CodeGecko vs Lighthouse
Lighthouse is a free lab test that finds things to fix on one page. CodeGecko tells you how each release did for your real visitors, on every page.
The short version
What’s different, in four lines.
- 01Lighthouse loads one page once, in a lab, on a simulated phone and connection.
- 02It’s excellent at pointing to fixes: heavy images, render-blocking scripts, unused code.
- 03Its score can change between runs even when nothing changed, and real visitors often see different numbers.
- 04CodeGecko measures real visits and tells you, per release, whether each page got faster or slower.
Side by side
The same questions, both answers.
| Question | CodeGecko | Lighthouse |
|---|---|---|
| Tells you if a release got slower | Yes, a verdict for every release | No, each run scores one page load and you compare runs yourself |
| Real visitors, not a lab test | Yes, every real page load | No, one simulated visit |
| Per page and device | Yes, every page on phones and computers | One page and one device setting per run |
| Waits for enough visits | Yes, at least 30 visits on each side | One run at a time; scores shift between runs |
| Setup | A script tag and one CI step | None, it’s built into Chrome DevTools |
| Who it’s for | Developers on small teams | Anyone fixing a specific page |
Tells you if a release got slower
CodeGeckoYes, a verdict for every release
LighthouseNo, each run scores one page load and you compare runs yourself
Real visitors, not a lab test
CodeGeckoYes, every real page load
LighthouseNo, one simulated visit
Per page and device
CodeGeckoYes, every page on phones and computers
LighthouseOne page and one device setting per run
Waits for enough visits
CodeGeckoYes, at least 30 visits on each side
LighthouseOne run at a time; scores shift between runs
Setup
CodeGeckoA script tag and one CI step
LighthouseNone, it’s built into Chrome DevTools
Who it’s for
CodeGeckoDevelopers on small teams
LighthouseAnyone fixing a specific page
Based on Lighthouse’s public docs, checked October 2026: Chrome for Developers: Lighthouse overview · Lighthouse docs: Score variability. Spot something out of date? Tell us.
Which one fits you
Pick the one that answers your question.
Pick CodeGecko if
- You want to know how a release did for real visitors.
- You want every page checked after every deploy, without running tests.
Pick Lighthouse if
- You want a list of things to fix on one page.
- You want to test a page before it has any visitors.
Comparing other tools? See all comparisons.
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