The Computer Language
24.04 Benchmarks Game

Lua versus Python 3 fastest performance

Always look at the source code.

If the fastest programs are hand-written vector instructions, does the host language matter? You might be more interested in the less optimised programs — more seconds, less gz source code.

fannkuch-redux
source secs mem gz cpu secs
Lua 601.99 19,664 469 601.97
Python 3 #6 1,031.38 19,652 391 1,031.34
Python 3 #4 300.68 19,652 960 1,189.39
n-body
source secs mem gz cpu secs
Lua #4 227.77 19,672 1312 227.76
Lua #2 239.26 19,672 1200 239.25
Lua 267.17 19,672 1207 267.16
Python 3 #2 362.72 19,656 1247 362.70
Python 3 368.32 19,656 1201 368.30
spectral-norm
source secs mem gz cpu secs
Lua 78.53 19,672 335 78.53
Python 3 #7 90.77 19,656 425 359.32
Python 3 #6 359.89 19,656 334 359.83
Python 3 #8 98.97 19,656 415 386.79
mandelbrot
source secs mem gz cpu secs
Lua #3 343.95 19,672 364 343.94
Lua 344.46 19,672 365 344.43
Lua #2 375.98 19,672 373 375.96
Lua #6 113.21 282,112 630 398.58
Python 3 #7 159.49 19,656 698 634.00
Python 3 #3 820.95 19,624 319 820.91
Python 3 #2 232.82 156,340 790 880.90
Python 3 #5 274.66 19,628 463 1,094.30
pidigits
source secs mem gz cpu secs
Python 3 #3 1.31 19,784 573 1.31
Python 3 #4 4.73 19,656 348 4.73
Python 3 #5   Failed  
Lua #7   Failed  
Lua #5   Failed  
Lua   Failed  
regex-redux
source secs mem gz cpu secs
Python 3 #2 1.35 168,092 1411 2.62
Python 3 8.83 432,724 515 16.44
Lua   Failed  
fasta
source secs mem gz cpu secs
Lua #2 24.01 19,672 1065 24.01
Lua #3 24.02 19,672 1065 24.02
Python 3 #2 38.53 19,652 1126 38.53
Python 3 #3 38.86 19,780 1007 38.86
Python 3 #5 26.54 827,148 1951 53.26
Python 3 60.37 19,652 823 60.37
k-nucleotide
source secs mem gz cpu secs
Lua #2 97.75 596,472 620 97.73
Python 3 #3 48.64 262,016 1970 184.81
Python 3 #8 87.79 506,880 663 262.44
Python 3 #9 77.06 380,416 614 263.65
Python 3 275.64 500,224 499 274.74
reverse-complement
source secs mem gz cpu secs
Python 3 #3 5.18 509,108 803 5.18
Python 3 #5 4.07 1,500,240 960 7.41
Python 3 #2 10.46 1,788,876 440 10.46
Python 3 10.69 1,987,304 484 10.69
Python 3 #6 7.86 2,484,084 821 11.49
Python 3 #4 13.91 4,003,712 343 13.91
Lua #2 40.39 2,654,604 560 40.39
Lua #5 41.27 2,169,636 725 41.26
Lua #4 49.05 1,030,016 600 49.04
binary-trees
source secs mem gz cpu secs
Python 3 #2 110.47 273,024 344 110.46
Python 3 #4 34.53 277,632 481 126.59
Python 3 #5 35.74 275,456 669 127.53
Python 3 36.16 277,760 597 128.12
Lua #2 143.45 956,672 418 143.42
Python 3 #3 55.05 672,384 1247 158.56
Lua #3 82.25 809,984 690 164.04
Lua #4 47.92 956,672 670 178.17
Lua

Lua 5.4.6 Copyright (C)
1994-2023 Lua.org, PUC-Rio

Python 3

Python 3.12.2