheduled monitoring, more test locations and alerts.
Free tests with an account. Paid plans for monitoring and locations.
Who it suits: Developers diagnosing exactly what slows a page down.
PageSpeed Insights combines real-user Core Web Vitals data from the Chrome UX Report with a Lighthouse lab test, and lists specific opportunities to make the page faster.
Free from Google.
Who it suits: A quick, authoritative speed check of any page.
Page experience is part of how Google evaluates pages, and slow pages lose visitors. These tools measure Core Web Vitals (LCP, INP, CLS), show what slows a page down and track performance over time.
Prices and features change often. Check each vendor’s website for current plans before you buy.
