Programming Language and compiler
Benchmarks

Zig VS Kotlin benchmarks

Current benchmark data was generated on Mon Mar 31 2025, full log can be found HERE

CONTRIBUTIONS are WELCOME!

[x86_64][4 cores] AMD EPYC 7763 64-Core Processor (Model 1)

* -m in a file name stands for multi-threading or multi-processing

* -i in a file name stands for direct intrinsics usage. (Usage of simd intrinsics via libraries is not counted)

* -ffi in a file name stands for non-stdlib FFI usage

* (You may find time < time(user) + time(sys) for some non-parallelized programs, the overhead is from GC or JIT compiler, which are allowed to take advantage of multi-cores as that's more close to real-world scenarios.)

binarytrees

Input: 18

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
kotlin 1.kt 474ms 2.2ms 577.6MB 567ms 83ms kotlin/jvm 21
zig 1.zig 1822ms 94ms 49.0MB 1787ms 20ms zig 0.14.0
kotlin 1-m.kt 3074ms 28ms 246.4MB 5113ms 703ms kotlin/native 1.8.21

Input: 15

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
kotlin 1.kt 100ms 0.6ms 160.2MB 110ms 27ms kotlin/jvm 21
zig 1.zig 154ms 1.6ms 7.0MB 140ms 0ms zig 0.14.0
kotlin 1-m.kt 267ms 2.6ms 28.5MB 427ms 57ms kotlin/native 1.8.21

edigits

Input: 250001

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
zig 1.zig 2250ms 2.7ms 2.5MB 2220ms 13ms zig 0.14.0

Input: 100000

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
zig 1.zig 380ms 1.3ms 1.9MB 360ms 0ms zig 0.14.0

fannkuch-redux

Input: 11

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
zig 2-m.zig 634ms 1.8ms 1.4MB 2393ms 0ms zig 0.14.0
zig 3-i.zig 1767ms 0.8ms 1.0MB 1760ms 0ms zig 0.14.0
zig 1.zig 2716ms 0.8ms 1.0MB 2710ms 0ms zig 0.14.0

Input: 10

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
zig 2-m.zig 60ms 0.8ms 1.4MB 200ms 0ms zig 0.14.0
zig 3-i.zig 147ms 0.6ms 1.0MB 140ms 0ms zig 0.14.0
zig 1.zig 229ms 0.5ms 1.0MB 220ms 0ms zig 0.14.0

fasta

Input: 2500000

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
zig 1.zig 89ms 0.3ms 1.0MB 80ms 0ms zig 0.14.0

Input: 250000

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
zig 1.zig 11ms 0.8ms 1.1MB 0ms 0ms zig 0.14.0

helloworld

Input: QwQ

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
zig 1.zig 1.0ms 0.0ms 1.0MB 0ms 0ms zig 0.14.0
kotlin 1.kt 2.0ms 0.2ms 2.5MB 0ms 0ms kotlin/native 1.8.21
kotlin 1.kt 56ms 5.4ms 47.2MB 50ms 20ms kotlin/jvm 21

knucleotide

Input: 2500000_in

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
zig 1.zig 499ms 8.5ms 26.3MB 477ms 7ms zig 0.14.0

Input: 250000_in

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
zig 1.zig 66ms 2.2ms 15.4MB 53ms 3ms zig 0.14.0

lru

Input: 1000 1000000

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
zig 1.zig 34ms 0.8ms 2.8MB 27ms 0ms zig 0.14.0
kotlin 1-m.kt 181ms 3.8ms 96.7MB 300ms 30ms kotlin/jvm 21
kotlin 2-m.kt 197ms 1.3ms 103.5MB 420ms 40ms kotlin/jvm 21
kotlin 2.kt 299ms 2.1ms 5.8MB 420ms 10ms kotlin/native 1.8.21
kotlin 1.kt 515ms 4.2ms 5.9MB 613ms 10ms kotlin/native 1.8.21

Input: 1000 3000000

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
zig 1.zig 92ms 0.9ms 2.8MB 83ms 0ms zig 0.14.0
kotlin 2-m.kt 311ms 8.5ms 212.5MB 533ms 47ms kotlin/jvm 21
kotlin 1.kt 343ms 9.7ms 204.4MB 443ms 43ms kotlin/jvm 21
kotlin 2.kt 893ms 4.3ms 5.8MB 1280ms 50ms kotlin/native 1.8.21
kotlin 1.kt 1545ms 11ms 5.8MB 1860ms 23ms kotlin/native 1.8.21

