GTmetrix vs PageVitals (2026): which should you pick?
As of Oct 23, 2026, GTmetrix grades higher than PageVitals: 2.8 against 2.4 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 23, 2026 · graded Oct 23, 2026 by ToolGPA
GTmetrix grades higher on value for money and ease of use. They get the same grade on the free plan, features and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
GTmetrix
Page speed testing with Lighthouse reports, monitoring and an API
PageVitals
Page speed monitoring with Lighthouse tests, RUM and CrUX data
Which one is for you
Pick GTmetrix if
- Fits if you want a Lighthouse report with a load video for a page now and then
- Works for developers who want to start speed tests from their own code through the API
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you watch many pages, as Lite monitors 1 and Core 3, and hourly checks start on Advanced at $24.99 a month
- Pricey if a team shares it, as seats start on Expert at $49.99 a month yearly, and white-label PDFs are Enterprise only at a quoted price
- Tight if you stay on Basic or Lite: Basic runs 2 API tests at a time against 8 for most PRO users, and Lite gets the API only as a 10-credit trial
- Watch out: API tests spend credits, a video costs 0.9 more, and credits refill daily only up to the plan's allowance
- Watch out: API reports are kept 1 month unless you pay credits for up to 24, and refunds become account credit after 14 days
Pick PageVitals if
- Fits if you run a couple of small sites and want lab, RUM and CrUX data on one plan
- Works for agencies tracking Core Web Vitals for several client websites
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a free plan, as there's only a 14-day trial and the pricing page says no refunds
- Pricey if you need the API, webhooks, CI/CD or tests behind a login, which start at Growth, $39 a month billed yearly
- Watch out: when the month's tests run out, testing stops until the next cycle, and unused tests don't roll over
- Tight if you test a lot, as 5,000 extra synthetic tests are a $50 a month add-on
How we grade them
| 2.8GPAGTmetrixGood | 2.4GPAPageVitalsFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | ALite is $4.99 a month billed yearly ($5.99 monthly), under 60% of the cheaper quarter of technical SEO tools ($7.20). It has 50 tests a month and 1 monitored page; API credits start on Core at $9.99 and hourly checks on Advanced at $24.99. | BStarter is $12 a month billed yearly ($15 monthly), inside this category's cheapest quarter. That's 2 websites, 1,000 synthetic tests and 50,000 RUM pageviews a month. The REST API, webhooks and CI/CD need Growth at $39. |
| Free plan and trial | CA free Basic account. Through the API it runs 2 tests at once against 8 for most PRO users, with a lower rate limit. Its other limits aren't on record. | CNo free plan, but a 14-day trial with all features and 300 tests, and no card needed. The pricing page says it gives no refunds, so the trial is the only way to try it. |
| Features | CLighthouse reports, a choice of locations, browsers and simulated devices, connection throttling, load videos, PDF exports, scheduled monitoring with alerts and a REST API. It does page speed testing fully, but that's a smaller job, and there's no real user data on record. | CLighthouse and waterfall tests from 11 regions, RUM through a script, CrUX history with competitor comparison, multi-step tests and budgets with alerts. It covers speed monitoring fully, but that's a smaller job than technical SEO, with no crawling or indexing checks. |
| Ease of use | BNo rating on record. Tests run on GTmetrix's own site, with nothing to install or connect before the first report. | CNo rating on record. RUM needs a script added through GTM, WordPress, Shopify, Wix or Magento, and the tests, multi-step flows and budgets all have to be set up. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, with a REST API, an OpenAPI specification and a GTmetrix for WordPress plugin. No desktop or phone app. | BWeb only, with alerts by email, Slack, Teams or webhook, plus Search Console, GitHub Actions, Zapier, a CLI and a JavaScript SDK. The REST API and CI/CD start at Growth. |
| Best for | one-off Lighthouse speed reports | speed monitoring with lab, RUM and CrUX data |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: GTmetrix and PageVitals. How we grade
Price against what you get
GTmetrix starts at $4.99 a month and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. PageVitals starts at $12 a month and scores 2.3.
GTmetrix scores higher and starts $7.01 a month lower. Of the other technical SEO tools on the chart, none scores higher than GTmetrix for less, and 5 score higher than PageVitals for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- PageVitals also covers reports.
At a glance
| GTmetrix | PageVitals | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free trial |
| Starts at | $4.99 per month, billed yearly ($5.99 billed monthly) | $12 per month, billed annually ($15 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | Free Basic account; the API docs give it 2 tests at a time and a lower API rate limit than PRO. Other limits could not be read. | None |
| Free trial | None listed | 14-day free trial with all features and 300 tests, no credit card needed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | GTmetrix | PageVitals ApS |
| Price read from | gtmetrix.com | pagevitals.com |
| Checked | Oct 23, 2026 | Oct 23, 2026 |
Worth knowing
GTmetrix
- Team seats start only on Expert ($49.99 a month billed yearly), and hourly monitoring on Advanced; refunds are promised for 14 days, after that only account credit.
