What's the best JavaScript minifier?
This project benchmarks the following minifiers:
| Minifier | Version | Release date ↓ |
|---|---|---|
| oxc-minify | 0.123.0 | 2026-03-31 |
| @swc/core | 1.15.21 | 2026-03-22 |
| bun | 1.3.11 | 2026-03-18 |
| terser | 5.46.1 | 2026-03-16 |
| esbuild | 0.27.4 | 2026-03-12 |
| google-closure-compiler | 20251216.0.0 | 2025-12-18 |
| @tdewolff/minify | 2.24.8 | 2025-12-08 |
| @cminify/cminify-linux-x64 | 3.0.1 | 2025-07-27 |
| uglify-js | 3.19.3 | 2024-08-29 |
| babel-minify | 0.5.2 | 2022-05-06 |
| tedivm/jshrink | 1.8.1 |
Benchmarks last updated on Mar 31, 2026.
- To help you pick a minifier that fits your needs
- To promote JS minifiers and document their performances
- To encourage healthy competition and improvement amongst minifiers
- Each minifier is executed in its own process with a 10s timeout
- Artifact integrity is verified by a test before and after minification
- Each minifier is minimally configured (sourcemaps & comments disabled), comparing out-of-the-box experience
- Minifier upgrade PRs are automated via WhiteSource Renovate
- Benchmarks are updated on every PR via GitHub Actions
- The raw benchmark data is available in
/packages/data/data/data.json
For each benchmark, minifiers are ranked by a score that reflects the best balance of trade-offs.
The score combines minzipped size and minification time, with size weighted more heavily by default (85% size, 15% time) since it's usually the top priority. If a minifier is unusually slow, the weights shift toward time using a logistic sigmoid function, up to a 50/50 split. This avoids harsh cutoffs while still penalizing extreme slowness.
Both size and time are scaled using min-max normalization so they can be compared fairly. The result is a context-aware score that helps surface the best overall choice—but make sure to check each column directly if size or speed matters more to you.
Size of the minified output.
Size of the minified output with Gzip compression.
For minifiers, this measures how compressable the output is.
For users, this measures network transfer size, which is usually the metric that matters most.
How long minification took (average of 5 runs). Each time is annotated with a multiplier relative to the fastest minifier.
Tip
What's the verdict? ⚔️ See the Minifier showdown
| Artifact | Original size | Gzip size | |
|---|---|---|---|
| react v17.0.2 (Source) | 72.13 KB |
19.39 KB |
|
| Minifier | Minified size | Minzipped size | Time |
| 1. @swc/core | -68% 22.82 KB |
-58% 8.19 KB |
5x 18 ms |
| 2. terser | -68% 23.05 KB |
-57% 8.26 KB |
69x 215 ms |
| 3. oxc-minify | -68% 23.22 KB |
-57% 8.40 KB |
🏆 3 ms |
| 4. uglify-js | 🏆-69% 22.64 KB |
🏆-58% 8.18 KB |
135x 420 ms |
| 5. esbuild | -67% 23.70 KB |
-56% 8.54 KB |
5x 18 ms |
| 6. @tdewolff/minify | -67% 23.49 KB |
-55% 8.63 KB |
1x 4 ms |
| 7. bun | -67% 23.98 KB |
-55% 8.66 KB |
4x 13 ms |
| 8. uglify-js (no compress) | -65% 25.03 KB |
-55% 8.67 KB |
24x 75 ms |
| 9. terser (no compress) | -65% 25.06 KB |
-55% 8.74 KB |
29x 93 ms |
| 10. google-closure-compiler | -68% 22.81 KB |
-58% 8.22 KB |
1023x 3,169 ms |
