Core Web Vitals pass rate before and after a WooCommerce move
| Move | Pass before | Pass after | Change (points) | Median LCP change | Median TTFB change | Sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WooCommerce to Shopify | 26.1% | 57.6% | +31.5 | -1,271 ms | -1,233 ms | 514 |
| WooCommerce to Next.js | 29.0% | 21.5% | -7.5 | -502 ms | -709 ms | 123 |
| Shopify to WooCommerce | 57.0% | 34.2% | -22.8 | +777 ms | +1,310 ms | 57 |
Source: PageSpeed Matters, Oct 2026. Months 2 to 4 before vs months 1 to 3 after each switch.
Summary
Store owners who leave WooCommerce for Shopify usually expect a faster site. We checked whether that is what happens, using real-user Core Web Vitals data from before and after each switch.
In this data, yes. 514 top 1M stores that moved from WooCommerce to Shopify went from a 26.1% Core Web Vitals pass rate to 57.6%, more than doubling, even though their median page weight rose about 860 KB. The gain came almost entirely from loading speed, and the reverse move went the other way.
What we measured
We used HTTP Archive monthly crawls of the top 1M sites from Sept 2024 to Sept 2026 to find platform switches. A switch counts when a site was detected on one platform for 3+ months and then on another for 3+ months. For each store we compared the share of months that passed Core Web Vitals in months 2 to 4 before the switch with months 1 to 3 after it, using Chrome UX Report field data, then averaged across stores. LCP, TTFB and page weight changes are medians of each store's own before and after averages.
Two limits matter. Many platform switches come with a redesign, new theme or new apps, so these results describe what happened after the move, not what the platform alone did. The window also matters: measuring months 0 to 2 after the switch gives a 52.9% pass rate instead of 57.6%, likely because the first weeks on a new store are still settling. Only 13 of the stores rank in the top 100K, so we make no claims by popularity tier.
Pass rates more than doubled after the move
Before the switch, the 514 stores passed Core Web Vitals 26.1% of the time, roughly one month in four. After it, they passed 57.6% of the time, a gain of 31.5 points.
Before the move, most months on WooCommerce were failing months. After it, most months on Shopify were passing ones.
57.6%
Core Web Vitals pass rate of 514 stores in months 1 to 3 after moving from WooCommerce to Shopify, up from 26.1% before.
Pages got faster even as they got heavier
The median store's LCP fell 1,271 ms and its TTFB fell 1,233 ms. Those two numbers are close, which suggests most of the LCP gain came from the server answering sooner. A likely reason is the move from self-managed WooCommerce hosting to Shopify's hosted platform, though a redesign at the same time can also play a part.
At the same time, pages got heavier. Median total page weight rose about 860 KB, and the median store added about 879 KB of JavaScript. So the extra weight is mostly script, likely from the theme and apps the new store installed. The faster server response more than made up for it on loading, but heavier script is worth watching for responsiveness.
Loading speed drove the gain
Breaking the pass rate into its three metrics shows where the gain came from. The share of months with a good LCP rose from 31.4% to 80.2%. Good CLS rose from 81.4% to 91.9%. Good INP was flat, at 72.1% before and 71.3% after.
LCP was the metric holding these stores back on WooCommerce, and it is the one that moved most. Layout stability also improved. Responsiveness did not, which fits the extra JavaScript: the new stores load sooner, but they do not respond to taps and clicks any faster.
About half the stores improved
The average hides a spread. 49.2% of the 514 stores (253) improved their pass rate after the move, and 9.5% (49) got worse. The rest were unchanged.
So a move to Shopify is not a guaranteed win. About one store in ten ended up with a lower pass rate than it had on WooCommerce.
Other moves went the other way
The reverse move hurt. 57 stores that left Shopify for WooCommerce fell from a 57.0% pass rate to 34.2%, with median LCP up 777 ms and TTFB up 1,310 ms. That is close to a mirror image of the WooCommerce to Shopify result, with server response time again moving in step with LCP.
Leaving WooCommerce for a Next.js front end did not help either. 123 stores went from 29.0% passing to 21.5%, even though median LCP fell 502 ms and TTFB fell 709 ms. Faster loading was not enough for those stores to pass, which suggests responsiveness or layout stability got worse; this data does not show which.
What this means for your store
If your WooCommerce store fails Core Web Vitals on LCP and TTFB, a move to Shopify has a strong track record in this data. But plan for the parts that do not improve on their own:
- Measure before you move. Record your field LCP, INP, CLS and TTFB so you can tell whether the new store is better.
- Watch the JavaScript budget. The median store added about 879 KB of script, and INP did not improve. Install apps one at a time and drop any you do not use.
- Expect a settling period. Counting the launch month gave a lower pass rate (52.9%) than months 1 to 3 after it, so judge the move on a full few months of field data.
- Do not assume a headless rebuild is faster. Stores that left WooCommerce for Next.js passed less often after the move, not more.
If you are going the other way, from Shopify to WooCommerce, budget for hosting and caching work up front: median TTFB on those stores rose 1,310 ms.
Sources
- HTTP Archive monthly crawls of the top 1M sites, Sept 2024 to Sept 2026, with Chrome UX Report field data, analyzed October 2026
- web.dev, Web Vitals: https://web.dev/articles/vitals
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<p style="font:14px/1.5 system-ui,sans-serif">Source: <a href="https://www.pagespeedmatters.com/resources/data-studies/woocommerce-to-shopify-speed">WooCommerce to Shopify Speed: 26.1% to 57.6% Pass CWV - PageSpeed Matters</a></p>
Frequently asked questions
Is Shopify faster than WooCommerce?
In our data, 514 stores that moved from WooCommerce to Shopify went from a 26.1% Core Web Vitals pass rate to 57.6%, with median LCP down 1,271 ms. Many of those moves came with a redesign, so this is what happened after the switch, not a pure platform test.
Does moving from Shopify to WooCommerce hurt Core Web Vitals?
It did in our sample. 57 stores that left Shopify for WooCommerce fell from a 57.0% pass rate to 34.2%, with median LCP up 777 ms and TTFB up 1,310 ms.
Do pages get heavier after moving to Shopify?
Yes. Median total page weight rose about 860 KB and the median store added about 879 KB of JavaScript. Loading still got faster, but good INP was flat at 72.1% before and 71.3% after.
How many stores get faster after moving from WooCommerce to Shopify?
49.2% of the 514 stores (253) improved their Core Web Vitals pass rate after the move and 9.5% (49) got worse. The rest were unchanged.
A planned migration with a performance budget keeps the loading gains of a new store without giving them back to heavy apps and scripts. Need help with this? See our Shopify migration services.