Programming Language and compiler
Benchmarks

Nim VS Zig benchmarks

Current benchmark data was generated on Sun Jul 13 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
nim 2.nim 786ms 11ms 34.9MB 770ms 3ms nim 2.2.4
nim 2.nim 947ms 6.3ms 35.2MB 923ms 10ms nim/clang 2.2.4
zig 1.zig 1872ms 186ms 49.0MB 1840ms 17ms zig 0.14.1

Input: 15

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
nim 2.nim 73ms 0.2ms 5.5MB 60ms 0ms nim 2.2.4
nim 2.nim 93ms 1.5ms 5.8MB 80ms 0ms nim/clang 2.2.4
zig 1.zig 152ms 2.9ms 7.0MB 140ms 0ms zig 0.14.1

coro-prime-sieve

Input: 4000

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
nim 1.nim timeout 0.0ms 574.4MB 2647ms 1873ms nim 2.2.4
nim 3.nim timeout 0.0ms 6.6MB 4990ms 0ms nim 2.2.4
nim 1.nim timeout 0.0ms 574.8MB 2590ms 1930ms nim/clang 2.2.4
nim 3.nim timeout 0.0ms 6.9MB 4983ms 0ms nim/clang 2.2.4

Input: 1000

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
nim 3.nim 903ms 4.5ms 4.0MB 893ms 0ms nim/clang 2.2.4
nim 3.nim 905ms 4.9ms 3.6MB 893ms 0ms nim 2.2.4
nim 1.nim 4097ms 6.6ms 518.7MB 2123ms 1547ms nim/clang 2.2.4
nim 1.nim 4111ms 9.9ms 518.2MB 2133ms 1553ms nim 2.2.4

fasta

Input: 2500000

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
zig 1.zig 88ms 0.8ms 1.0MB 80ms 0ms zig 0.14.1
nim 2.nim 188ms 2.6ms 1.5MB 177ms 0ms nim 2.2.4
nim 2.nim 243ms 2.2ms 1.8MB 233ms 0ms nim/clang 2.2.4
nim 1.nim 537ms 2.6ms 1.8MB 447ms 73ms nim/clang 2.2.4
nim 1.nim 560ms 2.7ms 1.5MB 470ms 73ms nim 2.2.4

Input: 250000

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
zig 1.zig 11ms 0.8ms 1.0MB 0ms 0ms zig 0.14.1
nim 2.nim 21ms 0.8ms 1.5MB 10ms 0ms nim 2.2.4
nim 2.nim 27ms 1.0ms 1.8MB 20ms 0ms nim/clang 2.2.4
nim 1.nim 57ms 0.9ms 1.8MB 40ms 0ms nim/clang 2.2.4
nim 1.nim 59ms 0.7ms 1.5MB 47ms 0ms nim 2.2.4

helloworld

Input: QwQ

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
zig 1.zig 0.9ms 0.0ms 1.1MB 0ms 0ms zig 0.14.1
nim 1.nim 1.0ms 0.0ms 1.6MB 0ms 0ms nim 2.2.4
nim 1.nim 1.1ms 0.0ms 1.8MB 0ms 0ms nim/clang 2.2.4

lru

Input: 1000 1000000

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
zig 1.zig 33ms 1.2ms 2.8MB 27ms 0ms zig 0.14.1
nim 2.nim 112ms 1.7ms 1.6MB 103ms 0ms nim/clang 2.2.4
nim 2.nim 114ms 2.9ms 1.4MB 110ms 0ms nim 2.2.4
nim 1.nim timeout 0.0ms 1.3MB 4990ms 0ms nim 2.2.4
nim 1.nim timeout 0.0ms 1.5MB 4990ms 0ms nim/clang 2.2.4

Input: 1000 3000000

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
zig 1.zig 95ms 1.5ms 2.8MB 87ms 0ms zig 0.14.1
nim 2.nim 324ms 2.4ms 1.9MB 317ms 0ms nim/clang 2.2.4
nim 2.nim 338ms 4.4ms 1.4MB 330ms 0ms nim 2.2.4
nim 1.nim timeout 0.0ms 1.3MB 4990ms 0ms nim 2.2.4
nim 1.nim timeout 0.0ms 1.5MB 4990ms 0ms nim/clang 2.2.4

Input: 100 500000

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
zig 1.zig 16ms 1.1ms 1.3MB 10ms 0ms zig 0.14.1
nim 2.nim 48ms 0.2ms 1.5MB 40ms 0ms nim/clang 2.2.4
nim 2.nim 51ms 1.6ms 1.3MB 40ms 0ms nim 2.2.4
nim 1.nim 476ms 2.4ms 1.3MB 467ms 0ms nim 2.2.4
nim 1.nim 479ms 9.7ms 1.5MB 470ms 0ms nim/clang 2.2.4

mandelbrot

Input: 5000

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
zig 1.zig 247ms 0.5ms 4.1MB 240ms 0ms zig 0.14.1
nim 1.nim 387ms 0.9ms 4.8MB 380ms 0ms nim/clang 2.2.4
nim 1.nim 576ms 1.6ms 4.5MB 567ms 0ms nim 2.2.4

