HTTP Archive’s newest Core Internet Vitals Modern technology Record ranks seven content monitoring systems and supplies the surprising understanding that page weight and PageSpeed Insights Lighthouse ratings do not constantly forecast Core Web Vitals performance.

Why Core Internet Vitals Issue

Core Internet Vitals (CWV) are metrics produced by Google to show:

• How quickly a web page tons
• How steady it continues to be during loading
• And how responsive users might perceive the web page.

While Core Web Vitals is a small ranking variable, it is necessary due to the fact that web pages with high CWV scores do quicker and more efficiently for users and can benefit website owners with greater conversions and far better advertisement performance. Sites with reduced ratings often tend to existing users with friction that can irritate them, which consequently can increase abandonment rates and adversely impact conversions.

Does Web Page Weight Influence Core Web Vitals?

It is frequently recognized that web page weight affects Core Internet Vitals scores. Yet web page weight is not always the leading variable. So this contrast also examines mean page weight to comprehend how carefully it associates with low or high CWV ratings.

What emerges from the contrast recommends the relationship is not fairly as straightforward as it seems.

Just how The Data Is Gathered

The Core Web Vitals Innovation Report combines public information from the Chrome UX Report (CrUX) and the HTTP Archive project. The information made use of for this contrast comes from global stats, which can give a broader view of how sites do throughout the largest range of devices and internet connections.

• Essence accumulates anonymized real-world field performance data from Chrome customers who choose right into sharing usage stats.
• HTTP Archive collects lab-based performance and modern technology data by creeping and checking internet sites throughout the web.
• The HTTP Archive mean web page weight dataset determines the regular transfer dimension of pages in time.

Comparing both datasets (essence and HTTP Archive) makes it feasible to analyze whether page weight associates with determined and real-world Core Internet Vitals efficiency.

Duda Ranked Highest For Core Internet Vitals

Duda placed initially in Core Web Vitals performance with roughly 85 % of sites receiving an excellent CWV score. It also maintained among the lightest typical web page weights in the comparison at approximately 1 78 MEGABYTES.

The relationship in between lighter pages and stronger CWV efficiency is promptly noticeable. Duda combined relatively light-weight pages with the strongest CWV performance in the dataset.

# 2 Rated CWV System: Wix

Wix rated 2nd with approximately 80 % of sites receiving an excellent CWV score.

Its mean page weight measured roughly 2 55 MB, noticeably larger than Duda however still lighter than a number of lower-performing platforms.

The data continues enhancing the broader trend. Systems lugging reduced page weight generally gathered near the top of the CWV positions.

# 3 Rated CWV Platform: Shopify

Shopify is placed 3rd for Core Internet Vitals performance with roughly 79 % of sites obtaining an excellent CWV rating. That’s a remarkably strong ranking because shopping site efficiency tends to get dragged down by third-party scripts, customer monitoring, and shopping-related attributes. Shopify websites also had the worst web page weight scores and Lighthouse audit scores.

Web Page Weight Scores April 2026 (Lower Is Better)

1. Astro: 1 65 MEGABYTES
2. Duda: 1 87 MB
3. Drupal: 2 39 MEGABYTES
4. Joomla: 2 65 MB
5. Wix: 2 67 MB
6. WordPress: 2 76 MB
7. Shopify: 3 77 MEGABYTES

Lighthouse Audit Scores April 2026 (Higher Is Better)

1. Astro: 68
2. Wix: 62
3. Duda: 54
4. Drupal: 48
5. Shopify: 47
6. WordPress: 44
7. Joomla: 43

Shopify sites had all these aspects antagonizing them and yet they still outperformed almost all the various other systems in this contrast. What is going on?

The initial takeaway is that decreasing Page Weight is only one aspect out of a number of for improving Core Web Vitals efficiency.

One more understanding is that Lighthouse lab audit scores and real-world Core Web Vitals are not rewarding specifically the very same points.

The Lighthouse audit is delicate to:

• JavaScript payload
• Extra JS
• Render-blocking resources
• Synthetic throttling conditions
• Photo inadequacies
• Network waterfall framework

Why Shopify Sites May Rating Extremely For CWV

Websites organized on Shopify might have high real-world Core Internet Vitals efficiency since Shopify maintains steady making behavior, utilizes layouts coded to prevent moving, supplies interactivity swiftly, and strongly enhances source shipment through CDN facilities and its holding environment.

The above aspects are the very points that react well to real-world CrUX dimensions:

• Procedures actual user experience
• Includes caching effects
• Includes CDN behavior
• Consists of repeat brows through
• Shows genuine tools and connection problems
• Actions whether the web page ultimately really feels receptive and steady to customers

Shopify’s outcomes reveal that a site can have high page weight and low Lighthouse audit scores and still deliver a high-quality Core Web Vitals experience to customers. Optimizing shopping web sites is hard. Shopify’s efficiency in this contrast is worth identifying.

Why Does Astro Have Good Scores?

67 % of websites making use of Astro got a good CWV rating, positioning it sturdily in fourth area. Astro likewise kept the lightest mean web page weight in the dataset. That combination of light page weight and strong Core Web Vitals performance enhances the intuition that light-weight web pages assist with CWV ratings. Yet Shopify’s example reveals that page weight is not the only course towards far better CWV performance.

Astro should have a better look, however, since the high CWV scores could be a reflection of the kinds of websites being released with it. As an example, uncomplicated blog-style websites don’t need the sort of complicated performances that drag down Core Web Vitals ratings.

Astro does well out of the box, however so does WordPress. A more review may show that the out-of-the-box Astro benefit might discolor as web site intricacy increases.

