What's the best JavaScript minifier?
This project benchmarks the following minifiers:
| Minifier | Version | Release date ↓ |
|---|---|---|
| oxc-minify | 0.150.0 | 2026-09-14 |
| bun | 1.4.2 | 2026-09-05 |
| @swc/core | 1.16.2 | 2026-09-04 |
| terser | 5.51.2 | 2026-08-27 |
| esbuild | 0.28.2 | 2026-08-08 |
| 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 Sep 20, 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 11 ms |
| 2. terser | -68% 23.05 KB |
-57% 8.26 KB |
62x 118 ms |
| 3. oxc-minify | -68% 23.15 KB |
-57% 8.35 KB |
🏆 2 ms |
| 4. uglify-js | 🏆-69% 22.64 KB |
🏆-58% 8.18 KB |
223x 420 ms |
| 5. bun | -67% 23.98 KB |
-56% 8.52 KB |
7x 13 ms |
| 6. esbuild | -67% 23.70 KB |
-56% 8.54 KB |
6x 12 ms |
| 7. @tdewolff/minify | -67% 23.49 KB |
-55% 8.63 KB |
2x 4 ms |
| 8. uglify-js (no compress) | -65% 25.03 KB |
-55% 8.67 KB |
40x 75 ms |
| 9. terser (no compress) | -65% 25.06 KB |
-55% 8.74 KB |
25x 48 ms |
| 10. google-closure-compiler | -68% 22.81 KB |
-58% 8.22 KB |
1682x 3,169 ms |
| 11. @cminify/cminify-linux-x64 | -44% 40.04 KB |
-44% 10.86 KB |
6x 12 ms |
| 12. tedivm/jshrink | -43% 40.82 KB |
-43% 11.04 KB |
66x 126 ms |
| 13. babel-minify ❌ 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% 58.36 KB |
-48% 18.74 KB |
3x 16 ms |
| 2. terser | -66% 59.01 KB |
-48% 18.69 KB |
57x 290 ms |
| 3. oxc-minify | -66% 59.31 KB |
-47% 19.23 KB |
🏆 5 ms |
| 4. esbuild | -66% 59.80 KB |
-47% 19.33 KB |
2x 13 ms |
| 5. uglify-js | 🏆-67% 57.73 KB |
🏆-49% 18.57 KB |
179x 906 ms |
| 6. @tdewolff/minify | -66% 59.89 KB |
-46% 19.48 KB |
1x 7 ms |
| 7. bun | -64% 61.77 KB |
-46% 19.60 KB |
2x 11 ms |
| 8. uglify-js (no compress) | -64% 62.50 KB |
-46% 19.57 KB |
35x 177 ms |
| 9. terser (no compress) | -64% 63.01 KB |
-46% 19.65 KB |
26x 132 ms |
| 10. google-closure-compiler | -66% 58.28 KB |
-48% 18.90 KB |
793x 3,994 ms |
| 11. @cminify/cminify-linux-x64 | -45% 95.93 KB |
-32% 24.74 KB |
2x 12 ms |
| 12. tedivm/jshrink | -44% 97.63 KB |
-31% 25.00 KB |
56x 285 ms |
| 13. babel-minify ❌ 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 |
3x 31 ms |
| 2. oxc-minify | -69% 89.18 KB |
-63% 30.91 KB |
🏆 8 ms |
| 3. @tdewolff/minify | -69% 89.68 KB |
-63% 31.45 KB |
1x 12 ms |
| 4. terser | -69% 89.24 KB |
-63% 30.86 KB |
52x 418 ms |
| 5. terser (no compress) | -67% 94.26 KB |
-63% 31.56 KB |
22x 178 ms |
| 6. uglify-js (no compress) | -67% 94.08 KB |
-63% 31.47 KB |
30x 244 ms |
| 7. esbuild | -69% 90.07 KB |
-62% 31.96 KB |
3x 27 ms |
| 8. bun | -68% 92.40 KB |
-62% 32.20 KB |
1x 13 ms |
| 9. uglify-js | 🏆-69% 88.45 KB |
-63% 30.90 KB |
168x 1,336 ms |
| 10. google-closure-compiler | -68% 92.71 KB |
-61% 33.05 KB |
508x 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 |
45x 361 ms |
| 13. babel-minify ❌ 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% 42.71 KB |
3x 36 ms |
| 2. oxc-minify | -66% 116.89 KB |
-52% 43.22 KB |
🏆 10 ms |
| 3. terser | -66% 116.60 KB |
-52% 42.87 KB |
54x 548 ms |
| 4. @tdewolff/minify | -66% 117.70 KB |