| 11. @cminify/cminify-linux-x64 | -44% 40.04 KB |
-44% 10.86 KB |
3x 12 ms |
| 12. tedivm/jshrink | -43% 40.82 KB |
-43% 11.04 KB |
40x 126 ms |
| 13. babel-minify <sub title="Failed: Failed to find JSON start: | |||
[baseline-browser-mapping] The data in this module is over two months old. To ensure accurate Baseline data, please update: npm i baseline-browser-mapping@latest -D">❌ Failed to find |
❌ | ❌ | - |
| Artifact | Original size | Gzip size | |
|---|---|---|---|
| moment v2.29.1 (Source) | 173.90 KB |
36.23 KB |
|
| Minifier | Minified size | Minzipped size | Time |
| 1. @swc/core | -66% 58.37 KB |
-48% 18.75 KB |
3x 28 ms |
| 2. terser | -66% 59.01 KB |
-48% 18.69 KB |
68x 505 ms |
| 3. oxc-minify | -66% 59.40 KB |
-47% 19.24 KB |
1x 9 ms |
| 4. esbuild | -66% 59.80 KB |
-47% 19.33 KB |
2x 20 ms |
| 5. uglify-js | 🏆-67% 57.73 KB |
🏆-49% 18.57 KB |
123x 906 ms |
| 6. @tdewolff/minify | -66% 59.89 KB |
-46% 19.48 KB |
🏆 7 ms |
| 7. uglify-js (no compress) | -64% 62.50 KB |
-46% 19.57 KB |
24x 177 ms |
| 8. bun | -64% 61.76 KB |
-45% 19.85 KB |
2x 17 ms |
| 9. terser (no compress) | -64% 63.01 KB |
-46% 19.65 KB |
30x 225 ms |
| 10. google-closure-compiler | -66% 58.28 KB |
-48% 18.90 KB |
545x 3,994 ms |
| 11. @cminify/cminify-linux-x64 | -45% 95.93 KB |
-32% 24.74 KB |
1x 12 ms |
| 12. tedivm/jshrink | -44% 97.63 KB |
-31% 25.00 KB |
39x 285 ms |
| 13. babel-minify <sub title="Failed: Failed to find JSON start: | |||
[baseline-browser-mapping] The data in this module is over two months old. To ensure accurate Baseline data, please update: npm i baseline-browser-mapping@latest -D">❌ Failed to find |
❌ | ❌ | - |
| Artifact | Original size | Gzip size | |
|---|---|---|---|
| jquery v3.5.1 (Source) | 287.63 KB |
84.50 KB |
|
| Minifier | Minified size | Minzipped size | Time |
| 1. @swc/core | -69% 89.16 KB |
-63% 30.86 KB |
4x 50 ms |
| 2. oxc-minify | -69% 89.26 KB |
-63% 30.92 KB |
1x 14 ms |
| 3. @tdewolff/minify | -69% 89.68 KB |
-63% 31.45 KB |
🏆 12 ms |
| 4. uglify-js (no compress) | -67% 94.08 KB |
-63% 31.47 KB |
20x 244 ms |
| 5. terser | -69% 89.24 KB |
🏆-63% 30.86 KB |
61x 712 ms |
| 6. esbuild | -69% 90.07 KB |
-62% 31.96 KB |
3x 40 ms |
| 7. terser (no compress) | -67% 94.26 KB |
-63% 31.56 KB |
25x 294 ms |
| 8. bun | -68% 92.39 KB |
-61% 32.64 KB |
1x 20 ms |
| 9. uglify-js | 🏆-69% 88.45 KB |
-63% 30.90 KB |
114x 1,336 ms |
| 10. google-closure-compiler | -68% 92.71 KB |
-61% 33.05 KB |
345x 4,028 ms |
| 11. @cminify/cminify-linux-x64 | -51% 141.45 KB |
-52% 40.37 KB |
1x 14 ms |
| 12. tedivm/jshrink | -50% 144.14 KB |
-52% 40.88 KB |
30x 361 ms |
| 13. babel-minify <sub title="Failed: Failed to find JSON start: | |||
[baseline-browser-mapping] The data in this module is over two months old. To ensure accurate Baseline data, please update: npm i baseline-browser-mapping@latest -D">❌ Failed to find |
❌ | ❌ | - |
| Artifact | Original size | Gzip size | |
|---|---|---|---|
| vue v2.6.12 (Source) | 342.15 KB |
89.67 KB |
|
| Minifier | Minified size | Minzipped size | Time |
| 1. @swc/core | -66% 115.53 KB |
🏆-52% 42.72 KB |
4x 72 ms |
