GTmetrix vs WebPageTest (2026): which should you pick?

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 WebPageTest if

• Fits if you need to see how a page loads in a given browser from a given city
• Works for checking a fix's effect side by side before you change the site, on Pro

Look elsewhere if

• Watch out: every page load counts as a run, so 5 runs with repeat views use 10 of your 150
• Tight if you stay on Starter, with 3 runs per test and no scheduled tests, alerts, API or Experiments
• Not for you if you want to try Pro first, as there's no free trial
• Too light for bigger teams, as a Pro account holds up to 5 members

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.

WebPageTest

• Every page load counts as a test run: 5 runs with first and repeat views use 10 of the monthly allowance.
• Starter allows 150 runs a month and 3 runs per test; scheduled tests, alerts, the API and Experiments need Pro.
• There is no free trial of Pro, and a Pro account holds up to 5 team members.
• The webpagetest.org site answered with a bot check; prices were read on LogicMonitor's WebPageTest pricing page.

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.

WebPageTest

Real-browser tests

Test in Chrome (stable, beta and canary), Firefox (stable, beta and ESR), Edge and Brave, on desktop or mobile, over connection speeds from 3G to fiber.

Global test locations

Starter runs tests from 30 locations across six continents; Pro adds more, including many more US cities.

Lighthouse, filmstrip and video

Each test can include a Lighthouse run, a filmstrip and a video of the page loading, on every plan.

Opportunities

Recommendations grouped under quickness, usability and resilience, with tips on what to fix. Available to all users.

Experiments

Pro runs a proposed optimization side by side with a control test in a sandbox, so its effect shows without changing the site's code.

Scheduled tests and alerts

Pro schedules tests, sends custom alerts, builds Smartboards dashboards and keeps 13 months of history, with API, private and bulk testing.

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.

WebPageTest

• Starter$0

  150 test runs a month, up to 3 runs per test, 30 locations, Lighthouse, Opportunities and 60 days of test history.

• Pro 1,000 runs$180

  per year for 1,000 test runs a month ($18.75 billed monthly)

  Scheduled tests, alerts, Smartboards, API access, Experiments, private and bulk tests, more locations, 13 months of history and up to 5 users.

• Pro 5,000 runs$840

  per year for 5,000 test runs a month ($87.50 billed monthly)

  The same Pro features with a larger monthly allowance of test runs.

• Pro 10,000 runs$1,620

  per year for 10,000 test runs a month ($168.75 billed monthly)

  The same Pro features with 10,000 test runs a month.

• Pro 20,000 runs$3,000

  per year for 20,000 test runs a month ($312.50 billed monthly)

  The largest listed Pro allowance, with 20,000 test runs a month.

GTmetrix

No public discounts listed.

WebPageTest

• Annual discount

  Save 20% with annual billing

  Pro with 1,000 runs a month is $180 a year billed annually, against $18.75 a month billed monthly; the pricing page lists a 20% saving.