-51% 44.37 KB |
1x 15 ms |
| 5. esbuild | -65% 118.14 KB |
-51% 44.37 KB |
2x 30 ms |
| 6. bun | -65% 121.29 KB |
-50% 44.50 KB |
1x 15 ms |
| 7. uglify-js (no compress) | -63% 126.14 KB |
-50% 44.45 KB |
29x 302 ms |
| 8. terser (no compress) | -63% 126.39 KB |
-50% 44.64 KB |
21x 221 ms |
| 9. uglify-js | 🏆-67% 113.80 KB |
-52% 43.04 KB |
184x 1,857 ms |
| 10. google-closure-compiler | -66% 115.55 KB |
-51% 44.24 KB |
474x 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 |
47x 481 ms |
| 13. babel-minify ❌ 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% 69.83 KB |
-74% 25.26 KB |
3x 29 ms |
| 2. oxc-minify | -87% 70.88 KB |
-73% 25.84 KB |
🏆 8 ms |
| 3. terser | -87% 70.41 KB |
-74% 25.15 KB |
56x 470 ms |
| 4. esbuild | -87% 72.50 KB |
-73% 26.20 KB |
2x 18 ms |
| 5. bun | -86% 73.48 KB |
-73% 26.25 KB |
1x 14 ms |
| 6. uglify-js (no compress) | -86% 74.61 KB |
-73% 25.86 KB |
32x 271 ms |
| 7. terser (no compress) | -86% 75.04 KB |
-73% 26.19 KB |
23x 195 ms |
| 8. @tdewolff/minify | -87% 71.90 KB |
-73% 26.50 KB |
2x 17 ms |
| 9. uglify-js | 🏆-87% 68.17 KB |
🏆-74% 24.69 KB |
167x 1,394 ms |
| 10. google-closure-compiler | -86% 73.49 KB |
-74% 25.03 KB |
515x 4,283 ms |
| 11. @cminify/cminify-linux-x64 | -73% 146.27 KB |
-63% 35.94 KB |
1x 13 ms |
| 12. tedivm/jshrink | -73% 148.78 KB |
-62% 36.33 KB |
45x 374 ms |
| 13. babel-minify ❌ 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% 265.02 KB |
-33% 87.39 KB |
3x 80 ms |
| 2. oxc-minify | -52% 267.18 KB |
-33% 87.95 KB |
🏆 22 ms |
| 3. uglify-js (no compress) | -50% 275.35 KB |
-32% 88.32 KB |
28x 617 ms |
| 4. terser | -52% 267.42 KB |
-33% 88.00 KB |
55x 1,196 ms |
| 5. @tdewolff/minify | -52% 269.07 KB |
-31% 89.87 KB |
1x 36 ms |
| 6. terser (no compress) | -50% 276.13 KB |
-32% 89.07 KB |
25x 560 ms |
| 7. esbuild | -51% 270.21 KB |
-31% 90.81 KB |
2x 45 ms |
| 8. bun | -51% 272.68 KB |
-30% 91.07 KB |
1x 27 ms |
| 9. uglify-js | 🏆-53% 263.56 KB |
🏆-33% 87.02 KB |
150x 3,272 ms |
| 10. @cminify/cminify-linux-x64 | -29% 393.70 KB |
-21% 103.81 KB |
1x 23 ms |
| 11. google-closure-compiler | -51% 270.32 KB |
-28% 94.15 KB |
287x 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 | 🏆-57% 439.11 KB |
🏆-37% 121.95 KB |
🏆 20 ms |
| 2. @swc/core | -55% 455.45 KB |
-36% 123.29 KB |
3x 71 ms |
| 3. @tdewolff/minify | -55% 456.59 KB |
-36% 124.88 KB |
1x 34 ms |
| 4. terser (no compress) | -53% 472.58 KB |
-36% 124.25 KB |
26x 538 ms |
| 5. terser | -55% 456.59 KB |
-36% 123.35 KB |
55x 1,133 ms |
| 6. uglify-js (no compress) | -53% 472.16 KB |
-36% 124.61 KB |
32x 670 ms |
| 7. bun | -54% 466.76 KB |
-35% 126.60 KB |
1x 24 ms |
| 8. esbuild | -55% 458.93 KB |
-35% 126.71 KB |
1x 37 ms |
| 9. uglify-js | -55% 451.19 KB |
-36% 123.33 KB |
154x 3,153 ms |
| 10. google-closure-compiler | -56% 439.93 KB |
-35% 126.44 KB |
295x 6,042 ms |
| 11. @cminify/cminify-linux-x64 | -38% 625.93 KB |
-26% 144.30 KB |
1x 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% 642.67 KB |
