Python 3 versus Go

How the programs are written matters! Always look at the source code.

If the fastest programs are flagged * possible hand-written vector instructions or "unsafe" or naked ffi, does the host language matter? You might be more interested in the less optimised programs — more seconds, less gz source code.

fannkuch-redux
	elapsed	Mean or 95% CI
source	secs	cpu secs	mem	gz	make
Go #3	8.36	33.35	3,846	975	5.31
Go #8	46.15	46.26—46.33	3,207	500	5.43
Go	12.27	49.09	4,903	906	5.41
Go #2	12.36	49.40	16,966	903	5.43
Python 3 #6	943.88	942.63	11,874	391	3.58
Python 3 #4	311.18	1,221.85	28,701	960	5.27
Python 3 #8	2,457.09	2,455.59	11,874	414	5.65
n-body
	elapsed	Mean or 95% CI
source	secs	cpu secs	mem	gz	make
Go #3	6.39	6.41	3,191	1207	5.43
Go	7.02	7.09—7.27	3,228	1316	5.36
Go #2	7.04	7.06	3,203	1222	5.35
Go #8	9.60	9.64	3,191	1224	5.47
Python 3	372.41	371.23	12,198	1201	5.23
Python 3 #2	442.06	440.87	12,554	1247	5.24
Python 3 #8	529.38	528.16	12,497	1172	4.94
spectral-norm
	elapsed	Mean or 95% CI
source	secs	cpu secs	mem	gz	make
Go #8	5.34	5.36	3,838	429	5.35
Go	5.34	5.36	4,059	417	5.35
Go #4	1.43	5.69	4,174	555	5.45
Go #2	1.51	5.70	4,317	674	5.56
Python 3 #6	349.68	348.48	13,660	334	5.44
Python 3 #4	90.37	352.91	34,693	415	5.41
Python 3 #8	386.45	385.07	12,833	334	5.08
Python 3 #7	109.91	421.84	34,578	425	5.30
mandelbrot
	elapsed	Mean or 95% CI
source	secs	cpu secs	mem	gz	make
Go #4	3.77	15.02	37,970	912	5.49
Go #3	3.78	15.03	38,101	900	5.82
Go	5.04	20.05	35,787	829	5.40
Go #8	26.70	26.77	3,199	500	5.39
Go #2	6.87	27.32	35,549	843	5.69
Go #6	6.91	27.48	35,119	707	5.69
Python 3 #7	182.94	723.28	62,173	698	5.52
Python 3 #3	879.41	877.96	45,085	319	5.26
Python 3 #2	237.64	937.87	230,973	790	5.42
Python 3 #5	260.63	1,033.16	61,620	463	5.48
Python 3 #8	1,577.29	1,575.80	45,031	379	4.84
fasta
	elapsed	Mean or 95% CI
source	secs	cpu secs	mem	gz	make
Go	3.74	3.76	3,207	1055	5.36
Go #2	1.27	4.08	12,644	1405	5.51
Go #3	1.52	4.10	5,095	1362	5.29
Go #8	11.22	11.54—11.80	9,052	880	5.55
Python 3 #3	39.03	38.30—47.80	12,218	1007	5.32
Python 3 #2	39.06	38.61—46.82	12,415	1126	5.21
Python 3 #5	27.95	54.20—54.96	1,190,347	1951	5.52
Python 3	57.39	56.94—65.76	12,100	823	5.06
Python 3 #8	153.17	153.78—158.43	11,915	738	5.04
k-nucleotide
	elapsed	Mean or 95% CI
source	secs	cpu secs	mem	gz	make
Go #7	7.58	28.83—29.08	168,186	1613	5.42
Go #3	8.20	29.98—30.69	150,413	1729	5.63
Go #6	8.30	30.22—30.75	150,442	1596	5.79
Go #4	9.27	32.00—35.21	144,650	1552	5.11
Go #8	61.38	62.37—62.83	558,379	752	5.20
Python 3 #3	46.55	182.32—187.37	674,185	1970	5.68
Python 3 #4	76.67	233.00—239.32	523,751	663	4.89
Python 3 #8	234.08	235.36—236.89	642,265	525	5.15
Python 3	234.20	235.10—237.16	515,047	499	5.34
Python 3 #9	66.67	236.43—238.45	392,184	614	4.09
reverse-complement
	elapsed	Mean or 95% CI
source	secs	cpu secs	mem	gz	make
Go #2	2.22	2.34—2.39	822,211	614	4.79
Go #3	2.50	2.62—2.66	821,985	609	4.88
Go #6	1.93	3.46—3.52	1,277,608	1340	4.77
Python 3 #3	4.96	4.95	523,801	803	5.28
Python 3 #5	4.18	7.46—7.50	2,418,156	960	5.36
Python 3 #2	10.09	10.13—10.24	1,837,285	440	5.32
Python 3	10.43	10.43—10.59	2,040,713	484	5.28
Python 3 #6	7.59	11.07—11.11	2,795,930	821	5.37
Python 3 #4	13.47	13.44—13.88	4,109,324	343	5.05
Go #5		Bad Output
Go		Empty
binary-trees [ Contentious. Different approaches. ]
	elapsed	Mean or 95% CI
source	secs	cpu secs	mem	gz	make
Go #6	27.93	29.32—29.66	416,195	618	5.43
Go #2	14.21	56.45—56.55	635,613	672	5.41
Go #3	14.90	57.97—58.17	329,499	806	5.29
Go #5	14.68	57.76—58.07	386,056	957	5.41
Go	32.05	59.81—60.00	243,114	488	5.21
Go #7	32.57	61.40—61.53	241,345	531	5.30
Python 3 #2	100.49	100.69—101.09	281,829	344	5.08
Python 3 #4	33.37	121.32—121.68	460,771	481	5.57
Python 3	34.85	123.08—123.98	445,649	597	5.16
Python 3 #5	35.37	125.71—126.12	806,117	669	5.30
Python 3 #3	51.88	148.91—149.87	819,077	1247	5.39
pidigits [ Contentious. Different libraries. ]
	elapsed	Mean or 95% CI
source	secs	cpu secs	mem	gz	make
* Go #4	0.82	0.84	6,402	689	8.17
Go	1.15	1.22—1.31	7,533	715	11.71
* Go #3	1.17	1.35—1.49	6,885	610	8.50
* Python 3 #3	1.35	1.28—1.32	20,009	573	5.34
Go #2	1.76	1.90—2.03	7,823	740	7.70
Go #6	2.47	2.48	10,703	727	5.59
Python 3 #4	4.63	4.60	12,718	348	4.88
Go #7	5.00	5.65	10,527	702	6.17
Python 3 #5		Empty
regex-redux [ Contentious. Different libraries. ]
	elapsed	Mean or 95% CI
source	secs	cpu secs	mem	gz	make
* Python 3 #2	1.41	2.65	191,300	1411	5.48
Go #5	3.23	5.40—5.44	297,800	817	8.13
Python 3	8.96	16.47—16.75	459,624	515	5.47
Go #4	14.49	35.20—35.71	349,008	832	8.44
Go #3	25.15	61.72—63.46	336,585	836	5.60
Go	25.79	61.91—62.99	301,662	749	5.85
Python 3	Python 3.13.0
Go	go version go1.23.1 linux/amd64 GOAMD64=v2