| 2. oxc-minify | -66% 116.98 KB |
-52% 43.23 KB |
1x 17 ms |
| 3. @tdewolff/minify | -66% 117.70 KB |
-51% 44.37 KB |
🏆 15 ms |
| 4. esbuild | -65% 118.14 KB |
-51% 44.37 KB |
2x 42 ms |
| 5. terser | -66% 116.60 KB |
-52% 42.87 KB |
63x 935 ms |
| 6. uglify-js (no compress) | -63% 126.14 KB |
-50% 44.45 KB |
20x 302 ms |
| 7. terser (no compress) | -63% 126.39 KB |
-50% 44.64 KB |
25x 372 ms |
| 8. bun | -65% 121.28 KB |
-49% 45.39 KB |
1x 24 ms |
| 9. uglify-js | 🏆-67% 113.80 KB |
-52% 43.04 KB |
125x 1,857 ms |
| 10. google-closure-compiler | -66% 115.55 KB |
-51% 44.24 KB |
324x 4,789 ms |
| 11. @cminify/cminify-linux-x64 | -43% 193.91 KB |
-37% 56.36 KB |
1x 15 ms |
| 12. tedivm/jshrink | -42% 197.36 KB |
-36% 57.17 KB |
32x 481 ms |
| 13. babel-minify <sub title="Failed: Failed to find JSON start: | |||
[baseline-browser-mapping] The data in this module is over two months old. To ensure accurate Baseline data, please update: npm i baseline-browser-mapping@latest -D">❌ Failed to find |
❌ | ❌ | - |
| Artifact | Original size | Gzip size | |
|---|---|---|---|
| lodash v4.17.21 (Source) | 544.09 KB |
96.69 KB |
|
| Minifier | Minified size | Minzipped size | Time |
| 1. @swc/core | -87% 69.82 KB |
-74% 25.24 KB |
3x 52 ms |
| 2. oxc-minify | -87% 71.04 KB |
-73% 25.90 KB |
1x 13 ms |
| 3. esbuild | -87% 72.50 KB |
-73% 26.20 KB |
2x 31 ms |
| 4. uglify-js (no compress) | -86% 74.61 KB |
-73% 25.86 KB |
20x 271 ms |
| 5. terser | -87% 70.41 KB |
-74% 25.15 KB |
60x 785 ms |
| 6. @tdewolff/minify | -87% 71.90 KB |
-73% 26.50 KB |
1x 17 ms |
| 7. bun | -87% 73.45 KB |
-72% 26.66 KB |
1x 21 ms |
| 8. terser (no compress) | -86% 75.04 KB |
-73% 26.19 KB |
25x 333 ms |
| 9. uglify-js | 🏆-87% 68.17 KB |
🏆-74% 24.69 KB |
107x 1,394 ms |
| 10. google-closure-compiler | -86% 73.49 KB |
-74% 25.03 KB |
330x 4,283 ms |
| 11. @cminify/cminify-linux-x64 | -73% 146.27 KB |
-63% 35.94 KB |
🏆 13 ms |
| 12. tedivm/jshrink | -73% 148.78 KB |
-62% 36.33 KB |
28x 374 ms |
| 13. babel-minify <sub title="Failed: Failed to find JSON start: | |||
[baseline-browser-mapping] The data in this module is over two months old. To ensure accurate Baseline data, please update: npm i baseline-browser-mapping@latest -D">❌ Failed to find |
❌ | ❌ | - |
| Artifact | Original size | Gzip size | |
|---|---|---|---|
| d3 v6.3.1 (Source) | 555.77 KB |
130.69 KB |
|
| Minifier | Minified size | Minzipped size | Time |
| 1. @swc/core | -52% 265.20 KB |
-33% 87.22 KB |
6x 149 ms |
| 2. oxc-minify | -52% 267.39 KB |
-33% 87.96 KB |
1x 41 ms |
| 3. uglify-js (no compress) | -50% 275.35 KB |
-32% 88.32 KB |
26x 617 ms |
| 4. @tdewolff/minify | -52% 269.07 KB |
-31% 89.87 KB |
1x 36 ms |
| 5. terser (no compress) | -50% 276.13 KB |
-32% 89.07 KB |
38x 913 ms |
| 6. esbuild | -51% 270.21 KB |
-31% 90.81 KB |
3x 73 ms |
| 7. terser | -52% 267.42 KB |
-33% 88.00 KB |
82x 1,940 ms |
| 8. uglify-js | 🏆-53% 263.56 KB |
🏆-33% 87.02 KB |
139x 3,272 ms |
| 9. bun | -51% 272.73 KB |
-29% 92.34 KB |
1x 47 ms |
| 10. @cminify/cminify-linux-x64 | -29% 393.70 KB |
-21% 103.81 KB |
🏆 23 ms |
| 11. google-closure-compiler | -51% 270.32 KB |