🏆-36% 158.70 KB |
4x 107 ms |
| 2. oxc-minify | -48% 642.41 KB |
-36% 159.85 KB |
1x 30 ms |
| 3. terser | -48% 653.18 KB |
-36% 159.17 KB |
67x 1,560 ms |
| 4. esbuild | -48% 646.93 KB |
-34% 163.75 KB |
2x 53 ms |
| 5. bun | -47% 655.62 KB |
-34% 164.10 KB |
1x 31 ms |
| 6. @tdewolff/minify | -49% 642.20 KB |
-34% 164.60 KB |
2x 49 ms |
| 7. terser (no compress) | -46% 675.43 KB |
-34% 163.18 KB |
30x 705 ms |
| 8. uglify-js (no compress) | -46% 674.49 KB |
-34% 163.04 KB |
38x 872 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% 705.89 KB |
-49% 157.70 KB |
3x 166 ms |
| 2. oxc-minify | -67% 710.67 KB |
-48% 160.76 KB |
1x 53 ms |
| 3. @tdewolff/minify | -66% 716.62 KB |
-47% 164.95 KB |
1x 69 ms |
| 4. terser (no compress) | -65% 756.62 KB |
-46% 166.18 KB |
20x 886 ms |
| 5. terser | -67% 712.87 KB |
-49% 158.46 KB |
49x 2,151 ms |
| 6. uglify-js (no compress) | -65% 756.53 KB |
-46% 167.58 KB |
25x 1,105 ms |
| 7. bun | -66% 726.36 KB |
-42% 180.77 KB |
🏆 43 ms |
| 8. esbuild | -66% 725.65 KB |
-42% 181.23 KB |
1x 79 ms |
| 9. uglify-js | 🏆-67% 694.78 KB |
🏆-49% 157.44 KB |
132x 5,712 ms |
| 10. @cminify/cminify-linux-x64 | -33% 1.43 MB |
-29% 221.12 KB |
1x 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% 322.84 KB |
2x 108 ms |
| 2. @swc/core | 🏆-69% 993.61 KB |
🏆-53% 321.02 KB |
7x 362 ms |
| 3. esbuild | -68% 1.01 MB |
-52% 331.62 KB |
2x 116 ms |
| 4. @tdewolff/minify | -68% 1.01 MB |
-52% 331.76 KB |
2x 120 ms |
| 5. bun | -68% 1.02 MB |
-51% 332.57 KB |
1x 67 ms |
| 6. terser (no compress) | -67% 1.07 MB |
-52% 330.35 KB |
31x 1,571 ms |
| 7. uglify-js (no compress) | -67% 1.07 MB |
-52% 331.41 KB |
31x 1,582 ms |
| 8. terser | -69% 998.45 KB |
-53% 321.56 KB |
72x 3,612 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 | 🏆-68% 2.12 MB |
🏆-45% 451.48 KB |
2x 167 ms |
| 2. @swc/core | -68% 2.15 MB |
-45% 452.46 KB |
6x 479 ms |
| 3. @tdewolff/minify | -66% 2.29 MB |
-43% 471.64 KB |
1x 140 ms |
| 4. bun | -66% 2.29 MB |
-41% 486.20 KB |
1x 90 ms |
| 5. esbuild | -65% 2.31 MB |
-41% 488.41 KB |
2x 171 ms |
| 6. terser (no compress) | -64% 2.42 MB |
-42% 474.97 KB |
26x 1,880 ms |
| 7. uglify-js (no compress) | -64% 2.42 MB |
-42% 478.57 KB |
32x 2,313 ms |
| 8. terser | -66% 2.24 MB |
-45% 457.35 KB |
56x 4,063 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% 851.56 KB |
3x 364 ms |
| 2. @tdewolff/minify | -69% 3.35 MB |
-54% 875.77 KB |
2x 266 ms |
| 3. @swc/core | 🏆-70% 3.31 MB |
-54% 859.03 KB |
9x 1,064 ms |
| 4. esbuild | -68% 3.49 MB |
-51% 915.54 KB |
2x 287 ms |
| 5. bun | -68% 3.54 MB |
-51% 917.43 KB |
1x 153 ms |
| 6. terser (no compress) | -68% 3.53 MB |
-53% 878.64 KB |
29x 3,192 ms |
| 7. uglify-js (no compress) | -68% 3.54 MB |
-53% 876.54 KB |
33x 3,631 ms |
| 8. terser | -69% 3.34 MB |
-55% 853.48 KB |
75x 8,221 ms |
| 9. @cminify/cminify-linux-x64 | -47% 5.85 MB |
-40% 1.13 MB |
🏆 108 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 |
Note
🤖 This analysis is AI generated. See below for the system prompt.
