Programming Language and compiler
Benchmarks

Zig VS Nim benchmarks

Current benchmark data was generated on Mon Apr 14 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 934ms 16ms 34.6MB 917ms 3ms nim 2.2.2
nim 2.nim 960ms 15ms 34.9MB 947ms 0ms nim/clang 2.2.2
zig 1.zig 1894ms 41ms 49.0MB 1867ms 17ms zig 0.14.0

Input: 15

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
nim 2.nim 88ms 1.6ms 5.5MB 80ms 0ms nim 2.2.2
nim 2.nim 91ms 2.6ms 5.8MB 80ms 0ms nim/clang 2.2.2
zig 1.zig 152ms 2.5ms 7.0MB 140ms 0ms zig 0.14.0

edigits

Input: 250001

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
zig 1.zig 2266ms 7.9ms 2.5MB 2240ms 17ms zig 0.14.0

Input: 100000

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
zig 1.zig 382ms 1.2ms 1.9MB 367ms 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 631ms 8.0ms 1.4MB 2400ms 0ms zig 0.14.0
zig 3-i.zig 1768ms 2.0ms 1.0MB 1760ms 0ms zig 0.14.0
zig 1.zig 2714ms 7.8ms 1.1MB 2707ms 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 1.2ms 1.4MB 200ms 0ms zig 0.14.0
zig 3-i.zig 148ms 1.0ms 1.0MB 140ms 0ms zig 0.14.0
zig 1.zig 229ms 0.7ms 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 87ms 0.7ms 1.0MB 80ms 0ms zig 0.14.0
nim 2.nim 187ms 1.4ms 1.5MB 180ms 0ms nim 2.2.2
nim 2.nim 236ms 2.8ms 1.8MB 223ms 0ms nim/clang 2.2.2
nim 1.nim 554ms 2.2ms 1.8MB 453ms 90ms nim/clang 2.2.2
nim 1.nim 575ms 2.2ms 1.5MB 473ms 90ms nim 2.2.2

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 0.14.0
nim 2.nim 21ms 0.6ms 1.5MB 10ms 0ms nim 2.2.2
nim 2.nim 26ms 0.3ms 1.8MB 20ms 0ms nim/clang 2.2.2
nim 1.nim 58ms 0.8ms 1.8MB 40ms 0ms nim/clang 2.2.2
nim 1.nim 61ms 0.3ms 1.5MB 40ms 10ms nim 2.2.2

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
nim 1.nim 1.1ms 0.1ms 1.5MB 0ms 0ms nim 2.2.2
nim 1.nim 1.1ms 0.1ms 1.9MB 0ms 0ms nim/clang 2.2.2

knucleotide

Input: 2500000_in

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
zig 1-m.zig 338ms 12ms 65.3MB 910ms 23ms zig 0.14.0
zig 1.zig 506ms 2.3ms 26.2MB 487ms 7ms zig 0.14.0

Input: 250000_in

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
zig 1-m.zig 66ms 2.0ms 54.3MB 140ms 27ms zig 0.14.0
zig 1.zig 67ms 2.4ms 15.3MB 53ms 0ms 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 1.8ms 2.8MB 23ms 0ms zig 0.14.0
nim 2.nim 110ms 0.4ms 1.4MB 100ms 0ms nim 2.2.2
nim 2.nim 114ms 0.7ms 1.9MB 110ms 0ms nim/clang 2.2.2
nim 1.nim timeout 0.0ms 1.3MB 4990ms 0ms nim 2.2.2
nim 1.nim timeout 0.0ms 1.5MB 4990ms 0ms nim/clang 2.2.2

Input: 1000 3000000

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
zig 1.zig 93ms 2.6ms 2.8MB 87ms 0ms zig 0.14.0
nim 2.nim 326ms 2.2ms 1.4MB 320ms 0ms nim 2.2.2
nim 2.nim 340ms 0.3ms 1.6MB 330ms 0ms nim/clang 2.2.2
nim 1.nim timeout 0.0ms 1.3MB 4990ms 0ms nim 2.2.2
nim 1.nim timeout 0.0ms 1.5MB 4990ms 0ms nim/clang 2.2.2