-28% 94.15 KB |
266x 6,241 ms |
| 12. babel-minify ❌ Minification | ❌ | ❌ | - |
| 13. tedivm/jshrink ❌ Minification | ❌ | ❌ | - |
| Artifact | Original size | Gzip size | |
|---|---|---|---|
| terser v5.30.3 (Source) | 1.01 MB |
193.76 KB |
|
| Minifier | Minified size | Minzipped size | Time |
| 1. oxc-minify | 🏆-56% 439.37 KB |
🏆-37% 122.00 KB |
1x 37 ms |
| 2. @swc/core | -55% 455.45 KB |
-36% 123.29 KB |
6x 132 ms |
| 3. @tdewolff/minify | -55% 456.59 KB |
-36% 124.88 KB |
1x 34 ms |
| 4. uglify-js (no compress) | -53% 472.16 KB |
-36% 124.61 KB |
32x 670 ms |
| 5. terser (no compress) | -53% 472.58 KB |
-36% 124.25 KB |
40x 837 ms |
| 6. esbuild | -55% 458.93 KB |
-35% 126.71 KB |
3x 62 ms |
| 7. terser | -55% 456.59 KB |
-36% 123.35 KB |
89x 1,847 ms |
| 8. bun | -54% 466.69 KB |
-34% 127.64 KB |
1x 41 ms |
| 9. uglify-js | -55% 451.19 KB |
-36% 123.33 KB |
152x 3,153 ms |
| 10. google-closure-compiler | -56% 439.93 KB |
-35% 126.44 KB |
292x 6,042 ms |
| 11. @cminify/cminify-linux-x64 | -38% 625.93 KB |
-26% 144.30 KB |
🏆 21 ms |
| 12. tedivm/jshrink | -37% 633.71 KB |
-25% 145.18 KB |
64x 1,328 ms |
| 13. babel-minify ❌ Minification | ❌ | ❌ | - |
| Artifact | Original size | Gzip size | |
|---|---|---|---|
| three v0.124.0 (Source) | 1.25 MB |
248.27 KB |
|
| Minifier | Minified size | Minzipped size | Time |
| 1. @swc/core | -48% 642.75 KB |
🏆-36% 158.73 KB |
8x 199 ms |
| 2. oxc-minify | -48% 642.65 KB |
-36% 159.91 KB |
2x 56 ms |
| 3. esbuild | -48% 646.93 KB |
-34% 163.75 KB |
3x 90 ms |
| 4. @tdewolff/minify | -49% 642.20 KB |
-34% 164.60 KB |
2x 49 ms |
| 5. uglify-js (no compress) | -46% 674.49 KB |
-34% 163.04 KB |
38x 872 ms |
| 6. terser | -48% 653.18 KB |
-36% 159.17 KB |
107x 2,471 ms |
| 7. terser (no compress) | -46% 675.43 KB |
-34% 163.18 KB |
48x 1,112 ms |
| 8. bun | -47% 655.59 KB |
-33% 166.17 KB |
2x 58 ms |
| 9. uglify-js | 🏆-49% 641.59 KB |
-36% 159.07 KB |
188x 4,320 ms |
| 10. google-closure-compiler | -48% 644.51 KB |
-34% 162.81 KB |
338x 7,766 ms |
| 11. @cminify/cminify-linux-x64 | -25% 941.06 KB |
-23% 191.97 KB |
🏆 23 ms |
| 12. tedivm/jshrink | -24% 952.01 KB |
-22% 193.47 KB |
74x 1,712 ms |
| 13. babel-minify ❌ Timed out | - | - | +10,000 ms |
| Artifact | Original size | Gzip size | |
|---|---|---|---|
| victory v35.8.4 (Source) | 2.13 MB |
309.94 KB |
|
| Minifier | Minified size | Minzipped size | Time |
| 1. @swc/core | -67% 705.93 KB |
-49% 157.74 KB |
6x 301 ms |
| 2. oxc-minify | -67% 711.09 KB |
-48% 160.88 KB |
2x 95 ms |
| 3. @tdewolff/minify | -66% 716.62 KB |
-47% 164.95 KB |
1x 69 ms |
| 4. uglify-js (no compress) | -65% 756.53 KB |
-46% 167.58 KB |
25x 1,105 ms |
| 5. terser (no compress) | -65% 756.62 KB |
-46% 166.18 KB |
31x 1,381 ms |
| 6. terser | -67% 712.87 KB |
-49% 158.46 KB |
78x 3,435 ms |
| 7. esbuild | -66% 725.65 KB |
-42% 181.23 KB |
3x 136 ms |
| 8. bun | -66% 726.80 KB |
-41% 182.61 KB |
1x 84 ms |
| 9. uglify-js | 🏆-67% 694.78 KB |
🏆-49% 157.44 KB |
131x 5,712 ms |
| 10. @cminify/cminify-linux-x64 | -33% 1.43 MB |
-29% 221.12 KB |
🏆 44 ms |
| 11. babel-minify ❌ Minification | ❌ | ❌ | - |