Input: 1000

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
zig 1.zig 12ms 0.2ms 1.1MB 10ms 0ms zig 0.14.1
nim 1.nim 19ms 0.4ms 1.9MB 10ms 0ms nim/clang 2.2.4
nim 1.nim 27ms 0.2ms 1.6MB 20ms 0ms nim 2.2.4

merkletrees

Input: 17

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
nim 1.nim 547ms 6.1ms 33.9MB 527ms 3ms nim 2.2.4
nim 1.nim 645ms 20ms 34.7MB 623ms 7ms nim/clang 2.2.4
zig 1.zig 866ms 9.9ms 41.0MB 833ms 17ms zig 0.14.1

Input: 15

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
nim 1.nim 116ms 3.2ms 9.6MB 103ms 0ms nim 2.2.4
nim 1.nim 136ms 5.6ms 9.9MB 123ms 0ms nim/clang 2.2.4
zig 1.zig 175ms 2.1ms 11.0MB 160ms 0ms zig 0.14.1

nbody

Input: 5000000

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
zig 3.zig 198ms 1.1ms 1.0MB 190ms 0ms zig 0.14.1
zig 2.zig 280ms 0.5ms 1.0MB 270ms 0ms zig 0.14.1
zig 1.zig 315ms 0.8ms 1.1MB 303ms 0ms zig 0.14.1
nim 2.nim 320ms 1.7ms 1.8MB 310ms 0ms nim 2.2.4
nim 2.nim 343ms 3.6ms 2.0MB 337ms 0ms nim/clang 2.2.4

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 0.14.1
zig 2.zig 30ms 0.1ms 1.0MB 20ms 0ms zig 0.14.1
zig 1.zig 34ms 0.6ms 1.1MB 30ms 0ms zig 0.14.1
nim 2.nim 35ms 0.8ms 1.8MB 30ms 0ms nim 2.2.4
nim 2.nim 36ms 0.6ms 2.0MB 30ms 0ms nim/clang 2.2.4

nsieve

Input: 12

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
zig 1.zig 270ms 5.1ms 40.2MB 257ms 0ms zig 0.14.1
nim 1.nim 271ms 4.0ms 41.5MB 263ms 0ms nim 2.2.4
nim 1.nim 322ms 6.8ms 41.8MB 313ms 0ms nim/clang 2.2.4
zig 2.zig 330ms 3.2ms 6.0MB 320ms 0ms zig 0.14.1

Input: 10

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
nim 1.nim 52ms 2.4ms 11.5MB 43ms 0ms nim 2.2.4
zig 1.zig 52ms 2.0ms 10.9MB 40ms 0ms zig 0.14.1
nim 1.nim 66ms 4.2ms 11.8MB 57ms 0ms nim/clang 2.2.4
zig 2.zig 80ms 1.1ms 2.3MB 70ms 0ms zig 0.14.1

regex-redux

Input: 2500000_in

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
nim 1.nim 1646ms 10ms 152.3MB 1613ms 20ms nim/clang 2.2.4
nim 1.nim 1673ms 4.5ms 151.5MB 1643ms 13ms nim 2.2.4

Input: 250000_in

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
nim 1.nim 173ms 2.5ms 17.5MB 160ms 0ms nim/clang 2.2.4
nim 1.nim 177ms 0.6ms 17.4MB 160ms 0ms nim 2.2.4

spectral-norm

Input: 8000

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
nim 1.nim 3589ms 2.6ms 1.6MB 3580ms 0ms nim/clang 2.2.4
nim 1.nim 3610ms 3.4ms 1.4MB 3600ms 0ms nim 2.2.4
zig 1.zig 3686ms 3.7ms 1.4MB 3677ms 0ms zig 0.14.1

Input: 4000

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
nim 1.nim 899ms 0.6ms 1.5MB 890ms 0ms nim/clang 2.2.4
nim 1.nim 904ms 3.3ms 1.3MB 893ms 0ms nim 2.2.4
zig 1.zig 925ms 2.6ms 1.3MB 917ms 0ms zig 0.14.1

Input: 2000

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
nim 1.nim 226ms 0.2ms 1.5MB 220ms 0ms nim/clang 2.2.4
nim 1.nim 228ms 1.1ms 1.3MB 220ms 0ms nim 2.2.4
zig 1.zig 235ms 0.4ms 1.3MB 230ms 0ms zig 0.14.1