- API tests run on credits: a Lighthouse report costs 1 credit, a video 0.9 more, and credits refill daily only up to the plan's allowance.
- Through the API, Basic accounts can run 2 tests at once, against 8 for most PRO users.
- API reports are kept 1 month unless longer retention, up to 24 months, is paid for in extra credits.
PageVitals
- There is no free plan, and the pricing page says it gives no refunds; the 14-day trial is offered instead.
- The REST API, webhooks, CI/CD integration and tests behind a login start at Growth, $39 a month billed annually.
- When the monthly test allowance runs out, testing stops until the next billing cycle; unused tests do not roll over.
- Extra tests are add-ons: 5,000 synthetic tests for $50 a month, 100,000 field tests for $10 a month.
Key features
GTmetrix
- Lighthouse speed reports
- Each test produces a Lighthouse report, with older PageSpeed and YSlow reports or a metrics-only report also available through the API.
- Locations, browsers and devices
- Choose the test location and browser, simulate phones and tablets by screen size and pixel ratio, and throttle the connection speed.
- Videos and PDF reports
- Record a video and filmstrip of the page loading, and export a summary or full PDF of the report.
- Page monitoring and alerts
- Monitored pages are retested on a schedule, grouped with tags, and can raise performance alerts when chosen metrics cross set conditions.
- REST API
- Start tests, fetch reports and manage monitored pages from your own code, with an OpenAPI specification and a GTmetrix for WordPress plugin.
PageVitals
- Scheduled Lighthouse tests
- Synthetic tests on desktop and mobile from 11 regions, with Lighthouse and network waterfall reports. One page tested daily uses about 60 tests a month.
- Real-user monitoring
- A script collects LCP, INP, CLS and TTFB from real visits, filterable by device, location and network. Installs through GTM, WordPress, Shopify, Wix or Magento.
- CrUX reports
- Chrome UX Report data for the whole site and for single pages, with 6 months of weekly history and competitor comparison.
- Multi-step tests
- Scripted tests that follow a user flow across several steps, from 5 on Starter to 100 on Pro.
- Performance budgets and alerts
- Budgets on 25+ lab and field metrics, with defaults based on Google's recommendations, and alerts by email, Slack, Teams or webhook.
- Developer workflow
- A GitHub Action, CLI, JavaScript SDK, REST API and a Zapier connection. The API and CI/CD integration start at the Growth plan.
Plans
GTmetrix
Lite$4.99
per month, billed yearly ($5.99 billed monthly)
50 on-demand tests a month, 1 monitored page, 5 test locations, 1 month of history. API and MCP only as a 10-credit trial; no hourly monitoring.
Core$9.99
per month, billed yearly ($11.99 billed monthly)
150 tests a month, 3 monitored pages, 10 locations, 10 API credits a day and 6 months of history. No hourly monitoring or team seats.
Advanced$24.99
per month, billed yearly ($29.99 billed monthly)
Unlimited on-demand tests under a fair-use rule, 10 monitored pages with hourly checks, 28 locations and 50 API credits a day.
Expert$49.99
per month, billed yearly ($59.99 billed monthly)
50 monitored pages, 100 API credits a day, 12 months of history and 5 team seats. Enterprise adds white-label PDFs at a quoted price.
PageVitals
Starter$12
per month, billed annually ($15 billed monthly)
2 websites, 1,000 synthetic tests and 50,000 RUM pageviews a month, 5 multi-step tests and 6 months of data.
Growth$39
per month, billed annually ($49 billed monthly)
Up to 10 websites, 5,000 synthetic tests and 250,000 RUM pageviews, plus the REST API, webhooks, CI/CD and tests behind a login.
Pro$79
per month, billed annually ($99 billed monthly)
Up to 25 websites, 10,000 synthetic tests, 2 million RUM pageviews, 24 months of data, priority support and SSO.
Ways to pay less
GTmetrix
No public discounts listed.
PageVitals
- Annual discount
About 20% off with annual billing
PageVitals' pricing page shows Starter at $12 a month billed annually against $15 billed monthly, and Pro at $79 against $99.
- Nonprofit
Nonprofit and charity discount
The pricing FAQ says non-profit and charity organizations can get a discount on annual plans by contacting the sales team.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, GTmetrix or PageVitals?
As of Oct 23, 2026, GTmetrix is cheaper to start with: $4.99 a month, against $12 a month for PageVitals. GTmetrix starts at $4.99 per month, billed yearly ($5.99 billed monthly), and PageVitals starts at $12 per month, billed annually ($15 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, GTmetrix or PageVitals?
As of Oct 23, 2026, only GTmetrix has a free plan. PageVitals does not, though it has a free trial.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.