Ladies and gentlemen, twelve rounds, eleven contenders, and a heavyweight division stacked like never before. We had a five-time size champion willing to burn five seconds for a hundred bytes. We had a rookie sprinting through the megabyte class like it was a warm-up lap. And we had two eliminations before the crowd even settled into their seats. Buckle up, because this one went the distance.
The crown goes to oxc-minify. Released mere days before this Grand Prix, it walked into the arena and turned the heavyweight division into a track meet. Look at Round 12: typescript, a 1.88 MB monster, and oxc carved it to 851.56 KB in 364 milliseconds. Best size, best speed, no contest. It pulled the same triple crown on antd and on terser itself. Yes, you read that right. In Round 7, the field had to minify the minifier, and oxc out-minified everyone on terser's own home turf. That is not a win. That is a statement.
Across all twelve rounds, oxc was almost always within a whisker of the smallest output, and it got there three to four times faster than anyone else in the size race. When compression is this close, speed becomes the tiebreaker, and oxc never lost that tiebreaker. It was fastest in seven rounds outright. For a CI pipeline that runs on every commit, giving up a fraction of a percent of bytes to move three times faster isn't a compromise. It's a bargain.
Make no mistake, this was a photo finish. More on that in a moment.
@swc/core takes the silver, and it stings. Nine of twelve "most balanced" trophies, four outright size wins, and never more than a sliver off the pace anywhere. On jquery it beat oxc by 0.05 KB. On three it delivered 158.70 KB, the best in the field. The gap to the champion averaged under half a percent across the season, but oxc simply ran the same race three times quicker. If your world is size-obsessed and your builds can spare a few hundred milliseconds, swc is arguably the smarter pick. That is how close this was.
uglify-js deserves a standing ovation and a seat on the bench. Five best-compression wins, including moments of pure genius, but the pace was medieval. In Round 1, it beat swc by 0.01 KB and paid 420 milliseconds for the privilege. That's 40 milliseconds per byte of bragging rights. On victory, it needed 5,712 milliseconds to edge out swc by 0.26 KB. The grandmaster plays every move to perfection, and the audience falls asleep. Since its 2024 release, the field has lapped it in velocity.
terser remains the reliable veteran, earning four honorable mentions with genuinely tidy sizes. But watching it take 548 milliseconds on vue while oxc waved goodbye at 10 milliseconds tells the story of an era ending. Respect the legacy. Watch the mirror.
@tdewolff/minify is the quiet dark horse. Two honorable mentions, including the second-best size on the entire typescript mountain at 875.77 KB in just 266 milliseconds. Fast, tidy, and criminally underhyped.
@cminify/cminify-linux-x64 is the pure sprinter. Fastest tool on the four biggest courses, blazing through typescript in 108 milliseconds. The problem? It leaves entire neighborhoods of bytes behind, 38 percent bigger than the leaders on antd, a third bigger on echarts and typescript. If milliseconds matter more than bandwidth, it is your tool. Otherwise, it is first out of the blocks and last to the podium.
bun showed one flash of raw pace, fastest on victory at 43 milliseconds, but shaved 42 percent where the leaders took 49. Speed specialist, same story.
esbuild turned one solid podium finish on echarts and stayed competitive throughout. A dependable mid-table runner in a brutal field.
And a note for google-closure-compiler: the veteran finished every single race. It just never once appeared on the leaderboard in twelve rounds. Sometimes completing the season is its own quiet achievement.
- babel-minify — Gone before Round 1 could even begin, felled on react by a tooling failure before any minifying happened. A strange exit for a strange error.
- tedivm/jshrink — Crashed hard on d3, choking on an unclosed regex pattern mid-minification. Broken output means a red card, no appeal.
What a season. A rookie champion crowned in the heavyweight class, a silver medalist separated by fractions of a percent, and an old size king who reminded us that perfection still costs time. One footnote before you pick a winner for your own stack: this race measured bytes and milliseconds only. Real-world adoption also runs on developer experience, install size, API ergonomics, and community. Those aren't on this scoreboard, but they're on yours. Measure your own bundles, run your own race, and may your payloads forever arrive small and fast.
