Bold Subscriptions vs Skio: Shopify Performance Comparison
Bold Subscriptions wins with Grade A vs Grade C — a significant performance difference that compounds on mobile devices.
Both apps provide subscription billing and recurring orders functionality for Shopify stores. This page presents StackConflict’s independent lab results for both — measured in a clean-room environment with no other apps installed.
Head-to-Head Metrics
| Metric | Bold Subscriptions | Skio | Faster |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | A | C | Bold Subscriptions |
| JS Payload | 7.11 KB | 150.62 KB | Bold Subscriptions |
| CPU Desktop | 3 ms | 33 ms | Bold Subscriptions |
| CPU Mobile est. | 25 ms | ~132 ms | Bold Subscriptions |
| Layout Shift | 0.0 | 0.0 | Bold Subscriptions |
Mobile CPU applies the 4× Lighthouse throttle for mid-range Android. Tested 2026-05-30.
Bold Subscriptions — The Faster Option (Grade A)
Bold Subscriptions scores Grade A with a JS payload of 7.11 KB and 3 ms desktop CPU execution. Mobile CPU: 25 ms. It passes every StackConflict threshold for payload, CPU, and layout stability — making it safe to install on any storefront including mobile-first stores where Time-to-Interactive directly impacts conversion.
View full Bold Subscriptions speed report →
Skio — The Heavier Option (Grade C)
Skio scores Grade C with a JS payload of 150.62 KB and 33 ms desktop CPU execution. Mobile estimated cost: ~132 ms. This places it in the heavier half of StackConflict’s benchmark dataset — merchants running mobile-first stores should evaluate whether the feature value justifies the performance tradeoff.
When to Choose Bold Subscriptions
- You are running a mobile-heavy store and Core Web Vitals matter
- You want to stack multiple apps without worrying about combined JS cost
- Conversion rate optimisation is a key priority
When to Choose Skio
- Its unique feature set has no lighter equivalent in StackConflict’s database
- Your store traffic is predominantly desktop
- You have already removed or lightened other heavy scripts to compensate
Performance Verdict
Winner: Bold Subscriptions — Bold Subscriptions wins with Grade A vs Grade C — a significant performance difference that compounds on mobile devices.
About This Test
StackConflict measures each Shopify app in an isolated clean-room environment — a single development store, no other scripts, Playwright-controlled browser. V8 CPU cost is the ScriptDuration delta before and after injection. CLS is captured from the same browser session. Results represent the median of three independent runs with outliers removed.
Data from the StackConflict Lab. Last updated 2026-05-30.