A free securityheaders.com alternative
securityheaders.com is the classic header grader. Cactus does the same A-to-F grading, free and bilingual, with plain-language fixes.
What securityheaders.com is good at
securityheaders.com, built by Scott Helme, is the classic way to grade a website's HTTP security headers. You enter a URL and it returns an A+ to F grade based on headers like Strict-Transport-Security (HSTS), Content-Security-Policy (CSP), X-Content-Type-Options, and Referrer-Policy. It's fast, widely known, and a great quick check that many developers already trust.
What Cactus does
Cactus's Security Headers checker grades the same headers on the same A+ to F scale - then explains, in plain language, what each missing header means and how to fix it. It's free, needs no signup, and is fully bilingual (English and French).
How they compare
| securityheaders.com | Cactus | |
|---|---|---|
| Header grade (A+ to F) | Yes | Yes |
| Plain-language fixes | Brief | Detailed, beginner-friendly |
| Cost / signup | Free, no signup | Free, no signup |
| Bilingual (EN/FR) | No | Yes |
| Wider toolkit | Header-focused | 12 security tools in one place |
Which should you use?
Both grade headers well. Reach for securityheaders.com if you want the established, single-purpose tool many developers know. Reach for Cactus if you'd like the same grade with plainer explanations of how to fix each issue - in English or French - alongside checks for SSL/TLS and SPF, DKIM and DMARC.