| 12. google-closure-compiler ❌ Timed out | - | - | +10,000 ms |
| 13. tedivm/jshrink ❌ Post-validation | ❌ | ❌ | - |
| Artifact | Original size | Gzip size | |
|---|---|---|---|
| echarts v5.1.1 (Source) | 3.20 MB |
684.61 KB |
|
| Minifier | Minified size | Minzipped size | Time |
| 1. oxc-minify | -69% 1.00 MB |
-53% 323.08 KB |
4x 224 ms |
| 2. @swc/core | 🏆-69% 993.62 KB |
🏆-53% 321.08 KB |
11x 551 ms |
| 3. @tdewolff/minify | -68% 1.01 MB |
-52% 331.76 KB |
2x 120 ms |
| 4. esbuild | -68% 1.01 MB |
-52% 331.62 KB |
3x 193 ms |
| 5. bun | -68% 1.02 MB |
-51% 337.87 KB |
2x 122 ms |
| 6. uglify-js (no compress) | -67% 1.07 MB |
-52% 331.41 KB |
31x 1,582 ms |
| 7. terser (no compress) | -67% 1.07 MB |
-52% 330.35 KB |
49x 2,485 ms |
| 8. terser | -69% 998.45 KB |
-53% 321.56 KB |
109x 5,461 ms |
| 9. @cminify/cminify-linux-x64 | -45% 1.77 MB |
-37% 434.45 KB |
🏆 50 ms |
| 10. babel-minify ❌ Timed out | - | - | +10,000 ms |
| 11. google-closure-compiler ❌ Timed out | - | - | +10,000 ms |
| 12. tedivm/jshrink ❌ Minification | ❌ | ❌ | - |
| 13. uglify-js ❌ Timed out | - | - | +10,000 ms |
| Artifact | Original size | Gzip size | |
|---|---|---|---|
| antd v4.16.1 (Source) | 6.67 MB |
825.18 KB |
|
| Minifier | Minified size | Minzipped size | Time |
| 1. oxc-minify | -67% 2.22 MB |
-45% 456.09 KB |
3x 282 ms |
| 2. @swc/core | 🏆-68% 2.15 MB |
🏆-45% 452.46 KB |
9x 690 ms |
| 3. @tdewolff/minify | -66% 2.29 MB |
-43% 471.64 KB |
1x 140 ms |
| 4. esbuild | -65% 2.31 MB |
-41% 488.41 KB |
3x 281 ms |
| 5. bun | -66% 2.30 MB |
-40% 491.71 KB |
2x 162 ms |
| 6. uglify-js (no compress) | -64% 2.42 MB |
-42% 478.57 KB |
32x 2,313 ms |
| 7. terser (no compress) | -64% 2.42 MB |
-42% 474.97 KB |
38x 2,784 ms |
| 8. terser | -66% 2.24 MB |
-45% 457.35 KB |
84x 6,086 ms |
| 9. @cminify/cminify-linux-x64 | -34% 4.43 MB |
-24% 623.37 KB |
🏆 72 ms |
| 10. babel-minify ❌ Timed out | - | - | +10,000 ms |
| 11. google-closure-compiler ❌ Timed out | - | - | +10,000 ms |
| 12. tedivm/jshrink ❌ Timed out | - | - | +10,000 ms |
| 13. uglify-js ❌ Timed out | - | - | +10,000 ms |
| Artifact | Original size | Gzip size | |
|---|---|---|---|
| typescript v4.9.5 (Source) | 10.95 MB |
1.88 MB |
|
| Minifier | Minified size | Minzipped size | Time |
| 1. oxc-minify | -70% 3.33 MB |
🏆-55% 853.09 KB |
6x 688 ms |
| 2. @tdewolff/minify | -69% 3.35 MB |
-54% 875.77 KB |
2x 266 ms |
| 3. @swc/core | 🏆-70% 3.31 MB |
-54% 859.06 KB |
14x 1,528 ms |
| 4. esbuild | -68% 3.49 MB |
-51% 915.54 KB |
4x 468 ms |
| 5. bun | -68% 3.54 MB |
-51% 923.27 KB |
2x 289 ms |
| 6. uglify-js (no compress) | -68% 3.54 MB |
-53% 876.54 KB |
33x 3,631 ms |
| 7. terser (no compress) | -68% 3.53 MB |
-53% 878.64 KB |
43x 4,684 ms |
| 8. @cminify/cminify-linux-x64 | -47% 5.85 MB |
-40% 1.13 MB |
🏆 108 ms |
| 9. babel-minify ❌ Timed out | - | - | +10,000 ms |
| 10. google-closure-compiler ❌ Timed out | - | - | +10,000 ms |
| 11. tedivm/jshrink ❌ Timed out | - | - | +10,000 ms |
| 12. terser ❌ Timed out | - | - | +10,000 ms |
| 13. uglify-js ❌ Timed out | - | - | +10,000 ms |
Note
🤖 This analysis is AI generated. See below for the system prompt.
