Lighthouse Metrics vs PageVitals (2026): which should you pick?

Pick Lighthouse Metrics if

• Fits if you need to see how a page's Lighthouse score changes from region to region
• Makes sense if you audit now and then and want test runs that never expire

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you need real-user data, as it only runs Lighthouse lab tests
• Pricey if you need the API, hourly monitors, webhooks or custom headers, all on Pro at $80 a month billed yearly
• Tight if you test from many regions, since each region uses one run
• Watch out: the pricing page doesn't say whether the free account's 25 runs ever renew
• Too light for a team on Indie, which has 1 team member

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

Lighthouse Metrics

• Its pages describe Lighthouse lab tests only, with no real-user monitoring or Chrome UX Report data.
• API access, hourly monitors, webhooks and custom headers need the Pro plan, $80 a month billed annually.
• The pricing page does not say whether the free account's 25 test runs renew; more runs come from paid packs or a plan.

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.

Lighthouse Metrics

Global Lighthouse tests

Run one Lighthouse test from up to 16 regions at once, including US, Europe, Brazil, India, Singapore, Japan and Australia. Each region counts as a run.

Scheduled monitors

Monitors re-test a page daily on every plan, and hourly on Pro. Each test is run several times to reduce variance.

Alerts

Monitors send email alerts on every plan, Slack alerts from the Startup plan and webhook alerts on Pro.

Test history

Past Lighthouse reports are kept so you can compare how a page has changed, for 3 to 12 months depending on the plan.

API for CI/CD

On the Pro plan, a REST endpoint starts Lighthouse checks for a URL and chosen regions, so tests can run from a build pipeline.

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.

Lighthouse Metrics

• Test Runs$10

  one-time for 50 test runs

  Packs of test runs for one-off audits: also 150 runs for $25 or 500 for $60. Purchased runs never expire.

• Indie$16

  per month, billed annually ($20 billed monthly)

  5 daily monitors, 100 on-demand tests a month, 1 team member, 3 months of data and email alerts.

• Startup$40

  per month, billed annually ($50 billed monthly)

  20 daily monitors, 300 on-demand tests a month, 5 team members, 6 months of data, and email and Slack alerts.

• Pro$80

  per month, billed annually ($100 billed monthly)

  50 daily and 5 hourly monitors, 1,000 on-demand tests, 15 team members, 12 months of data, webhooks, API access and custom headers.

• Enterprise$399

  per month and up

  Custom limits on monitors, on-demand tests and API use, quoted on request.

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.

Lighthouse Metrics

• Annual discount

  Two months free with annual billing

  The pricing page offers annual billing with 2 months free: Indie is $16 a month billed annually against $20 billed monthly.

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.