Both tools use the same engine and produce identical scores. The real difference: PageSpeed Insights shows you a snapshot. PageGuard tracks your site over time, alerts you when scores drop, and works without technical knowledge.
| Feature |
PG
PageGuard
|
Google PageSpeed Insights |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing |
■
Free + from $9/mo
|
■
Free (always)
|
| Who is it for? |
✓
Small businesses, designers, agencies — no technical knowledge needed
|
✗
Developers and technical SEOs
|
| Automated monitoring |
✓
Yes — weekly or daily scheduled scans
|
✗
No — manual only
|
| Email alerts |
✓
Yes — notified when score drops
|
✗
No
|
| Score history & trends |
✓
Yes — 7 to 365 days of history with trend charts
|
✗
No — each test is a snapshot, nothing saved
|
| Accessibility audit |
✓
Yes — WCAG 2.1 compliance check
|
✗
Basic only
|
| SEO audit |
✓
Yes — technical SEO checklist
|
✗
Basic only
|
| AI-generated explanations |
✓
Yes — plain-English report, no jargon
|
✗
No — technical metrics only
|
| Scan multiple sites |
✓
Yes — up to 50 sites (Agency plan)
|
✗
One URL at a time, manually
|
| Shareable report URL |
✓
Yes — share with clients or teammates
|
✗
No — copy URL only (no saved report)
|
| REST API |
■
Yes — pageguard.org/docs
|
■
Yes — PageSpeed Insights API (rate limited)
|
| Underlying engine |
■
Google PageSpeed Insights API (Lighthouse)
|
■
Google Lighthouse
|
| Requires Google account |
■
No — scan instantly, login optional
|
■
No
|
| PDF export |
✓
Yes (Pro plan)
|
✗
No
|
PageGuard uses the Google PageSpeed Insights API under the hood. Your Performance, Accessibility, SEO, and Best Practices scores will match exactly what you'd see at pagespeed.web.dev. The value PageGuard adds is everything built around those scores: history, alerts, multi-site management, and explanations that don't require a computer science degree to understand.
Same scores as PageSpeed Insights. No install. No signup required for the first scan.
Results in ~30 seconds. Performance, Accessibility, SEO & Best Practices scores.
Both tools use the same underlying Lighthouse engine via the PageSpeed Insights API, so scores are identical. PageGuard adds automated monitoring, score history, email alerts, multi-site management, and AI-generated plain-English explanations — designed for non-technical users who need ongoing tracking, not just one-time snapshots.
Yes — PageGuard is built on top of the same engine but designed for monitoring rather than one-time audits. It's the right choice when you need to track scores over time, get alerted to regressions, and manage multiple sites without manual effort.
Yes. PageGuard calls the PageSpeed Insights API, so your Performance, Accessibility, SEO, and Best Practices scores will match Google's tool. Minor variations can occur due to network conditions and timing, but the scores are from the same source.
Yes — PageGuard's dashboard supports multiple sites. Free plan includes 1 site with manual scans. Starter ($9/mo) covers 5 sites with weekly automated scans and email alerts. Pro ($29/mo) covers 15 sites with daily scans. Agency ($79/mo) covers 50 sites.
You can — it's excellent for one-time checks. But PageSpeed Insights doesn't save results, can't alert you when scores change, and requires manual visits for every test. For a business tracking site health over time, PageGuard's automation eliminates the overhead and ensures you don't miss a regression.