Zig VS C++ benchmarks

Current benchmark data was generated on Fri Aug 01 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
zig 1.zig 1735ms 12ms 49.0MB 1707ms 13ms zig 0.14.1

Input: 15

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
zig 1.zig 150ms 1.6ms 7.0MB 140ms 0ms zig 0.14.1

edigits

Input: 250001

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
zig 1.zig 2263ms 4.3ms 2.5MB 2233ms 10ms zig 0.14.1

Input: 100000

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
zig 1.zig 379ms 2.3ms 1.9MB 363ms 0ms zig 0.14.1

fannkuch-redux

Input: 11

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
cpp 1-im.cpp 401ms 5.2ms 3.9MB 1553ms 0ms clang++ 14.0.0-1ubuntu1.1
cpp 1-im.cpp 402ms 3.8ms 2.6MB 1547ms 0ms g++ 11.4.0
zig 2-m.zig 639ms 3.6ms 1.4MB 2410ms 0ms zig 0.14.1
zig 3-i.zig 1763ms 1.4ms 1.0MB 1753ms 0ms zig 0.14.1
zig 1.zig 2716ms 2.1ms 1.0MB 2707ms 0ms zig 0.14.1

Input: 10

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
cpp 1-im.cpp 39ms 1.2ms 2.5MB 127ms 0ms g++ 11.4.0
cpp 1-im.cpp 40ms 1.1ms 3.9MB 133ms 0ms clang++ 14.0.0-1ubuntu1.1
zig 2-m.zig 59ms 0.3ms 1.4MB 200ms 0ms zig 0.14.1
zig 3-i.zig 147ms 0.4ms 1.0MB 140ms 0ms zig 0.14.1
zig 1.zig 229ms 0.3ms 1.0MB 220ms 0ms zig 0.14.1

fasta

Input: 2500000

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
zig 1.zig 89ms 0.7ms 1.0MB 80ms 0ms zig 0.14.1

Input: 250000

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
zig 1.zig 11ms 0.7ms 1.0MB 0ms 0ms zig 0.14.1

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
cpp 1.cpp 1.0ms 0.1ms 1.4MB 0ms 0ms g++ 11.4.0
cpp 1.cpp 1.3ms 0.1ms 2.3MB 0ms 0ms clang++ 14.0.0-1ubuntu1.1

knucleotide

Input: 2500000_in

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
zig 1-m.zig 317ms 5.6ms 67.2MB 830ms 27ms zig 0.14.1
zig 1.zig 501ms 8.6ms 28.1MB 480ms 7ms zig 0.14.1

Input: 250000_in

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
zig 1-m.zig 63ms 0.7ms 54.3MB 127ms 30ms zig 0.14.1
zig 1.zig 67ms 2.5ms 15.4MB 50ms 0ms zig 0.14.1

lru

Input: 1000 1000000

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
zig 1.zig 33ms 1.4ms 2.8MB 23ms 0ms zig 0.14.1

Input: 1000 3000000

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
zig 1.zig 94ms 3.0ms 2.8MB 87ms 0ms zig 0.14.1

Input: 100 500000

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
zig 1.zig 15ms 0.5ms 1.3MB 10ms 0ms zig 0.14.1

mandelbrot

Input: 5000

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
zig 1.zig 248ms 0.3ms 4.1MB 240ms 0ms zig 0.14.1

Input: 1000

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
zig 1.zig 12ms 0.1ms 1.1MB 0ms 0ms zig 0.14.1

merkletrees

Input: 17

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
zig 1.zig 860ms 0.1ms 41.0MB 830ms 13ms zig 0.14.1

Input: 15

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
zig 1.zig 179ms 1.9ms 11.0MB 163ms 0ms zig 0.14.1

nbody

Input: 5000000

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
cpp 0-i.cpp 167ms 0.3ms 1.5MB 160ms 0ms g++ 11.4.0
cpp 0-i.cpp 171ms 0.3ms 2.3MB 160ms 0ms clang++ 14.0.0-1ubuntu1.1
zig 3.zig 198ms 0.5ms 1.0MB 190ms 0ms zig 0.14.1
zig 2.zig 279ms 0.5ms 1.0MB 270ms 0ms zig 0.14.1
cpp 1.cpp 315ms 1.4ms 2.3MB 307ms 0ms clang++ 14.0.0-1ubuntu1.1
zig 1.zig 315ms 0.9ms 1.1MB 310ms 0ms zig 0.14.1
cpp 1.cpp 316ms 0.7ms 1.9MB 307ms 0ms g++ 11.4.0

