Roger Montti, in his article “Core Web Vitals: WordPress And Astro Versus Everyone Else” for Search Engine Journal, reviews the latest HTTP Archive Core Web Vitals Technology Report. He compares how seven major web platforms perform in real-world conditions and looks at what leads to strong Core Web Vitals (CWV) scores.
Montti says the report uses real-world user data from Google’s Chrome UX Report (CrUX) and lab data from the HTTP Archive. This gives a fuller view of how websites work on different devices and networks. Although page weight and Lighthouse scores are common performance measures, the report finds they do not always match real Core Web Vitals results.
Of the platforms reviewed, Duda came in first for Core Web Vitals, with Wix and Shopify next. Shopify stood out by earning one of the top real-world CWV scores, even though its pages are heavier and its Lighthouse scores are only average. Montti points out that Shopify’s strong performance is likely due to its optimized hosting, content delivery network (CDN), stable rendering, and efficient handling of complex e-commerce features.
Astro also did well, coming in fourth and having the lightest average page weight. Montti says Astro’s good results are due to its lightweight design and the kinds of sites usually built with it. He adds that this advantage might shrink as more complex sites are made with Astro.
In contrast, WordPress ranked last, with only about half of its sites getting good Core Web Vitals scores. It was also near the bottom for page weight and Lighthouse performance. Montti points out that these results reflect the whole WordPress ecosystem, not just the CMS, since WordPress sites differ a lot in themes, plugins, hosting, and how they are set up.
A main takeaway from the article is that having lighter pages does not always mean better Core Web Vitals. What matters more is how well a platform handles rendering, JavaScript, layout stability, and the overall complexity of the website.
Montti also stresses the need to understand each Core Web Vitals metric. Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) shows how fast main content loads, Interaction to Next Paint (INP) measures responsiveness, and Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) checks visual stability. Platforms that improve these areas can do better than others, even with bigger or more complex pages.
In the end, Montti says the report moves the focus away from just making pages smaller. Platforms that can handle real-world complexity well and still give users a fast, stable experience have the real advantage.