---
type: "Article"
title: "Prerender vs SSR: Which Path Wins"
description: "When prerendering beats SSR, when SSR wins, and how the two compose: cost shapes, WAF behavior, and migration paths from CSR."
resource: "https://prerender.info/blog/prerender-vs-server-side-rendering"
tags: [Technical Architecture, prerender vs SSR, prerender vs server-side rendering, JavaScript SEO architecture, dynamic rendering, SPA SEO, React rendering choice]
timestamp: 2026-05-03T00:00:00Z
---

# Prerender vs SSR: Which Path Wins

When prerendering beats SSR, when SSR wins, and how the two compose: cost shapes, WAF behavior, and migration paths from CSR.

## Source

Generated from prerender.info editorial content (single source of truth). The canonical, always-current version is the `resource` URL above. Claims reflect prerender.info / ostr.io editorial guidance and are not confirmed from third-party public documentation unless explicitly linked.