Input: 500000

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
cpp 0-i.cpp 18ms 0.1ms 1.5MB 10ms 0ms g++ 11.4.0
cpp 0-i.cpp 19ms 0.1ms 2.3MB 10ms 0ms clang++ 14.0.0-1ubuntu1.1
zig 3.zig 22ms 0.4ms 1.0MB 10ms 0ms zig 0.14.1
zig 2.zig 30ms 0.1ms 1.0MB 20ms 0ms zig 0.14.1
cpp 1.cpp 33ms 0.1ms 1.8MB 23ms 0ms g++ 11.4.0
zig 1.zig 33ms 0.3ms 1.1MB 30ms 0ms zig 0.14.1
cpp 1.cpp 33ms 0.1ms 2.3MB 30ms 0ms clang++ 14.0.0-1ubuntu1.1

nsieve

Input: 12

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
zig 1.zig 267ms 6.8ms 40.2MB 250ms 0ms zig 0.14.1
zig 2.zig 328ms 0.3ms 6.0MB 320ms 0ms zig 0.14.1
cpp 1.cpp 485ms 0.9ms 7.3MB 470ms 0ms g++ 11.4.0
cpp 1.cpp 531ms 2.8ms 7.8MB 520ms 0ms clang++ 14.0.0-1ubuntu1.1

Input: 10

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
zig 1.zig 55ms 1.6ms 10.9MB 43ms 0ms zig 0.14.1
zig 2.zig 81ms 1.3ms 2.3MB 70ms 0ms zig 0.14.1
cpp 1.cpp 121ms 1.9ms 3.6MB 110ms 0ms g++ 11.4.0
cpp 1.cpp 131ms 1.3ms 4.1MB 120ms 0ms clang++ 14.0.0-1ubuntu1.1

pidigits

Input: 8000

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
zig 1.zig 2446ms 4.8ms 2.2MB 2420ms 10ms zig 0.14.1

Input: 4000

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
zig 1.zig 570ms 5.8ms 1.8MB 563ms 0ms zig 0.14.1

spectral-norm

Input: 8000

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
cpp 8-m.cpp 469ms 3.9ms 3.4MB 1827ms 0ms clang++ 14.0.0-1ubuntu1.1
cpp 8-m.cpp 482ms 1.0ms 2.4MB 1887ms 0ms g++ 11.4.0
cpp 6-im.cpp 926ms 10ms 2.3MB 3637ms 0ms g++ 11.4.0
cpp 6-im.cpp 935ms 18ms 3.4MB 3647ms 0ms clang++ 14.0.0-1ubuntu1.1
zig 1.zig 3687ms 4.1ms 1.4MB 3677ms 0ms zig 0.14.1

Input: 4000

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
cpp 8-m.cpp 123ms 0.7ms 3.4MB 460ms 0ms clang++ 14.0.0-1ubuntu1.1
cpp 8-m.cpp 128ms 0.6ms 2.0MB 483ms 0ms g++ 11.4.0
cpp 6-im.cpp 237ms 1.4ms 3.4MB 903ms 0ms clang++ 14.0.0-1ubuntu1.1
cpp 6-im.cpp 239ms 2.4ms 2.0MB 913ms 0ms g++ 11.4.0
zig 1.zig 928ms 2.8ms 1.3MB 920ms 0ms zig 0.14.1

Input: 2000

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
cpp 8-m.cpp 37ms 1.4ms 3.4MB 110ms 0ms clang++ 14.0.0-1ubuntu1.1
cpp 8-m.cpp 39ms 0.4ms 2.0MB 130ms 0ms g++ 11.4.0
cpp 6-im.cpp 64ms 0.1ms 3.4MB 227ms 0ms clang++ 14.0.0-1ubuntu1.1
cpp 6-im.cpp 66ms 0.6ms 2.1MB 237ms 0ms g++ 11.4.0
zig 1.zig 232ms 0.3ms 1.3MB 220ms 0ms zig 0.14.1