Drupal Provides Reputable CWV Efficiency

Drupal rated fifth with about 64 % of websites getting a good CWV rating.

Its mean web page weight gauged about 2 28 MEGABYTES, putting it near the center of the comparison in both CWV efficiency and web page weight dimension.

Drupal’s performance scores from January through April 2026 shows security with no swings up or down. It started the year at 64 % and ended April with the very same 64 % score. Stability is good, but a higher enhancement, even a modest one, is arguably favored.

What Is Weakening Joomla’s CWV Performance?

Joomla placed sixth with about 58 % of Joomla-based websites receiving a good CWV score.

The average web page weight of sites making use of Joomla determined around 2 53 MEGABYTES, which is far better than several of the greater CWV rated web sites. This is an additional anomaly where a platform delivers reduced page weight but sub-par Core Web Vitals scores.

A review of HTTP Archive’s Lighthouse Audits performance reveals that Joomla had the most affordable Lighthouse ratings of all the CMS platforms in this contrast.

Joomla Scores Most Affordable On Lighthouse Audits

1. Astro: 68
2. Wix: 62
3. Duda: 54
4. Drupal: 48
5. Shopify: 47
6. WordPress: 44
7. Joomla: 43

Those low scores might suggest that implementation variables, such as render-blocking sources, JavaScript actions, picture handling, and template or extension quality, may be the elements bearing down real-world CWV efficiency for Joomla-based websites.

WordPress Is Last Once More

WordPress is ranked dead last in this contrast with around 49 % of websites getting a great CWV score. It ranked 2nd to last in Lighthouse Audits simply behind Joomla and was 2nd to last for web page weight with a typical web page weight of around 2 63 MB.

The contrast with Duda and Astro is specifically sharp when contrasting web page weight:

• Sites produced with Duda were 1 87 MB
• Websites created using Astro averaged 1 65 MEGABYTES.
• WordPress sites had a typical web page weight of approximately 2 63 MEGABYTES.

The void in between the systems is huge sufficient that they no more appear to be operating within the exact same efficiency range.

Mean Web Page Weight And CWV Performance

The systems with the lightest median page weights didn’t directly associate with leading Core Web Vitals efficiency.

Web page Weight

1. Astro: 1 57 MB
2. Duda: 1 78 MB
3. Drupal: 2 28 MEGABYTES

Core Web Vitals Efficiency

• Duda: 85 %
• Wix: 80 %
• Shopify: 79 %

Low Page Weight Does Not Assurance Excellent CWV Efficiency

The information shows up to sustain a relatively uncomplicated final thought: lighter web pages generally generate more powerful Core Web Vitals performance. Yet Shopify reveals that maximizing for web page weight is not the sole path to much better CWV efficiency. The response lies in just how successfully systems take care of web site complexity.

Shopify’s web pages bring far more weight than completing systems, mostly due to the fact that shopping websites call for considerable JavaScript, product filtering system systems, vibrant supply functionality, images, customization features, and interactive shop aspects.

Under a simple payload-size design, Shopify needs to do significantly even worse. But the system continues generating CWV ratings that outmatch even more lightweight systems.

That suggests the conversation around performance need to be as much concerning managing websites intricacy as it is about decreasing page weight. The example of Shopify sites appears to point to web page complexity as the more important factor to maximize for.

• A lighter platform may still choke up if rendering and execution are managed inefficiently.
• A much heavier system may still execute well if its style boldy optimizes how that complexity is provided to individuals.

That’s the big takeaway from the comparison of various platforms.

However, websites that are lightweight generally had a tendency to show stronger CWV efficiency. But Shopify requires a more nuanced verdict because it shows that haul dimension alone does not determine outcomes.

The competitive advantage progressively shows up to come from platforms capable of carrying intricacy effectively.

Takeaway

What Shopify’s outcomes actually reveal is that Core Web Vitals performance is not simply a competition to see which platform can ship the tiniest pages. The more vital question is what occurs after real-world intricacy goes into the image.

That’s where the individual CWV metrics come to be valuable since they disclose the details methods web sites fail under stress.

Biggest Contentful Paint (LCP) often breaks when systems load large images, hold-up exploration of the primary picture, block rendering with CSS and JavaScript, or force web browsers to contend versus too many high-priority sources at the exact same time. A website can have fairly small overall payloads and still choke up if the browser battles to identify and provide one of the most crucial aesthetic material quickly.

Interaction to Following Paint (INP) subjects one more weak point. Third-party manuscripts, tracking tags, hydration expenses, popups, sliders, chat widgets, and too much JavaScript implementation can all block the web browser’s primary thread and hold-up responsiveness. This is where internet site complexity becomes costly because every extra function completes for execution time.

Advancing Layout Shift (CLS) commonly breaks when designs are unsteady. Pictures without scheduled measurements, late-loading ads, embedded media, injected interface elements, and dynamic web content can all push visible content around while customers are attempting to communicate with the page.

This is where Shopify’s outcomes come to be extra interesting. Purchasing sites normally bring most of the precise components that tend to damage LCP, INP, and CLS ratings. Shopify additionally rated only in the center of the Lighthouse efficiency scores, which implies its lab-test results were not especially strong compared to the rest of the platforms.

And yet Shopify still kept one of the toughest real-world CWV efficiencies in the contrast. When discussing CWV many SEOs concentrate on making sites quicker. Yet if we’re going to eliminate something from this contrast, it’s that real-world CWV efficiency may originate from exactly how well a website manages the technological failure points and not concentrating just on page weight kind renovations.

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