Input: 100 500000

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
zig 1.zig 15ms 0.2ms 1.3MB 10ms 0ms zig 0.14.0
nim 2.nim 49ms 0.2ms 1.5MB 40ms 0ms nim/clang 2.2.2
nim 2.nim 52ms 1.4ms 1.3MB 43ms 0ms nim 2.2.2
nim 1.nim 446ms 2.7ms 1.5MB 440ms 0ms nim/clang 2.2.2
nim 1.nim 479ms 2.2ms 1.3MB 470ms 0ms nim 2.2.2

mandelbrot

Input: 5000

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
zig 1.zig 247ms 0.1ms 4.0MB 240ms 0ms zig 0.14.0
nim 1.nim 386ms 0.2ms 4.7MB 380ms 0ms nim/clang 2.2.2
nim 1.nim 576ms 0.7ms 4.4MB 570ms 0ms nim 2.2.2

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 0.14.0
nim 1.nim 18ms 0.2ms 1.9MB 10ms 0ms nim/clang 2.2.2
nim 1.nim 26ms 0.9ms 1.6MB 20ms 0ms nim 2.2.2

merkletrees

Input: 17

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
nim 1.nim 532ms 4.4ms 34.6MB 513ms 0ms nim 2.2.2
nim 1.nim 609ms 7.4ms 34.9MB 593ms 0ms nim/clang 2.2.2
zig 1.zig 905ms 67ms 41.0MB 880ms 10ms zig 0.14.0

Input: 15

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
nim 1.nim 113ms 0.7ms 9.6MB 100ms 0ms nim 2.2.2
nim 1.nim 134ms 2.0ms 9.9MB 123ms 0ms nim/clang 2.2.2
zig 1.zig 178ms 2.5ms 11.0MB 170ms 0ms zig 0.14.0

nbody

Input: 5000000

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
zig 3.zig 198ms 0.4ms 1.0MB 190ms 0ms zig 0.14.0
zig 2.zig 280ms 0.3ms 1.0MB 270ms 0ms zig 0.14.0
zig 1.zig 315ms 0.5ms 1.1MB 307ms 0ms zig 0.14.0
nim 2.nim 319ms 0.9ms 1.8MB 310ms 0ms nim 2.2.2
nim 2.nim 342ms 1.8ms 2.0MB 330ms 0ms nim/clang 2.2.2

Input: 500000

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
zig 3.zig 22ms 0.2ms 1.0MB 10ms 0ms zig 0.14.0
zig 2.zig 30ms 0.1ms 1.0MB 20ms 0ms zig 0.14.0
zig 1.zig 34ms 0.4ms 1.1MB 30ms 0ms zig 0.14.0
nim 2.nim 34ms 0.6ms 1.8MB 30ms 0ms nim 2.2.2
nim 2.nim 38ms 0.5ms 2.0MB 30ms 0ms nim/clang 2.2.2

nsieve

Input: 12

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
zig 1.zig 263ms 1.3ms 40.1MB 250ms 0ms zig 0.14.0
nim 1.nim 289ms 6.8ms 41.5MB 277ms 0ms nim 2.2.2
zig 2.zig 328ms 2.0ms 6.0MB 320ms 0ms zig 0.14.0
nim 1.nim 329ms 8.1ms 41.8MB 317ms 0ms nim/clang 2.2.2

Input: 10

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
zig 1.zig 50ms 1.1ms 10.8MB 40ms 0ms zig 0.14.0
nim 1.nim 53ms 2.7ms 11.5MB 40ms 0ms nim 2.2.2
nim 1.nim 56ms 3.9ms 11.8MB 43ms 0ms nim/clang 2.2.2
zig 2.zig 80ms 0.0ms 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 2458ms 14ms 2.2MB 2430ms 13ms zig 0.14.0

Input: 4000

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
zig 1.zig 568ms 5.0ms 1.8MB 557ms 0ms zig 0.14.0

spectral-norm

Input: 8000

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
nim 1.nim 3587ms 0.7ms 1.6MB 3580ms 0ms nim/clang 2.2.2
nim 1.nim 3592ms 2.0ms 1.4MB 3580ms 0ms nim 2.2.2
zig 1.zig 3690ms 5.3ms 1.4MB 3680ms 0ms zig 0.14.0

Input: 4000

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
nim 1.nim 900ms 0.9ms 1.5MB 890ms 0ms nim/clang 2.2.2
nim 1.nim 902ms 2.5ms 1.3MB 890ms 0ms nim 2.2.2
zig 1.zig 923ms 2.2ms 1.3MB 913ms 0ms zig 0.14.0

Input: 2000

lang code time stddev peak-mem mem time(user) time(sys) compiler compiler/runtime
nim 1.nim 227ms 0.4ms 1.5MB 220ms 0ms nim/clang 2.2.2
nim 1.nim 227ms 1.0ms 1.3MB 220ms 0ms nim 2.2.2
zig 1.zig 234ms 1.1ms 1.3MB 230ms 0ms zig 0.14.0