A comparison of Core Web Vitals (CWV) results across content management systems highlights a substantial performance divide between open-source platforms and closed, proprietary solutions.
The Core Web Vitals Technology Report, produced by the open-source HTTPArchive community, evaluates CMS platforms based on how effectively their websites meet Google’s CWV benchmarks. According to November 2025 data, the highest-performing CMS achieved an 84.87% CWV pass rate, while the lowest performer recorded just 46.28%, showing a pronounced performance gap.
What stands out this month is that the top three CMS platforms are all proprietary, whereas open-source systems occupy the bottom positions in the ranking.
Why Core Web Vitals Matter
Core Web Vitals are Google-defined metrics that assess loading speed, visual stability, and interactivity from a real user’s perspective. Websites that perform well on these metrics tend to retain visitors, reduce bounce rates, and drive better business outcomes such as conversions and engagement. Poor CWV performance, on the other hand, leads to frustration and weaker results. CWV scores therefore serve as a strong indicator of overall user experience in real-world conditions.
How the Report Measures Performance
The CWV Technology Report is built using two publicly available data sources:
- Chrome User Experience Report (CrUX) : Collects real-world performance data from Chrome users who opt in to sharing usage metrics.
- HTTP Archive : Conducts lab-based testing to examine site construction and adherence to performance best practices.
By combining these datasets, the report offers a comprehensive view of how each CMS performs on Core Web Vitals.
November 2025 CMS Rankings by CWV Performance
Duda – Ranked #1
Duda led the rankings in November 2025, with 84.87% of its websites passing CWV standards. It was the only platform where more than 80% of sites met the benchmarks, continuing its multi-year streak as the top performer.
Wix – Ranked #2
Wix secured second place with a 74.86% pass rate. Although it trailed Duda by about ten percentage points, Wix remained roughly four points ahead of the next competitor.
Squarespace – Ranked #3
Squarespace followed closely with a 70.39% CWV pass rate, maintaining a solid third-place position and staying well ahead of the open-source platforms.
Drupal – Ranked #4
Drupal achieved a 63.27% pass rate, placing it below the three proprietary builders but above the remaining open-source options. Notably, all platforms ranked below Drupal are open source.
Joomla – Ranked #5
Joomla recorded a 56.92% pass rate. While more than half of Joomla sites met CWV standards, the platform lagged considerably behind the leaders.
WordPress – Ranked #6 (Last)
WordPress finished last, with only 46.28% of sites passing Core Web Vitals. This means fewer than half of WordPress sites met the required thresholds, placing it nearly ten points behind Joomla and firmly at the bottom of the list.
How the Report Measures Performance
Why These Results Are Significant
CWV performance directly impacts how users perceive and interact with websites. Platforms at the top deliver faster, smoother, and more stable experiences for a greater proportion of users, while lower-ranked platforms expose users to slower and less responsive pages.
In November 2025, the difference between Duda and WordPress was striking—38.59 percentage points—underscoring the scale of the performance divide.
Although WordPress’s extensive plugin and theme ecosystem is often cited as a reason for weaker performance, the reality is that WordPress still ranks last overall. This may suggest a need for stricter performance guidelines or certification standards for themes and plugins to encourage better optimization.
Does CMS Choice Affect Search Rankings?
The influence of CMS selection on SEO rankings remains widely debated. Some believe WordPress’s flexibility and plugin ecosystem make it easier to rank, while others point out that proprietary platforms such as Duda, Wix, and Squarespace have invested heavily in built-in SEO tools that automate many technical optimizations.
While Core Web Vitals are generally considered a minor ranking factor, many site owners report noticeable ranking improvements from strong CWV performance. More importantly, performance has a clear and immediate impact on user experience, engagement, and conversions.
For that reason, the November 2025 HTTPArchive Technology Report remains highly relevant and should not be overlooked.
The current HTTPArchive report will soon be replaced, and early versions of the new report appear to lack date-filtering capabilities.
