PageSpeed Insights review (2026): is it any good?
Free Google speed test with real-user Core Web Vitals and Lighthouse
Our verdict
Third of our top three technical SEO tools
For: Anyone checking page speed and Core Web Vitals
PageSpeed Insights shows how real Chrome users experienced a page over the past 28 days, with a Core Web Vitals pass or fail, and runs a Lighthouse test on mobile and desktop with suggested fixes. It is free in a browser with no account, and its API works with or without a free key. It is third because it does a narrower job: one URL per run with no monitoring, no real-user data for pages with few Chrome visits, lab scores that vary from run to run, and shared reports that last 30 days.
See all three and how we rankPageSpeed Insights report card
Very good · out of 4.0 · graded Oct 23, 2026
Best for checking one page's speed the way Google does
PageSpeed Insights shows how real Chrome users experienced a page over the last 28 days and runs a Lighthouse test on mobile and desktop, free and with no account. But it tests one URL at a time, low-traffic pages get no real-user data, lab scores vary from run to run, and shared reports only last 30 days.
Who PageSpeed Insights is for
- Fits if you want one page's Core Web Vitals the way Google measures them
- Works for developers adding speed checks to scripts through a free API
Who PageSpeed Insights is not for
- Too light for watching a whole site, as it tests one URL per run with no monitoring
- Skip it if your page has little traffic, since real-user data only shows for pages with enough Chrome visits
- Watch out: lab tests run from a Google data center in North America, Europe or Asia, and scores vary from run to run
- Tight if you keep reports, as a shared link holds its snapshot for only 30 days
- Not for you if you planned to get real-user data from its API, which Google plans to drop in favour of the CrUX API
Why PageSpeed Insights gets a 3.2
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- AValue for moneyFree, from Google, with real-user data, Lighthouse tests on mobile and desktop, shareable reports and an API. Nothing to buy.
- AFree plan and trialOpen to anyone in a browser with no account, and the API works with or without a free key.
- CFeaturesReal-user LCP, INP, CLS and FCP from CrUX, a Core Web Vitals pass or fail, and Lighthouse scores with audits and suggested fixes. The gaps it lists: one URL per run, no monitoring or history past a 30-day link, and no field data for pages with too few visits.
- BEase of useNo rating on record, and nothing to set up: type a URL and the report appears. Making sense of the audits takes some knowledge of how pages load.
- BPlatforms and integrationsWeb only, with a free v5 API that returns Lighthouse results as JSON. It draws on Lighthouse and the Chrome UX Report.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Google's own pages on 23 October 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
Make PageSpeed Insights? Put this grade on your site
Paste this where you want the badge. It links here and follows the grade if it changes. About badges
<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/pagespeed-insights#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/pagespeed-insights.svg" alt="PageSpeed Insights: 3.2 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where PageSpeed Insights stands among technical SEO tools
PageSpeed Insights's GPA of 3.2 is higher than 81 of the 83 other technical SEO tools we grade, and level with 2.
It stands best on free plan and trial (A, above 62 of 83) and worst on features (C, above 10).
PageSpeed Insights has no paid plan.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.7 out of 4, and no tool on the category's chart scores higher without costing more.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 84 technical SEO tools we grade, cut by the letter each got. PageSpeed Insights’s own letter is outlined.
- AValue for moneyAbove 54 of 83, level with 29
- AFree plan and trialAbove 62 of 83, level with 21
- 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 PageSpeed Insights, or make your own?
Keep it
PageSpeed Insights is free, so making your own would save you nothing.
And it is not the kind of software a weekend replaces. It is one of the better ones too: its GPA of 3.2 is higher than 81 of the 83 other technical SEO tools we grade.
What you could not
- Speed tests run from real browsers on a schedule.
- It plugs into other products, Lighthouse and Chrome UX Report among them, and has an API.
What this rests on. PageSpeed Insights’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 PageSpeed Insights?
PageSpeed Insights is Google's free web page speed test. For any public URL it shows how real Chrome users experienced the page over the past 28 days, taken from the Chrome UX Report, and runs a Lighthouse test on mobile and desktop with scores for performance, accessibility, best practices and SEO. An API returns the same results for use in scripts and other tools.
Worth knowing
- Tests one URL per run, and a shared report link keeps its snapshot for only 30 days.
- Real-user data appears only for public pages with enough Chrome visits; otherwise only the lab test is shown.
- Lab tests run from a Google data center in North America, Europe or Asia, and scores vary from run to run.
- Google plans to drop real-user data from the API and points developers to the CrUX API instead.
Key features
- Real-user data from CrUX
- Shows the 75th percentile of LCP, INP, CLS and FCP, plus TTFB, from real Chrome users over the past 28 days, with the share of good, middling and poor visits.
- Core Web Vitals assessment
- A pass or fail on LCP, INP and CLS for the page, falling back to the whole origin when the page alone has too little data.
- Lighthouse lab test
- Runs Lighthouse 13 on a simulated mid-range phone and on a desktop, scoring performance, accessibility, best practices and SEO from 0 to 100.
- Audits and suggestions
- Each category lists audits that explain what slows the page down or breaks best practice, and what to change.
- Shareable reports
- A link to a report keeps a snapshot of the results for up to 30 days.
- PageSpeed Insights API
- The v5 API returns Lighthouse results as JSON; an API key is recommended for frequent automated tests.
PageSpeed Insights pricing
As of Oct 23, 2026, PageSpeed Insights is free to use.
- Starts at
- Free
- Free plan
- Open to anyone in a browser with no account: enter a URL for field data and a Lighthouse report. The API works with or without a free API key.
- Free trial
- None listed
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Real-user Core Web Vitals, Lighthouse lab tests on mobile and desktop, shareable reports and the API. |
Read from pagespeed.web.dev on Oct 23, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with PageSpeed Insights before you buy.
Works with
- Lighthouse
- Chrome UX Report
PageSpeed Insights alternatives
- PageSpeed Insights vs GTmetrix
Free plan · from $4.99/mo
- PageSpeed Insights vs WebPageTest
Free plan · from $180/yr
- PageSpeed Insights vs DebugBear
Free trial · from $99/mo
Common questions
Does PageSpeed Insights have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 23, 2026. PageSpeed Insights is listed for Web.
Does PageSpeed Insights have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 23, 2026. PageSpeed Insights is listed for Web.
Is PageSpeed Insights open source?
PageSpeed Insights is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 23, 2026.
Does PageSpeed Insights have an API?
Yes. PageSpeed Insights 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.