Input: 100 500000

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
zig 1.zig 16ms 0.7ms 1.3MB 10ms 0ms zig 0.14.0
kotlin 1-m.kt 138ms 2.2ms 92.7MB 273ms 23ms kotlin/jvm 21
kotlin 2.kt 140ms 1.1ms 3.6MB 193ms 0ms kotlin/native 1.8.21
kotlin 2-m.kt 166ms 21ms 95.2MB 347ms 23ms kotlin/jvm 21
kotlin 1.kt 171ms 1.1ms 3.8MB 210ms 3ms kotlin/native 1.8.21

mandelbrot

Input: 5000

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
zig 1.zig 247ms 2.2ms 4.0MB 237ms 0ms zig 0.14.0

Input: 1000

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
zig 1.zig 12ms 0.4ms 1.1MB 0ms 0ms zig 0.14.0

merkletrees

Input: 17

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
kotlin 1.kt 351ms 4.3ms 679.4MB 377ms 93ms kotlin/jvm 21
zig 1.zig 855ms 3.1ms 41.0MB 827ms 13ms zig 0.14.0
kotlin 1-m.kt 1499ms 16ms 134.5MB 2310ms 327ms kotlin/native 1.8.21

Input: 15

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
kotlin 1.kt 129ms 2.5ms 208.5MB 153ms 40ms kotlin/jvm 21
zig 1.zig 173ms 2.3ms 11.0MB 160ms 0ms zig 0.14.0
kotlin 1-m.kt 310ms 3.8ms 38.6MB 453ms 67ms kotlin/native 1.8.21

nbody

Input: 5000000

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
zig 3.zig 199ms 0.7ms 1.0MB 190ms 0ms zig 0.14.0
zig 2.zig 279ms 0.3ms 1.0MB 270ms 0ms zig 0.14.0
zig 1.zig 316ms 1.3ms 1.1MB 303ms 0ms zig 0.14.0
kotlin 1n.kt 406ms 0.5ms 2.5MB 397ms 0ms kotlin/native 1.8.21
kotlin 1.kt 445ms 1.6ms 49.5MB 487ms 20ms kotlin/jvm 21

Input: 500000

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
zig 3.zig 22ms 0.3ms 1.0MB 10ms 0ms zig 0.14.0
zig 2.zig 30ms 0.2ms 1.0MB 20ms 0ms zig 0.14.0
zig 1.zig 34ms 0.4ms 1.1MB 30ms 0ms zig 0.14.0
kotlin 1n.kt 47ms 1.9ms 2.5MB 40ms 0ms kotlin/native 1.8.21
kotlin 1-m.kt 119ms 0.0ms 49.6MB 163ms 17ms kotlin/jvm 21

nsieve

Input: 12

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
zig 1.zig 263ms 1.5ms 40.1MB 250ms 0ms zig 0.14.0
zig 2.zig 322ms 3.8ms 6.0MB 313ms 0ms zig 0.14.0

Input: 10

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
zig 1.zig 52ms 1.4ms 10.8MB 40ms 0ms zig 0.14.0
zig 2.zig 81ms 1.3ms 2.3MB 70ms 0ms zig 0.14.0

pidigits

Input: 8000

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
zig 1.zig 2465ms 18ms 2.2MB 2437ms 13ms zig 0.14.0
kotlin 1.kt 3686ms 7.3ms 354.4MB 4587ms 103ms kotlin/jvm 21
kotlin 1n.kt timeout 0.0ms 5.5MB 6277ms 270ms kotlin/native 1.8.21
kotlin 2n.kt timeout 0.0ms 6.2MB 5017ms 143ms kotlin/native 1.8.21

Input: 4000

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
zig 1.zig 569ms 2.6ms 1.6MB 560ms 0ms zig 0.14.0
kotlin 1-m.kt 1008ms 11ms 355.1MB 1733ms 90ms kotlin/jvm 21
kotlin 1n.kt timeout 0.0ms 5.4MB 6273ms 273ms kotlin/native 1.8.21
kotlin 2n.kt timeout 0.0ms 6.3MB 5003ms 160ms kotlin/native 1.8.21

spectral-norm

Input: 8000

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
zig 1.zig 3705ms 29ms 1.4MB 3693ms 0ms zig 0.14.0

Input: 4000

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
zig 1.zig 922ms 1.2ms 1.3MB 910ms 0ms zig 0.14.0

Input: 2000

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
zig 1.zig 234ms 0.8ms 1.3MB 223ms 0ms zig 0.14.0