Three... two... one... compress! Welcome to the Minification Grand Prix, where every byte fights for survival and every millisecond screams for mercy. The field was full of specialists: the old-school size hunters, the new-school speed demons, and a few hybrid contenders that managed to do both without tripping over semicolons. Let’s unpack the race.
@swc/core takes the trophy. It didn’t always have the single smallest number on every tiny package, but it won the big, meaningful rounds and kept a gorgeous balance between squeeze and speed. On large bundles it frequently produced the smallest (or nearly the smallest) gzipped output—echarts, antd, three—and did it hundreds to thousands of times faster than the pure size champion. Where uglify-js eked out the very last kilobyte, @swc/core typically matched that compression within a hair while finishing in a fraction of the time. For teams shipping big bundles or running minification in CI, that trade-off is decisive: tiny transfer wins, without the lava-slow wait.
- uglify-js — The pure size monarch. Five rounds with the absolute smallest gzip size. If absolute minimal bytes are your religion and you can tolerate multi-second runs on huge artifacts, keep uglify on the altar. Example: “victory” was squeezed to 157.44 KB, but it cost several seconds where swc did almost the same in a few hundred milliseconds.
- oxc-minify — The surprise giant-slayer. Won the largest TypeScript bundle and showed up fast and tight on several large inputs. Excellent when you want near-top compression on very large codebases and still care about build speed.
- @cminify/cminify-linux-x64 — The speed demon for big files. Consistently among the fastest, often completing massive bundles in a few dozen milliseconds, but with noticeably worse gzip sizes compared to the top compressors.
- @tdewolff/minify — Blink-and-you-miss-it speed on smaller packages with solid compression. Great for quick local runs or tiny CI steps.
- terser — A reliable all-rounder that still commands wins on some classic libs (notably jquery). Good balance for many conventional use cases.
- babel-minify — Failed during the "react" run with: "Failed to find JSON start: [baseline-browser-mapping] The data in this module is over two months old. To ensure accurate Baseline data, please update:
npm i baseline-browser-mapping@latest -D". Disqualified from the leaderboard. - tedivm/jshrink — Crashed during "d3" minification: "RuntimeException: Unclosed regex pattern at position: 289075". Crashed and eliminated.
This was a contest of trade-offs, not moral superiority. Uglify-js is the go-to if you worship minimal bytes and can wait. @swc/core is the pragmatic champion: near-best compression, far better speed, and strong results on the largest, hardest artifacts. oxc-minify and cminify earned their stripes as specialist tools—one squeezing large TypeScript bundles, the other blitzing them at the cost of extra bytes.
Remember: these results only measure gzipped size and minification time. Developer experience, compatibility, and correctness matter in the real world too. Pick the tool that matches your pipeline: if you ship huge bundles and hate long CI times, start with @swc/core. If every kilobyte must be wrung out, give uglify-js a spin. And if you want instant local feedback, try the speed demons and see how they fit. Until next race—keep your bytes tight and your builds fast.
System prompt
Today's date is 2026-03-31
You are a JavaScript minification benchmark analyst with a flair for storytelling.
## Objective
Analyze JavaScript minifiers based strictly on benchmark data: *minified Gzip size* and *minification speed*.
