diff --git a/esphome/components/web_server_idf/utils.cpp b/esphome/components/web_server_idf/utils.cpp
index f27814062c..d3c3c3dc55 100644
--- a/esphome/components/web_server_idf/utils.cpp
+++ b/esphome/components/web_server_idf/utils.cpp
@@ -73,18 +73,15 @@ optional<std::string> request_get_url_query(httpd_req_t *req) {
   return {str};
 }
 
-optional<std::string> query_key_value(const std::string &query_url, const std::string &key) {
-  if (query_url.empty()) {
+optional<std::string> query_key_value(const char *query_url, size_t query_len, const char *key) {
+  if (query_url == nullptr || query_len == 0) {
     return {};
   }
 
-  auto val = std::unique_ptr<char[]>(new char[query_url.size()]);
-  if (!val) {
-    ESP_LOGE(TAG, "Not enough memory to the query key value");
-    return {};
-  }
+  // Use stack buffer for typical query strings, heap fallback for large ones
+  SmallBufferWithHeapFallback<256, char> val(query_len);
 
-  if (httpd_query_key_value(query_url.c_str(), key.c_str(), val.get(), query_url.size()) != ESP_OK) {
+  if (httpd_query_key_value(query_url, key, val.get(), query_len) != ESP_OK) {
     return {};
   }
 
diff --git a/esphome/components/web_server_idf/utils.h b/esphome/components/web_server_idf/utils.h
index 3a86aec7ac..ae58f82398 100644
--- a/esphome/components/web_server_idf/utils.h
+++ b/esphome/components/web_server_idf/utils.h
@@ -15,7 +15,10 @@ size_t url_decode(char *str);
 bool request_has_header(httpd_req_t *req, const char *name);
 optional<std::string> request_get_header(httpd_req_t *req, const char *name);
 optional<std::string> request_get_url_query(httpd_req_t *req);
-optional<std::string> query_key_value(const std::string &query_url, const std::string &key);
+optional<std::string> query_key_value(const char *query_url, size_t query_len, const char *key);
+inline optional<std::string> query_key_value(const std::string &query_url, const std::string &key) {
+  return query_key_value(query_url.c_str(), query_url.size(), key.c_str());
+}
 
 // Helper function for case-insensitive character comparison
 inline bool char_equals_ci(char a, char b) { return ::tolower(a) == ::tolower(b); }
diff --git a/esphome/components/web_server_idf/web_server_idf.cpp b/esphome/components/web_server_idf/web_server_idf.cpp
index 2e5a74cbef..9860810452 100644
--- a/esphome/components/web_server_idf/web_server_idf.cpp
+++ b/esphome/components/web_server_idf/web_server_idf.cpp
@@ -366,7 +366,7 @@ void AsyncWebServerRequest::requestAuthentication(const char *realm) const {
 }
 #endif
 
-AsyncWebParameter *AsyncWebServerRequest::getParam(const std::string &name) {
+AsyncWebParameter *AsyncWebServerRequest::getParam(const char *name) {
   // Check cache first - only successful lookups are cached
   for (auto *param : this->params_) {
     if (param->name() == name) {
@@ -375,11 +375,11 @@ AsyncWebParameter *AsyncWebServerRequest::getParam(const std::string &name) {
   }
 
   // Look up value from query strings
-  optional<std::string> val = query_key_value(this->post_query_, name);
+  optional<std::string> val = query_key_value(this->post_query_.c_str(), this->post_query_.size(), name);
   if (!val.has_value()) {
     auto url_query = request_get_url_query(*this);
     if (url_query.has_value()) {
-      val = query_key_value(url_query.value(), name);
+      val = query_key_value(url_query.value().c_str(), url_query.value().size(), name);
     }
   }
 
diff --git a/esphome/components/web_server_idf/web_server_idf.h b/esphome/components/web_server_idf/web_server_idf.h
index e38913ef4a..817f47da79 100644
--- a/esphome/components/web_server_idf/web_server_idf.h
+++ b/esphome/components/web_server_idf/web_server_idf.h
@@ -162,19 +162,24 @@ class AsyncWebServerRequest {
   }
 
   // NOLINTNEXTLINE(readability-identifier-naming)
-  bool hasParam(const std::string &name) { return this->getParam(name) != nullptr; }
+  bool hasParam(const char *name) { return this->getParam(name) != nullptr; }
   // NOLINTNEXTLINE(readability-identifier-naming)
-  AsyncWebParameter *getParam(const std::string &name);
+  bool hasParam(const std::string &name) { return this->getParam(name.c_str()) != nullptr; }
+  // NOLINTNEXTLINE(readability-identifier-naming)
+  AsyncWebParameter *getParam(const char *name);
+  // NOLINTNEXTLINE(readability-identifier-naming)
+  AsyncWebParameter *getParam(const std::string &name) { return this->getParam(name.c_str()); }
 
   // NOLINTNEXTLINE(readability-identifier-naming)
   bool hasArg(const char *name) { return this->hasParam(name); }
-  std::string arg(const std::string &name) {
+  std::string arg(const char *name) {
     auto *param = this->getParam(name);
     if (param) {
       return param->value();
     }
     return {};
   }
+  std::string arg(const std::string &name) { return this->arg(name.c_str()); }
 
   operator httpd_req_t *() const { return this->req_; }
   optional<std::string> get_header(const char *name) const;