Lighthouse alternatives for real-world performance

Lighthouse is a useful starting point.

But if you’re relying on it to understand how your site actually performs for real users, it falls short.

PerfLeaf is built as a real-world Lighthouse alternative. It combines lab data, field data, and ongoing monitoring so you can see what matters in production, not just in a synthetic audit.

Measure real performance. Track trends. Fix what actually impacts users.

Why Lighthouse isn’t enough on its own

Lighthouse runs controlled, synthetic tests. That’s helpful early on, but it misses what happens in reality.

Common problems teams hit with Lighthouse:

Scores change wildly between runs

Tests don’t reflect real devices, networks, or locations

No visibility into performance over time

No link between changes and real user impact

Easy to “game” without genuinely improving UX

Lighthouse tells you how your site might perform in a lab.

PerfLeaf shows you how it actually performs in the wild.

A real-world alternative to Lighthouse

PerfLeaf goes beyond single-run audits. It continuously monitors your site using real user data and repeatable testing, giving you a clear, stable picture of performance.

With PerfLeaf you get:

Core Web Vitals from real users

Trend-based performance tracking

Change detection and regressions

Actionable insights, not just scores

Instead of chasing green numbers, you focus on measurable improvement.

Built for modern performance teams

PerfLeaf is designed for developers, agencies, and product teams who already understand Lighthouse, but need something more reliable.

Real user monitoring (RUM)

See how real visitors experience your site across devices, networks, and locations.

Consistent lab testing

Repeatable tests that reduce noise and highlight genuine changes.

Performance trends over time

Understand whether performance is improving or regressing week-to-week, not just per deploy.

AI-assisted recommendations

Get clear guidance on what to fix next and why it matters.

Accessibility and sustainability insights

Performance doesn’t exist in isolation. PerfLeaf tracks accessibility and carbon impact alongside speed.

Use Lighthouse. Validate with PerfLeaf.

You don’t need to abandon Lighthouse entirely. Many teams use it during development.

PerfLeaf answers the next questions Lighthouse can’t:

Did this change actually improve real user experience?

Are we getting faster or slowly regressing?

Which pages are hurting our Core Web Vitals?

What should we prioritise next?

PerfLeaf turns performance into something you can track, trust, and act on.

Who PerfLeaf is for

Teams frustrated by inconsistent Lighthouse scores

Agencies that need ongoing performance reporting

Developers who care about real users, not lab scores

Product owners tracking SEO, UX, and sustainability together

If Lighthouse feels incomplete, PerfLeaf is the missing layer.