Performance / Core Web Vitals, which is faster in 2026?

Out-of-the-box: Shopify wins.

• Shopify (Dawn theme, no apps): LCP ~1.8s, CLS ~0.03, INP ~150ms. Lighthouse mobile ~85.
• Magento Luma (default): LCP ~3.8s, CLS ~0.12, INP ~280ms. Lighthouse mobile ~45.

But with proper engineering, Magento beats Shopify:

• Magento + Hyvä theme (Tailwind + Alpine.js, no jQuery, ~95% less JS): LCP ~1.2s, CLS ~0.02, INP ~80ms. Lighthouse mobile ~95+.
• Shopify with 8+ apps installed (typical): LCP drifts to 2.5-3.2s as third-party scripts accumulate. Lighthouse drops to 60-70.

So the real comparison is: Shopify defaults are fast but degrade as you add apps; Magento+Hyvä takes 4-8 weeks to stand up but holds 95+ Lighthouse indefinitely because customization happens in your codebase, not in third-party scripts.

For Core Web Vitals as a SEO ranking factor in 2026, Magento+Hyvä is the better long-term bet for stores that will accumulate features over time.