GTmetrix review (2026): is the free plan enough?
Page speed testing with Lighthouse reports, monitoring and an API
GTmetrix report card
Good · out of 4.0 · graded Oct 23, 2026
Best for one-off Lighthouse speed reports
GTmetrix runs Lighthouse speed tests from a choice of locations, browsers and simulated devices, records the page loading as video and can retest pages on a schedule. Lite is $4.99 a month on yearly billing, but holds 50 tests a month and 1 monitored page, with the API only as a 10-credit trial. Hourly checks wait on Advanced at $24.99, team seats on Expert at $49.99, and refunds turn into account credit after 14 days.
Who GTmetrix is for
- 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
Who GTmetrix is not for
- 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
Why GTmetrix gets a 2.8
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- AValue for moneyLite 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.
- CFree plan and trialA 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.
- CFeaturesLighthouse 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.
- BEase of useNo rating on record. Tests run on GTmetrix's own site, with nothing to install or connect before the first report.
- BPlatforms and integrationsWeb, with a REST API, an OpenAPI specification and a GTmetrix for WordPress plugin. No desktop or phone app.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from GTmetrix's own pages on 23 October 2026, with its prices read from its pricing page in a browser on 24 October 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
Make GTmetrix? Put this grade on your site
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<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/gtmetrix#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/gtmetrix.svg" alt="GTmetrix: 2.8 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where GTmetrix stands among technical SEO tools
GTmetrix's GPA of 2.8 is higher than 64 of the 83 other technical SEO tools we grade, and level with 8.
It stands best on value for money (A, above 54 of 83) and worst on features (C, above 10).
Its paid plans start at $4.99 a month, against a middle price of $22.41 for the category: 3 of the 52 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.7 out of 4. Nothing scores higher for less, though at least one tool matches that score at a lower price.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 84 technical SEO tools we grade, cut by the letter each got. GTmetrix’s own letter is outlined.
- AValue for moneyAbove 54 of 83, level with 29
- CFree plan and trialAbove 18 of 83, level with 32
- CFeaturesAbove 10 of 83, level with 66
- BEase of useAbove 62 of 83, level with 21
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 27 of 83, level with 56
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 73 technical SEO tools. Further left costs less, and higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Point at a dot to see which tool it is.
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
Keep GTmetrix, or make your own?
Keep it
Nothing GTmetrix does is plain enough to make in a weekend. The 2 things listed below take a company.
It is one of the better ones too: its GPA of 2.8 is higher than 64 of the 83 other technical SEO tools we grade. It costs $59.88 a year.
What you could not
- Speed tests run from real browsers on a schedule.
- It plugs into other products, WordPress among them, and has an API.
What this rests on. GTmetrix’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
What is GTmetrix?
GTmetrix tests how fast a web page loads with Lighthouse, from a choice of test locations, browsers and simulated devices, and reports the results with load videos and PDF exports. It can also monitor pages on a schedule with performance alerts, and a REST API with daily credits lets developers run tests from their own tools. Free Basic accounts and paid PRO plans are offered.
Worth knowing
- 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.
Key features
- 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.
GTmetrix pricing
As of Oct 23, 2026, GTmetrix has a free plan, and paid plans start at $4.99 per month, billed yearly ($5.99 billed monthly).
- Starts at
- $4.99 per month, billed yearly ($5.99 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.
- Free trial
- None listed
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Lite | $4.99per 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 | $9.99per 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 | $24.99per 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 | $49.99per 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. |
Read from gtmetrix.com on Oct 23, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with GTmetrix before you buy.
Works with
GTmetrix alternatives
- GTmetrix vs WebPageTest
Free plan · from $180/yr
- GTmetrix vs DebugBear
Free trial · from $99/mo
- GTmetrix vs SpeedVitals
Free plan · from $16/mo
- GTmetrix vs PageVitals
Free trial · from $12/mo
Common questions
Does GTmetrix have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 23, 2026. GTmetrix is listed for Web.
Does GTmetrix have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 23, 2026. GTmetrix is listed for Web.
Is GTmetrix open source?
GTmetrix is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 23, 2026.
Does GTmetrix have an API?
Yes. GTmetrix offers a public API, according to its own site.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 23, 2026.