System prompt
Today's date is 2026-09-20
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 v1.4.2 released 2026-09-05
- @cminify/cminify-linux-x64 v3.0.1 released 2025-07-27
- esbuild v0.28.2 released 2026-08-08
- google-closure-compiler v20251216.0.0 released 2025-12-18
- tedivm/jshrink v1.8.1
- oxc-minify v0.150.0 released 2026-09-14
- @swc/core v1.16.2 released 2026-09-04
- @tdewolff/minify v2.24.8 released 2025-12-08
- terser v5.51.2 released 2026-08-27
- 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: 8.35 KB (57% shaved) in 2 ms
- Most balanced: @swc/core: 8.19 KB (58% shaved) in 11 ms
- Honorable mention: terser: 8.26 KB (57% shaved) in 118 ms
## Round 2: npm package "moment" (36.23 KB gzipped)
- Best gzip compression: uglify-js: 18.57 KB (49% shaved) in 906 ms
- Fastest: oxc-minify: 19.23 KB (47% shaved) in 5 ms
- Most balanced: @swc/core: 18.74 KB (48% shaved) in 16 ms
- Honorable mention: terser: 18.69 KB (48% shaved) in 290 ms
## Round 3: npm package "jquery" (84.50 KB gzipped)
- Best gzip compression: @swc/core: 30.86 KB (63% shaved) in 31 ms
- Fastest: oxc-minify: 30.91 KB (63% shaved) in 8 ms
- Most balanced: @swc/core: 30.86 KB (63% shaved) in 31 ms
- Honorable mention: @tdewolff/minify: 31.45 KB (63% shaved) in 12 ms
## Round 4: npm package "vue" (89.67 KB gzipped)
- Best gzip compression: @swc/core: 42.71 KB (52% shaved) in 36 ms
- Fastest: oxc-minify: 43.22 KB (52% shaved) in 10 ms
- Most balanced: @swc/core: 42.71 KB (52% shaved) in 36 ms
- Honorable mention: terser: 42.87 KB (52% shaved) in 548 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: oxc-minify: 25.84 KB (73% shaved) in 8 ms
- Most balanced: @swc/core: 25.26 KB (74% shaved) in 29 ms
- Honorable mention: terser: 25.15 KB (74% shaved) in 470 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: oxc-minify: 87.95 KB (33% shaved) in 22 ms
- Most balanced: @swc/core: 87.39 KB (33% shaved) in 80 ms
- Honorable mention: uglify-js (no compress): 88.32 KB (32% shaved) in 617 ms
## Round 7: npm package "terser" (193.76 KB gzipped)
- Best gzip compression: oxc-minify: 121.95 KB (37% shaved) in 20 ms
- Fastest: oxc-minify: 121.95 KB (37% shaved) in 20 ms
- Most balanced: oxc-minify: 121.95 KB (37% shaved) in 20 ms
- Honorable mention: @swc/core: 123.29 KB (36% shaved) in 71 ms
## Round 8: npm package "three" (248.27 KB gzipped)
- Best gzip compression: @swc/core: 158.70 KB (36% shaved) in 107 ms
- Fastest: @cminify/cminify-linux-x64: 191.97 KB (23% shaved) in 23 ms
- Most balanced: @swc/core: 158.70 KB (36% shaved) in 107 ms
- Honorable mention: oxc-minify: 159.85 KB (36% shaved) in 30 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: bun: 180.77 KB (42% shaved) in 43 ms
- Most balanced: @swc/core: 157.70 KB (49% shaved) in 166 ms
- Honorable mention: oxc-minify: 160.76 KB (48% shaved) in 53 ms
## Round 10: npm package "echarts" (684.61 KB gzipped)
- Best gzip compression: @swc/core: 321.02 KB (53% shaved) in 362 ms
- Fastest: @cminify/cminify-linux-x64: 434.45 KB (37% shaved) in 50 ms
- Most balanced: oxc-minify: 322.84 KB (53% shaved) in 108 ms
- Honorable mention: esbuild: 331.62 KB (52% shaved) in 116 ms
## Round 11: npm package "antd" (825.18 KB gzipped)
- Best gzip compression: oxc-minify: 451.48 KB (45% shaved) in 167 ms
- Fastest: @cminify/cminify-linux-x64: 623.37 KB (24% shaved) in 72 ms
- Most balanced: oxc-minify: 451.48 KB (45% shaved) in 167 ms
- Honorable mention: @swc/core: 452.46 KB (45% shaved) in 479 ms
## Round 12: npm package "typescript" (1.88 MB gzipped)
- Best gzip compression: oxc-minify: 851.56 KB (55% shaved) in 364 ms
- Fastest: @cminify/cminify-linux-x64: 1.13 MB (40% shaved) in 108 ms
- Most balanced: oxc-minify: 851.56 KB (55% shaved) in 364 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"