5 Free Tools to Check Website Speed

Do you know how quickly your website loads?

A fast site is better for visitors, and that means more traffic, happier customers and more revenue.

Speed is dependent on a few different variables including the time of day, the location of the visitor and the speed of the network. But you can measure some of this yourself.

Here are five free speed test tools we’ve tried.

1. YSlow

YSlow is an extension for Firebug, which in turn is an extension for Firefox. Created by Yahoo!, YSlow measures speed and detects problems.

A YSlow diagnostic produces a grade on a scale of A to F and provides a diagnostic breakdown across different categories. Make sure that you are using the correct ruleset before running the test.

If you get any Fs, it’s a sign you need to work on something.

The only drawback to YSlow is that it doesn’t give a hard estimate of time.

2. Pingdom Full Page Test

Pingdom has a free page test tool that highlights troublesome areas on a site.

Pingdom generates a waterfall diagram showing how long each element takes to load. An example is shown to the right.

This test closely mimics a real browser and can provide a very accurate picture of the speed a regular end user experiences.

3. WebsiteOptimization.com

WebsiteOptimization.com is similar to Pingdom.

There’s no graph, but the data is a bit better. We liked the time estimates on different connections and the tips for improvement.

But there’s a huge drawback. This tool looks at the size of your files and makes estimations. So the numbers, while useful, are not 100% accurate; your server’s not being put under any strain.

4. InternetSupervision

InternetSupervision provides a very basic check of your site’s loading time, but it does it from 9 different locations across the globe.

Unfortunately it only loads HTML content, so again, it’s not that realistic, but it can help you to look for consistency.

5. Aptimize

Aptimize provides a great site speed test that offers a breakdown similar to Pingdom. In fact, it’s much easier to read. It breaks it down by the types of content you have and your server processing time, and it also includes YSlow results.

Aptimize is an elaborate advertisement for optimization services, though. You have to be emailed the results, which arrive in a PDF, and it is very heavy on the marketing spiel.

Which Speed Test Is Best?

Overall, we always enjoy using Pingdom, but we liked YSlow’s analysis too. Aptimize would be the winner if it would only tone down its advertising slightly.

But if a different tool appeals to you, use it; it’s best to be informed if your web hosting isn’t up to scratch.Keep up with posts like this by subscribing to our RSS feed, or following @WhoIsHosting on Twitter.