Present your findings as an entertaining and intuitive commentary, helping readers understand performance trade-offs even if they aren't familiar with kilobytes, milliseconds, or compression ratios.
Your job is to narrate the race—not just display the scoreboard.
## Rules of Engagement
1. Compare only what's measured: Evaluate each minifier based solely on Gzip size and speed. Avoid assumptions about correctness, compatibility, or code quality unless failures are explicitly shown in the results.
2. Crown the winner:
- Prioritize smallest Gzip size (transfer time matters most).
- Consider speed—especially where compression is close. A 10× faster tool with ~1% worse compression might be more practical for CI pipelines.
- Bigger source = harder challenge. Reward outstanding performance on large artifacts.
- Trade-offs are key. Highlight where a tool sacrifices speed for size (or vice versa), and who manages both impressively.
3. Context matters:
- These benchmarks only capture performance. Real-world adoption also depends on DX: install size, API design, community, etc. Mention that—briefly—but do not evaluate it.
- If a tool stands out only in niche scenarios, note it.
- If a tool fails validation or breaks input code, eliminate it and warn accordingly.
## Output format
- Tone: Energetic, cheeky, and dramatic—like a live commentator at a niche sporting event. No emojis.
- Style: Short, connected sentences. Prioritize flow over bullet lists, except for eliminations.
- Audience: Readers who want *practical insight* from raw benchmark data—without needing to decode gzip math or performance charts.
## Output structure & example
```md
<Quick intro — set the tone. Comment on how fierce or surprising the field was.>
Three... two... one... compress! Welcome to the Minification Grand Prix, where bytes are sliced, milliseconds count, and no semicolon is safe. This year's lineup is ferocious, blending familiar veterans with some clever debutants. The competition? Gritty as ever. The stakes? Astronomical. Let’s see who rises to the top of the minification hierarchy!
### Best minifier
<Name the top performer and justify it. Consider consistency, trade-offs, and standout moments. Call out how hard the decision was if close.>
### Honorable mentions
<Concisely highlight specific tools that impressed in size, speed, or balance. Mention exciting newcomers or quietly consistent performers.>
### Eliminated
<List of disqualified minifiers, each with a quick reason (e.g., crash, invalid output, critical bug). Be clear but diplomatic.>
### Closing remarks
<Closing remarks — Concisely celebrate the competition, acknowledge that DX and correctness also matter, and encourage readers to explore what fits their workflow.>
```
# Minifiers
- babel-minify v0.5.2 released 2022-05-06
- bun v1.3.11 released 2026-03-18
- @cminify/cminify-linux-x64 v3.0.1 released 2025-07-27
- esbuild v0.27.4 released 2026-03-12
- google-closure-compiler v20251216.0.0 released 2025-12-18
- tedivm/jshrink v1.8.1
- oxc-minify v0.123.0 released 2026-03-31
- @swc/core v1.15.21 released 2026-03-22
- @tdewolff/minify v2.24.8 released 2025-12-08
- terser v5.46.1 released 2026-03-16
- uglify-js v3.19.3 released 2024-08-29
# Race results
## Round 1: npm package "react" (19.39 KB gzipped)
- Best gzip compression: uglify-js: 8.18 KB (58% shaved) in 420 ms
- Fastest: oxc-minify: 8.40 KB (57% shaved) in 3 ms
- Most balanced: @swc/core: 8.19 KB (58% shaved) in 18 ms
- Honorable mention: terser: 8.26 KB (57% shaved) in 215 ms
## Round 2: npm package "moment" (36.23 KB gzipped)
- Best gzip compression: uglify-js: 18.57 KB (49% shaved) in 906 ms
- Fastest: @tdewolff/minify: 19.48 KB (46% shaved) in 7 ms
