Freshpaint vs Qualaroo: Shopify Performance Comparison
Both apps score Grade C — Freshpaint has the edge with 24 ms vs 56 ms desktop CPU execution.
Both apps provide heatmaps, session recording, and analytics 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 | Freshpaint | Qualaroo | Faster |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | C | C | Tie |
| JS Payload | 317.87 KB | 174.1 KB | Qualaroo |
| CPU Desktop | 24 ms | 56 ms | Freshpaint |
| CPU Mobile | 142 ms | 114 ms | Qualaroo |
| Layout Shift | 0.0 | 0.0 | Freshpaint |
Mobile CPU measured with 4× CDP throttle (mid-range Android). Tested 2026-05-31.
Freshpaint — The Faster Option (Grade C)
Freshpaint scores Grade C with a JS payload of 317.87 KB and 24 ms desktop CPU execution. Mobile CPU: 142 ms. Even as the faster of the two options, merchants on mobile-heavy stores should weigh its impact on their combined app stack.
View full Freshpaint speed report →
Qualaroo — The Heavier Option (Grade C)
Qualaroo scores Grade C with a JS payload of 174.1 KB and 56 ms desktop CPU execution. Mobile CPU: 114 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.
View full Qualaroo speed report →
When to Choose Freshpaint
- 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
When to Choose Qualaroo
- 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
Result: Comparable — Both apps score Grade C — Freshpaint has the edge with 24 ms vs 56 ms desktop CPU execution.
Both apps carry Grade C — see StackConflict’s full Analytics rankings for lighter alternatives.
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 2026-05-31.