The PageSpeed Insights Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about PageSpeed Insights in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
PageSpeed Insights
The Insider’s Guide
Free Google speed test with real-user Core Web Vitals and Lighthouse
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among technical SEO tools, read from PageSpeed Insights’s own pages.
Made by Google · checked Oct 23, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from PageSpeed Insights’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on PageSpeed Insights’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 23, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
3.2
GPA, above 81 of the 83 other technical SEO tools we grade
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.
To get you started, here are 8 things to know about PageSpeed Insights, taken from its own pages and our grades.
No rating on record, and nothing to set up: type a URL and the report appears.
- 1
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.
- 2
It is free
PageSpeed Insights has no paid plan at all. 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.
- 3
It runs on Web
Web.
- 4
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.
- 5
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.
- 6
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.
- 7
A 3.2 GPA, above 81 of 83
That is against the other technical SEO tools we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 8
Keep it
PageSpeed Insights is free, so making your own would save you nothing.
PageSpeed Insights at a glance
- Pricing
- Free
- Free plan
- Yes
- Free trial
- None stated
- Runs on
- Web
- Made by
- Category
- Technical SEO & Site Audits
- Our grade
- 3.2 GPA, very good
The report card
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.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | A | Free, from Google, with real-user data, Lighthouse tests on mobile and desktop, shareable reports and an API. Nothing to buy. |
| Free plan and trial | A | Open to anyone in a browser with no account, and the API works with or without a free key. |
| Features | C | Real-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. |
| Ease of use | B | No 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. |
| Platforms and integrations | B | Web only, with a free v5 API that returns Lighthouse results as JSON. It draws on Lighthouse and the Chrome UX Report. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
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 it 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
Good to know
Good for
- Checking one page's Core Web Vitals the way Google measures them
- Comparing what real visitors see with a controlled lab test
- Developers adding speed checks to scripts through a free API
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.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
Free
No paid plan at all
PageSpeed Insights is free to use.
Free, from Google, with real-user data, Lighthouse tests on mobile and desktop, shareable reports and an API.
Free
$0
Real-user Core Web Vitals, Lighthouse lab tests on mobile and desktop, shareable reports and the API.
The 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.
Read from pagespeed.web.dev on Oct 23, 2026.
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
1
Place it runs: Web
Free Google speed test with real-user Core Web Vitals and Lighthouse. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: public API, page speed.
Real-user LCP, INP, CLS and FCP from CrUX, a Core Web Vitals pass or fail, and Lighthouse scores with audits and suggested fixes.
- 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.
Where it runs
- Web
What it works with
- Lighthouse
- Chrome UX Report
PageSpeed Insights is made by Google.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
81/83
Other technical SEO tools it is graded above
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
- AFree plan and trialAbove 62 of 83
- CFeaturesAbove 10 of 83
- BEase of useAbove 62 of 83
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 27 of 83
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 73 technical SEO tools. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. PageSpeed Insights is the marked dot.
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
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.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
GTmetrix, WebPageTest, Lighthouse, DebugBear and Chrome UX Report
The 5 tools PageSpeed Insights is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 2.8GPA
GTmetrix
Free plan · from $4.99/mo
Page speed testing with Lighthouse reports, monitoring and an API.
- 2.6GPA
WebPageTest
Free plan · from $180/yr
Page speed tests from real browsers in locations around the world.
- WebPageTest also covers dashboards.
- 3.2GPA
Lighthouse
Free
Google's open-source audit of page speed, accessibility and SEO.
- Only Lighthouse lists a browser extension.
- Lighthouse is open source, according to its own site.
- Lighthouse also covers site audit.
- 2.2GPA
DebugBear
Free trial · from $99/mo
Page speed and Core Web Vitals monitoring with lab tests and RUM.
- PageSpeed Insights has a free plan. DebugBear does not, though it has a free trial.
- DebugBear also covers dashboards.
- 2.8GPA
Chrome UX Report
Free
Google's public dataset of real Chrome users' Core Web Vitals.
- Chrome UX Report also covers dashboards.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
13
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is PageSpeed Insights free?
Yes. PageSpeed Insights is free to use.
How much does PageSpeed Insights cost?
PageSpeed Insights lists one plan. Free: $0.
What platforms does PageSpeed Insights work on?
PageSpeed Insights is available on Web.
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.
What does PageSpeed Insights integrate with?
PageSpeed Insights's listing names Lighthouse and Chrome UX Report. A listing names up to eight integrations, so it may connect to more.
Who makes PageSpeed Insights?
PageSpeed Insights is made by Google.
What are the alternatives to PageSpeed Insights?
The closest alternatives to PageSpeed Insights in our directory are GTmetrix, WebPageTest, Lighthouse, DebugBear and Chrome UX Report.
How does PageSpeed Insights compare with other 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.
Is PageSpeed Insights good value for money?
ToolGPA grades PageSpeed Insights A for value for money. PageSpeed Insights has no paid plan.
Could I make my own version of PageSpeed Insights?
PageSpeed Insights is free, so making your own would save you nothing.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from PageSpeed Insights’s own pages on Oct 23, 2026, and the grades were given on Oct 23, 2026. 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.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Google. Prices change, so check pagespeed.web.dev before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
3,189
Tools graded, in 94 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
3,189
tools graded
94
categories
426
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- PageSpeed Insights, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/pagespeed-insights
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "PageSpeed Insights: The Insider's Guide", checked Oct 23, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/pagespeed-insights
Know someone choosing between technical SEO tools?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/pagespeed-insights/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded technical SEO tools after PageSpeed Insights, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- Technical SEO & Site Audits Insider's GuideEvery one of the 84 technical SEO tools we grade, compared
- Lighthouse Insider's GuideGoogle's open-source audit of page speed, accessibility and SEO3.2 GPA
- Yellow Lab Tools Insider's GuideFree open-source audit of a page's speed and front-end code3.2 GPA
- Baidu Search Resource Platform Insider's GuideBaidu's webmaster tools for indexing, crawling and keyword data3.0 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what PageSpeed Insights’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. PageSpeed Insights is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Google. Prices and plans change: check pagespeed.web.dev before you buy.