Can we rebuild Lighthouse?
Build a Chrome extension like Lighthouse — a Lighthouse alternative you own.
If you want to build your own Lighthouse alternative, you can create a custom performance audit tool right inside your browser. This Chrome extension can tap into the PageSpeed Insights API and browser performance metrics to test web pages on demand. You get customized reporting without being tied to standard default thresholds.
The listing record
| Name | Lighthouse |
| Store rating | 4.4 / 5 · 334 ratings |
| Users | 1M+ |
| Store listing | Chrome Web Store ↗ |
| Analyzed | 12 September 2026 |
What Lighthouse does
Lighthouse is an open-source, automated tool for improving the performance, quality, and correctness of your web apps.
What the store says
★ 4.4 from 334 ratings · 1M users
Pulled live from the Chrome Web Store listing at analysis time.
Can PlugThis rebuild Lighthouse?
“It's literally an open-source audit runner wrapped in an extension popup.”
Lighthouse is fully open source and provides accessible Node libraries and DevTools protocols to run performance, accessibility, SEO, and PWA audits. You can run client-side performance checks directly or call PageSpeed Insights and Chrome UX Report APIs to generate instant custom audit reports. Building your own allows tailored metrics, automated multi-page runs, and direct webhook alerts.
What you'd plug into
Runs complete Lighthouse audits in the cloud and returns detailed JSON results
Stores audit history and track metrics over time
Why build your own Lighthouse alternative
- Run customized audit rules that fit your team's specific standards
- Automatically log audit scores over time directly to your Supabase database
- Trigger webhook alerts to Slack when Core Web Vitals drop
- Batch audit multiple URLs in one click
What it costs vs what you'd save
The original: The original extension is open source, but the store listing does not explicitly state pricing.
Your version: Building your own isn't about saving money—it's about full control over your audit criteria, historical tracking, and direct integration with your workflow.
The starter prompt
Build a Chrome extension that audits web performance and Core Web Vitals for the current tab. When opened, it triggers an audit via the PageSpeed Insights API, displaying scores for Performance, Accessibility, Best Practices, and SEO with clear suggestions. Include an option to save historical audit results to a Supabase database for tracking progress over time.Build it with PlugThis →
Features you could add that Lighthouse doesn't have
Because you own the code, these are a follow-up prompt away — tap one to add it to the prompt above.
- Historical Audit Tracker — Store every audit in Supabase to see if recent deployments degraded page speed.
- Team Slack Dispatcher — Automatically post failed accessibility or performance checks to your engineering Slack channel.
Questions about rebuilding Lighthouse
How does a custom extension run Lighthouse audits?
You can query the Google PageSpeed Insights REST API using your own API key to get official Lighthouse audit data, or compute Core Web Vitals directly inside the active tab using standard Performance APIs.
Can I track performance trends over time?
Yes. Every time you audit a page, your extension can push the scores, timestamps, and metric breakdowns to a Supabase table to track regressions.
How to build it yourself
- 1Open PlugThis and start a new build
Head to PlugThis and start a new Chrome extension. You're describing a Lighthouse alternative you'll own outright — no store subscription.
- 2Paste the starter prompt
Paste the starter prompt above. PlugThis expands it into a full Manifest V3 extension — popup, content scripts, and service worker included.
- 3Connect your own keys
Wire in Google PageSpeed Insights API, Supabase using your own account — the build uses your credentials, so there's no per-seat fee.
- 4Review, tweak, and load it
Review the generated code, ask for tweaks in plain English, then download and load the unpacked extension in Chrome to try it.
- 5Publish it (optional)
When you're happy, publish your Lighthouse alternative to the Chrome Web Store — or just keep it as a private tool for yourself.
Build your own Lighthouse alternative
Describe it in plain English. PlugThis generates the full Manifest V3 Chrome extension in about two minutes.
Build it with PlugThis →More teardowns
We run the same teardown on any Chrome extension — what it does, whether a self-built alternative holds up, and the prompt to make one. Tear down another extension, or see the extensions we've actually rebuilt and filmed — real build times, real prompts, real recordings.
Sources & verification
- All facts pulled live from the Chrome Web Store listing ↗.
- The verdict is drafted by the PlugThis teardown engine — an opinion about buildability, not affiliation with Lighthouse.
- Written by PlugThis, which builds Chrome extensions from plain-English prompts.
Published and last updated 12 September 2026. Figures reflect the Chrome Web Store listing on that date and may have changed since.