Lighthouse vs WebPageTest
Lighthouse
developer.chrome.comWebPageTest
webpagetest.orgSide by side
| Figure | Lighthouse | WebPageTest |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | — |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | — |
| API | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 1 | 0 |
| Spec score · Website Optimization Tools | 8.5 (#10) | 5.1 (#29) |
Plans
In their own words
Lighthouse
Lighthouse is an open-source automated tool for auditing web page quality. Given a URL, it runs audits covering performance, accessibility, best practices, SEO, and other areas, then produces a report with results and references on the audits and how to address failures. It is aimed at web developers seeking relevant, actionable guidance. Lighthouse runs in Chrome DevTools, from the command line, as a Node module, or through a web interface without installation. DevTools can audit pages requiring authentication; the Chrome extension cannot audit authenticated pages or local sites. Reports can be produced as JSON or HTML, and the command-line tool also supports CSV. Stack packs add platform-specific recommendations, while plugins allow domain experts to contribute audits and report categories. Lighthouse can be integrated into continuous integration, and Lighthouse CI can help prevent regressions. Reports can be viewed online or shared with Lighthouse Viewer using report JSON. The CLI and Node workflows require Google Chrome, and the repository specifies Node 22 (LTS) or later. Its first CLI run asks about anonymous runtime exception reporting; opting out does not affect use.
WebPageTest
WebPageTest has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.