PageGuard vs Gauges

Gauges is a simple real-time visitor analytics tool. PageGuard focuses on website health — performance, accessibility, technical SEO, and ADA compliance — free to start vs Gauges’ paid-only plans from $6/mo per site.

ADA Title II Deadline: April 24, 2026

State and local government websites must meet WCAG 2.1 AA. Gauges does not audit accessibility. PageGuard monitors performance AND accessibility compliance continuously — alerting you before violations occur, with no JS snippet required.

PG
PageGuard
Best for: automated site health & ADA compliance monitoring
  • Free tier — scan any site instantly, no signup
  • Performance + Accessibility + SEO + Best Practices
  • ADA / WCAG 2.1 AA compliance monitoring
  • Email alerts when any score drops
  • No JS snippet needed — works on any URL
  • Monitor 1–50 websites from $9/month
Gauges
Best for: simple real-time visitor analytics & traffic source tracking
  • Real-time visitor counts and active users
  • Traffic sources: search, direct, referral, social
  • Simple, fast dashboard — no complex setup
  • No free tier — starts at $6/month per site
  • No accessibility or ADA compliance audit
  • Requires JS snippet on every page

Feature Comparison

Feature PageGuard Gauges
Pricing Free + from $9/mo From $6/mo (1 site) to $48/mo (10 sites), no free tier
Who is it for? Small businesses, designers, agencies — automated site health monitoring Developers and marketers who want simple, real-time visitor counts and referrer data
Free tier Yes — unlimited one-off scans, no signup required No — paid plans only, from $6/month
Accessibility audit (WCAG / ADA) Yes — WCAG 2.1 AA scored 0–100 with specific issue list No — no accessibility auditing at all
Technical SEO audit Yes — meta tags, headings, canonical, structured data No — no technical SEO analysis
Performance audit (Core Web Vitals) Yes — LCP, CLS, FCP scored 0–100 No — no performance auditing
Real-time visitor analytics No Yes — live visitor counts, referrers, traffic sources in real time
Traffic source tracking No Yes — search, direct, referral, social breakdown
Requires JS snippet on site No — scans any URL without code changes Yes — Gauges tracking snippet must be installed on every page
Automated site monitoring Yes — weekly or daily scans, email alerts on score drop No — no site health monitoring or alerts
Email alerts on score regression Yes — notified when performance, SEO, or a11y drops No — no health regression alerts
AI-generated plain-English report Yes — explains issues in non-technical language No — shows raw visitor numbers only
Shareable report URL Yes — public link, no login required to view No — analytics dashboard is account-locked
ADA Title II compliance monitoring Yes — WCAG audit + alert on accessibility regression No — accessibility not covered
Multi-site dashboard Yes — 1–50 sites depending on plan Yes — up to 10 sites on highest plan

Choose PageGuard if you…

  • Need ADA / WCAG accessibility monitoring (Gauges doesn’t do this)
  • Want Core Web Vitals + SEO auditing on any URL without code changes
  • Need continuous health monitoring with email alerts on score regression
  • Run a small business, agency, or government site on a budget
  • Want AI-generated plain-English reports for non-technical stakeholders
  • Need a free scan right now without entering payment details

Choose Gauges if you…

  • Need a clean, minimal dashboard showing real-time visitors
  • Want simple traffic source breakdowns without Google Analytics complexity
  • Prefer a lightweight analytics tool over full-featured platforms
  • Don’t need WCAG auditing, SEO analysis, or Core Web Vitals scoring
  • Are comfortable installing and maintaining a JS tracking snippet

Check Your Site Free — No Credit Card

Performance + Accessibility + SEO + Best Practices in 30 seconds. No Gauges subscription or JS snippet needed.

Results in ~30 seconds. 4 scores: Performance, Accessibility, SEO, Best Practices.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is PageGuard a good Gauges alternative?

For website health monitoring and ADA compliance, yes. PageGuard covers what Gauges doesn’t — WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility auditing, Core Web Vitals performance scoring, technical SEO analysis, and AI plain-English reports — all free to start. Gauges is a simple real-time visitor analytics tool starting at $6/month per site. They solve different problems and can complement each other.

Does Gauges audit website accessibility or ADA compliance?

No. Gauges focuses on real-time visitor analytics — page views, unique visitors, referrers, and traffic sources. It does not audit WCAG accessibility compliance. With the ADA Title II deadline on April 24, 2026, websites need dedicated accessibility monitoring. PageGuard provides WCAG 2.1 AA scoring and email alerts when accessibility regresses.

Does PageGuard require a JavaScript snippet?

No — unlike Gauges, PageGuard scans any URL without requiring you to add code to your site. Just enter a URL and get Performance, Accessibility, SEO, and Best Practices scores in about 30 seconds. No installation, no snippet, no code changes required.

Can I use PageGuard and Gauges together?

Yes, they serve complementary purposes. Use Gauges for real-time visitor analytics — who is visiting your site, where they’re coming from, and which pages are popular. Use PageGuard for site health monitoring — ensuring your pages meet performance, accessibility (WCAG/ADA), and SEO standards with automated alerts when scores drop.

Explore More