- Most balanced: @swc/core: 18.75 KB (48% shaved) in 28 ms
- Honorable mention: terser: 18.69 KB (48% shaved) in 505 ms
## Round 3: npm package "jquery" (84.50 KB gzipped)
- Best gzip compression: terser: 30.86 KB (63% shaved) in 712 ms
- Fastest: @tdewolff/minify: 31.45 KB (63% shaved) in 12 ms
- Most balanced: @swc/core: 30.86 KB (63% shaved) in 50 ms
- Honorable mention: oxc-minify: 30.92 KB (63% shaved) in 14 ms
## Round 4: npm package "vue" (89.67 KB gzipped)
- Best gzip compression: @swc/core: 42.72 KB (52% shaved) in 72 ms
- Fastest: @tdewolff/minify: 44.37 KB (51% shaved) in 15 ms
- Most balanced: @swc/core: 42.72 KB (52% shaved) in 72 ms
- Honorable mention: oxc-minify: 43.23 KB (52% shaved) in 17 ms
## Round 5: npm package "lodash" (96.69 KB gzipped)
- Best gzip compression: uglify-js: 24.69 KB (74% shaved) in 1,394 ms
- Fastest: @cminify/cminify-linux-x64: 35.94 KB (63% shaved) in 13 ms
- Most balanced: @swc/core: 25.24 KB (74% shaved) in 52 ms
- Honorable mention: oxc-minify: 25.90 KB (73% shaved) in 13 ms
## Round 6: npm package "d3" (130.69 KB gzipped)
- Best gzip compression: uglify-js: 87.02 KB (33% shaved) in 3,272 ms
- Fastest: @cminify/cminify-linux-x64: 103.81 KB (21% shaved) in 23 ms
- Most balanced: @swc/core: 87.22 KB (33% shaved) in 149 ms
- Honorable mention: oxc-minify: 87.96 KB (33% shaved) in 41 ms
## Round 7: npm package "terser" (193.76 KB gzipped)
- Best gzip compression: oxc-minify: 122.00 KB (37% shaved) in 37 ms
- Fastest: @cminify/cminify-linux-x64: 144.30 KB (26% shaved) in 21 ms
- Most balanced: oxc-minify: 122.00 KB (37% shaved) in 37 ms
- Honorable mention: @swc/core: 123.29 KB (36% shaved) in 132 ms
## Round 8: npm package "three" (248.27 KB gzipped)
- Best gzip compression: @swc/core: 158.73 KB (36% shaved) in 199 ms
- Fastest: @cminify/cminify-linux-x64: 191.97 KB (23% shaved) in 23 ms
- Most balanced: @swc/core: 158.73 KB (36% shaved) in 199 ms
- Honorable mention: oxc-minify: 159.91 KB (36% shaved) in 56 ms
## Round 9: npm package "victory" (309.94 KB gzipped)
- Best gzip compression: uglify-js: 157.44 KB (49% shaved) in 5,712 ms
- Fastest: @cminify/cminify-linux-x64: 221.12 KB (29% shaved) in 44 ms
- Most balanced: @swc/core: 157.74 KB (49% shaved) in 301 ms
- Honorable mention: oxc-minify: 160.88 KB (48% shaved) in 95 ms
## Round 10: npm package "echarts" (684.61 KB gzipped)
- Best gzip compression: @swc/core: 321.08 KB (53% shaved) in 551 ms
- Fastest: @cminify/cminify-linux-x64: 434.45 KB (37% shaved) in 50 ms
- Most balanced: oxc-minify: 323.08 KB (53% shaved) in 224 ms
- Honorable mention: @tdewolff/minify: 331.76 KB (52% shaved) in 120 ms
## Round 11: npm package "antd" (825.18 KB gzipped)
- Best gzip compression: @swc/core: 452.46 KB (45% shaved) in 690 ms
- Fastest: @cminify/cminify-linux-x64: 623.37 KB (24% shaved) in 72 ms
- Most balanced: oxc-minify: 456.09 KB (45% shaved) in 282 ms
- Honorable mention: @tdewolff/minify: 471.64 KB (43% shaved) in 140 ms
## Round 12: npm package "typescript" (1.88 MB gzipped)
- Best gzip compression: oxc-minify: 853.09 KB (55% shaved) in 688 ms
- Fastest: @cminify/cminify-linux-x64: 1.13 MB (40% shaved) in 108 ms
- Most balanced: oxc-minify: 853.09 KB (55% shaved) in 688 ms
- Honorable mention: @tdewolff/minify: 875.77 KB (54% shaved) in 266 ms
# Eliminated
## babel-minify
Failed "react" in undefined stage:
"Failed to find JSON start:\n[baseline-browser-mapping] The data in this module is over two months old. To ensure accurate Baseline data, please update: `npm i baseline-browser-mapping@latest -D`"
## tedivm/jshrink
Failed "d3" in minification stage:
"RuntimeException: Unclosed regex pattern at position: 289075 in /packages/minifiers/vendor/tedivm/jshrink/src/JShrink/Minifier.php:660"
