sitespeed.io review (2026): is it any good?
Free open-source toolkit for testing and monitoring web performance
sitespeed.io report card
Good · out of 4.0 · graded Oct 23, 2026
Best for free speed tests you run yourself
sitespeed.io is a free, open-source command-line tool that tests a page in real browsers and produces a report with Core Web Vitals, a video of the load and a waterfall. But you install and host it yourself, ongoing monitoring needs your own server at around $500 a year by the project's estimate, and one core member maintains it in their free time.
Who sitespeed.io is for
- Fits if you're a developer who wants synthetic performance tests with no license cost
- Works for teams building their own performance dashboards in Grafana
Who sitespeed.io is not for
- Skip it if you don't use a command line, as there's no hosted service or account
- Watch out: ongoing monitoring needs your own server and storage, around $500 a year by the project's estimate
- Not for you if you need a vendor behind it, as the project says one core member maintains it in their free time
- Too light for real-user monitoring, which only comes in as CrUX data through a plugin
Why sitespeed.io gets a 2.6
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- AValue for moneyFree and open source, with nothing to sign up for, and it runs on your own computer through Docker or npm. Scheduled monitoring needs a server and storage, which the project puts at around $500 a year.
- AFree plan and trialEntirely free, with every feature included and no account. The only costs are the machine you run it on and storage for results.
- CFeaturesHTML reports with Core Web Vitals, video, HAR waterfall and advice, tests in real browsers and on phones, scripted journeys, CI budgets and Grafana dashboards. It covers synthetic speed testing fully, a smaller job than technical SEO, and real-user figures only come through a CrUX plugin.
- DEase of useA command-line tool run through Docker or npm, and monitoring means setting up Graphite or InfluxDB with Grafana on your own server. No hosted version.
- CPlatforms and integrationsRuns on Mac, Windows and Linux, with Grafana, Graphite, InfluxDB, S3, Google Cloud Storage, GitHub Actions, Jenkins and Slack. It's a program for computers only, with no hosted or phone version.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from sitespeed.io'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 sitespeed.io? Put this grade on your site
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<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/sitespeed-io#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/sitespeed-io.svg" alt="sitespeed.io: 2.6 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where sitespeed.io stands among technical SEO tools
sitespeed.io's GPA of 2.6 is higher than 56 of the 83 other technical SEO tools we grade, and level with 7.
It stands best on free plan and trial (A, above 62 of 83) and worst on ease of use (D, above 0).
sitespeed.io has no paid plan.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 1.7 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. sitespeed.io’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
- DEase of useAbove 0 of 83, level with 6
- CPlatforms and integrationsAbove 3 of 83, level with 23
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 sitespeed.io, or make your own?
Keep it
sitespeed.io 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 2.6 is higher than 56 of the 83 other technical SEO tools we grade.
What you could not
- Speed tests run from real browsers on a schedule.
- Apps for macOS, Windows and Linux that stay in step with each other.
- It plugs into other products, Grafana, Graphite and InfluxDB among them.
- People on the other end: coaches. No app builder makes those.
What this rests on. sitespeed.io’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 sitespeed.io?
sitespeed.io is a free, open-source command-line tool for synthetic web performance testing, run through Docker or npm. A test produces an HTML report with Core Web Vitals, a video of the page loading, a HAR waterfall and advice on what to fix. Run on a schedule, it sends metrics to Graphite or InfluxDB for Grafana dashboards that you host yourself.
Worth knowing
- It is a command-line tool that you install and host yourself; there is no hosted service or account to sign up for.
- Ongoing monitoring needs your own server and storage, which the project estimates at around $500 a year.
- The project says it is maintained by one core member in their free time.
Key features
- HTML test reports
- Each run reports Core Web Vitals against Google's thresholds, with a filmstrip and video of the load, a HAR waterfall, CPU timeline and the Coach's advice.
- Real browsers and phones
- Tests in Firefox, Chrome and Edge, on Chrome for Android and Safari on iOS over USB, with network throttling to emulate real connections.
- Scripted user journeys
- Scripts can test several URLs, log in, or add items to a cart, and single-page applications are supported.
- Dashboards and monitoring
- A Docker Compose setup runs sitespeed.io with Graphite and Grafana and ready-made dashboards, for scheduled tests tracked over time.
- Budgets and CI
- Performance budgets can fail a build, with JUnit or TAP output for Jenkins, CircleCI, GitLab CI and GitHub Actions, and alerts on regressions.
- Plugins and other tools
- Plugins run Lighthouse, PageSpeed Insights, CrUX data collection, axe accessibility checks and statistical comparison of runs.
sitespeed.io pricing
As of Oct 23, 2026, sitespeed.io is free to use.
- Starts at
- Free
- Free plan
- Entirely free and open source with nothing to sign up for. The only costs are the server you run it on and storage for results.
- Free trial
- None listed
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Open source | $0 | The full toolkit, self-hosted. The project puts a single cloud server plus S3 storage at around $500 a year. |
Read from sitespeed.io on Oct 23, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with sitespeed.io before you buy.
Works with
- Grafana
- Graphite
- InfluxDB
- Amazon S3
- Google Cloud Storage
- GitHub Actions
- Jenkins
- Slack
sitespeed.io alternatives
- sitespeed.io vs WebPageTest
Free plan · from $180/yr
- sitespeed.io vs DebugBear
Free trial · from $99/mo
- sitespeed.io vs SpeedCurve
Free trial · from $90/mo
Common questions
Does sitespeed.io have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 23, 2026. sitespeed.io is listed for macOS, Windows and Linux.
Does sitespeed.io have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 23, 2026. sitespeed.io is listed for macOS, Windows and Linux.
Is sitespeed.io open source?
Yes. sitespeed.io is open source, according to its own site. It can also be run on a server of your own.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 23, 2026.