The sitespeed.io Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about sitespeed.io 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.
sitespeed.io
The Insider’s Guide
Free open-source toolkit for testing and monitoring web performance
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among technical SEO tools, read from sitespeed.io’s own pages.
Made by sitespeed.io · 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 sitespeed.io’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on sitespeed.io’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
2.6
GPA, above 56 of the 83 other technical SEO tools we grade
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.
To get you started, here are 8 things to know about sitespeed.io, taken from its own pages and our grades.
A command-line tool run through Docker or npm, and monitoring means setting up Graphite or InfluxDB with Grafana on your own server.
- 1
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.
- 2
It is free
sitespeed.io has no paid plan at all. 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.
- 3
It runs on 3 platforms
macOS, Windows and Linux.
- 4
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.
- 5
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.
- 6
Scripted user journeys
Scripts can test several URLs, log in, or add items to a cart, and single-page applications are supported.
- 7
A 2.6 GPA, above 56 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
sitespeed.io is free, so making your own would save you nothing.
sitespeed.io at a glance
- Pricing
- Free
- Free plan
- Yes
- Free trial
- None stated
- Runs on
- macOS, Windows, Linux
- Made by
- sitespeed.io, since 2012
- Category
- Technical SEO & Site Audits
- Our grade
- 2.6 GPA, good
The report card
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.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | A | Free 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. |
| Free plan and trial | A | Entirely free, with every feature included and no account. The only costs are the machine you run it on and storage for results. |
| Features | C | HTML 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. |
| Ease of use | D | A 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. |
| Platforms and integrations | C | Runs 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. |
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 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 it 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
Good to know
Good for
- Developers who want full control of synthetic performance tests at no license cost
- Teams building their own performance dashboards in Grafana
- Adding performance budgets to a CI pipeline
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.
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
sitespeed.io is free to use.
Free and open source, with nothing to sign up for, and it runs on your own computer through Docker or npm.
Open source
$0
The full toolkit, self-hosted. The project puts a single cloud server plus S3 storage at around $500 a year.
The 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.
Read from sitespeed.io on Oct 23, 2026.
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
3
Places it runs: macOS, Windows and Linux
Free open-source toolkit for testing and monitoring web performance. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: open source, self-hostable, page speed.
It covers synthetic speed testing fully, a smaller job than technical SEO, and real-user figures only come through a CrUX plugin.
- 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.
Where it runs
- macOS
- Windows
- Linux
What it works with
- Grafana
- Graphite
- InfluxDB
- Amazon S3
- Google Cloud Storage
- GitHub Actions
- Jenkins
- Slack
sitespeed.io is made by sitespeed.io, and has been around since 2012.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
56/83
Other technical SEO tools it is graded above
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
- AFree plan and trialAbove 62 of 83
- CFeaturesAbove 10 of 83
- DEase of useAbove 0 of 83
- CPlatforms and integrationsAbove 3 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. sitespeed.io 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
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.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
WebPageTest, Lighthouse, Unlighthouse, DebugBear and SpeedCurve
The 5 tools sitespeed.io is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 2.6GPA
WebPageTest
Free plan · from $180/yr
Page speed tests from real browsers in locations around the world.
- Only sitespeed.io lists macOS, Windows and Linux apps.
- Only WebPageTest lists a web app.
- sitespeed.io is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
- 3.2GPA
Lighthouse
Free
Google's open-source audit of page speed, accessibility and SEO.
- Only sitespeed.io lists macOS, Windows and Linux apps.
- Only Lighthouse lists a web app.
- Only Lighthouse lists a browser extension.
- 2.6GPA
Unlighthouse
Free
Free open-source tool that runs Lighthouse on every page of a site.
- sitespeed.io is self-hostable, according to its own site.
- Unlighthouse also covers site audit.
- 2.2GPA
DebugBear
Free trial · from $99/mo
Page speed and Core Web Vitals monitoring with lab tests and RUM.
- sitespeed.io has a free plan. DebugBear does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only sitespeed.io lists macOS, Windows and Linux apps.
- Only DebugBear lists a web app.
- 2.2GPA
SpeedCurve
Free trial · from $90/mo
Web performance monitoring with RUM, synthetic tests and budgets.
- sitespeed.io has a free plan. SpeedCurve does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only sitespeed.io lists macOS, Windows and Linux apps.
- Only SpeedCurve lists a web app.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
12
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 sitespeed.io free?
Yes. sitespeed.io is free to use. Entirely free and open source with nothing to sign up for.
How much does sitespeed.io cost?
sitespeed.io lists one plan. Open source: $0.
What platforms does sitespeed.io work on?
sitespeed.io is available on macOS, Windows and Linux.
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.
What does sitespeed.io integrate with?
sitespeed.io's listing names Grafana, Graphite, InfluxDB, Amazon S3, Google Cloud Storage, GitHub Actions, Jenkins and Slack.
Who makes sitespeed.io?
sitespeed.io is made by a company of the same name. It dates from 2012.
What are the alternatives to sitespeed.io?
The closest alternatives to sitespeed.io in our directory are WebPageTest, Lighthouse, Unlighthouse, DebugBear and SpeedCurve.
How does sitespeed.io compare with other 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.
Is sitespeed.io good value for money?
ToolGPA grades sitespeed.io A for value for money. sitespeed.io has no paid plan.
Could I make my own version of sitespeed.io?
sitespeed.io is free, so making your own would save you nothing. And it is not the kind of software a weekend replaces.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from sitespeed.io’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 sitespeed.io'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 sitespeed.io. Prices change, so check sitespeed.io 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
- sitespeed.io, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/sitespeed-io
- 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, "sitespeed.io: The Insider's Guide", checked Oct 23, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/sitespeed-io
Know someone choosing between technical SEO tools?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/sitespeed-io/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded technical SEO tools after sitespeed.io, 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
- PageSpeed Insights Insider's GuideFree Google speed test with real-user Core Web Vitals and Lighthouse3.2 GPA
- Yellow Lab Tools Insider's GuideFree open-source audit of a page's speed and front-end code3.2 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 sitespeed.io’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. sitespeed.io is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by sitespeed.io. Prices and plans change: check sitespeed.io before you buy.