UX Lens vs Google Lighthouse
Lighthouse audits your site's technical performance. UX Lens audits your site's usability. Here's how these two different types of audits compare.
TL;DR
Lighthouse checks if your site is fast and technically sound. UX Lens checks if your site is easy to use and well-designed. One audits technical performance, the other audits user experience.
UX Lens is best for
Usability audits, heuristic evaluation, UX scoring, design improvement
Lighthouse is best for
Page speed optimization, accessibility compliance, SEO technical checks
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
A detailed look at what each tool offers.
← Swipe to see full table →
Pricing Comparison
Affordable UX audits vs. free technical audits.
UX Lens
All features included in every plan
Google Lighthouse
Completely free, open-source
Lighthouse is free but only covers technical metrics — no UX evaluation.
Where UX Lens Shines
UX Lens is purpose-built for fast, structured usability evaluation.
Usability-Focused Analysis
UX Lens is built specifically for usability evaluation, catching UX issues that technical audits completely miss.
Framework-Based Evaluation
Every audit is structured around Nielsen's 10 Usability Heuristics — the gold standard in UX evaluation.
Structured UX Scoring
Receive clear scores for each heuristic, making it easy to prioritize fixes and track UX improvements over time.
Expert-Level UX Output
AI trained on thousands of UX best practices delivers insights that match senior UX consultants.
Affordable Plans
Get professional-grade UX audits starting at $19/mo — a fraction of the cost of hiring a UX consultant.
No Technical Setup Required
Simply upload a screenshot or enter a URL. No DevTools, no CLI commands, no code installation needed.
Where Google Lighthouse Shines
Lighthouse is the industry standard for technical web performance auditing.
Performance Metrics
Detailed Core Web Vitals, load times, time to interactive, and other performance metrics to optimize page speed.
Technical Best Practices
Code-level suggestions for improving performance, accessibility compliance, and SEO technical requirements.
Free & Open Source
No cost whatsoever. Run unlimited audits via Chrome DevTools, CLI, or the PageSpeed Insights web interface.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use UX Lens and Lighthouse together?
Yes, they complement each other perfectly. Use Lighthouse for technical performance audits — page speed, accessibility compliance, and SEO checks. Then use UX Lens for usability evaluation — heuristic analysis, UX scoring, and design improvement recommendations. Together, they cover both the technical and experiential sides of your website.
Does Lighthouse check usability?
No, Lighthouse focuses on performance, accessibility compliance, SEO, and best practices. It doesn't evaluate usability or user experience design. It can tell you if an image is missing alt text, but it can't tell you if your navigation is confusing or your call-to-action is hard to find.
Why pay for UX Lens when Lighthouse is free?
They solve completely different problems. Lighthouse tells you if your page loads fast. UX Lens tells you if your page is easy to use. A fast page with poor UX still loses users. If you need usability evaluation and actionable UX recommendations, that's what UX Lens is built for — and Lighthouse simply doesn't offer it.
Which should I run first?
Run both. Start with Lighthouse to ensure your site is technically healthy — good performance scores, no accessibility violations, solid SEO basics. Then run UX Lens to evaluate the usability and user experience of your design. Technical health and good UX together make a great product.
Does UX Lens check page speed?
No, UX Lens focuses exclusively on UX and usability evaluation based on Nielsen's 10 Heuristics. For performance metrics like Core Web Vitals, load times, and speed scores, use Google Lighthouse or PageSpeed Insights.
Ready to see what AI-powered UX audits look like?
Try UX Lens free — no credit card, no traffic required. Get your first audit results in under 5 minutes.
Start Free Audit3 free audits included. No credit card required.