Fastest cpu secs PHP versus Python 3 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 cpu seconds, less gz source code. fannkuch-redux source mem gz cpu PHP #2 12,612 441 190.33 PHP #3 12,624 1160 230.54 PHP #4 47,808 1162 232.59 PHP 12,764 482 237.28 Python 3 #6 7,432 385 1,279.15 Python 3 #4 45,420 950 1,336.72 n-body source mem gz cpu PHP #3 12,372 1082 66.39 Python 3 7,756 1196 575.02 Python 3 #2 8,244 1242 592.71 spectral-norm source mem gz cpu PHP 35,208 1152 27.96 PHP #2 13,444 397 55.81 PHP #3 40,068 1210 60.02 Python 3 #6 9,332 328 436.79 Python 3 #8 48,336 407 472.82 Python 3 #7 48,400 417 494.32 mandelbrot source mem gz cpu PHP 12,664 449 86.95 PHP #3 140,544 875 92.75 Python 3 #7 46,192 688 706.10 Python 3 #5 Failed Python 3 #2 Timed Out pidigits source mem gz cpu PHP #5 13,728 399 0.92 PHP #4 13,656 389 0.93 PHP #3 13,804 504 0.95 Python 3 #3 11,968 567 1.13 PHP #2 14,172 545 1.46 Python 3 #4 8,668 342 4.06 PHP 14,912 750 329.76 Python 3 #2 Bad Output regex-redux source mem gz cpu Python 3 #2 111,680 1403 2.66 PHP 178,712 816 3.66 Python 3 458,264 512 17.86 fasta source mem gz cpu PHP #3 12,448 1062 20.99 PHP #2 12,696 1050 28.67 Python 3 #2 8,184 1121 60.26 Python 3 #3 8,112 1003 60.50 Python 3 8,040 817 70.54 Python 3 #5 837,684 1947 71.74 k-nucleotide source mem gz cpu PHP #4 257,260 1079 69.91 Python 3 #3 252,668 1967 172.53 Python 3 351,092 607 240.16 Python 3 #8 473,988 655 242.16 reverse-complement source mem gz cpu Python 3 #2 1,786,488 434 9.38 Python 3 1,979,276 479 9.63 PHP 1,487,780 318 9.64 Python 3 #6 1,005,184 814 10.64 PHP #3 528,172 446 11.26 PHP #2 1,784,488 281 11.31 Python 3 #4 4,001,684 335 12.31 binary-trees source mem gz cpu PHP #3 1,561,956 428 51.64 PHP #2 748,408 423 62.27 PHP 748,424 451 62.40 PHP #4 1,558,972 779 62.76 PHP #7 1,589,184 760 64.15 PHP #5 803,212 1040 85.70 PHP #6 802,924 868 90.44 Python 3 #2 270,872 338 148.09 Python 3 #5 273,284 660 172.44 Python 3 #4 456,220 472 176.37 Python 3 282,996 589 178.66 Python 3 #3 669,832 1238 230.73 PHP PHP 8.1.5 (cli) (built: May 5 2022 10:44:00) (NTS) Copyright (c) The PHP Group Zend Engine v4.1.5, Copyright (c) Zend Technologies Python 3 Python 3.10.4 all PHP programs & measurements all Python 3 programs & measurements