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πŸƒβ€β™‚οΈπŸƒβ€β™€οΈπŸƒ JS minification benchmarks: babel-minify, esbuild, terser, uglify-js, swc, google closure compiler, tdewolff/minify

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minification benchmarks

What's the best JavaScript minifier?

This project benchmarks the following minifiers:

Minifier Version Release date ↓
esbuild 0.25.2 2025-03-30
bun 1.2.7 2025-03-27
@tdewolff/minify 2.22.4 2025-03-25
@swc/core 1.11.13 2025-03-24
oxc-minify 0.61.2 2025-03-23
terser 5.39.0 2025-02-13
uglify-js 3.19.3 2024-08-29
google-closure-compiler 20240317.0.0 2024-03-19
babel-minify 0.5.2 2022-05-06
tedivm/jshrink 1.7.0

Benchmarks last updated on Mar 30, 2025.


πŸ™‹β€β™‚οΈ Why?

  1. To help you pick a minifier that fits your needs
  2. To promote JS minifiers and document their performances
  3. To encourage healthy competition and improvement amongst minifiers

πŸ‘Ÿ Methodology

  • 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

⏱ Metrics

Minifiers are ranked by smallest minzipped size.

Minified size

Size of the minified output.

Minzipped size

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.

Time

How long minification took (average of 5 runs). Each time is annotated with a multiplier relative to the fastest minifier.

πŸ“‹ Results

---
config:
    xyChart:
        width: 720
        height: 360
        xAxis:
            labelPadding: 20
        yAxis:
            labelPadding: 10
---
xychart-beta
	title "react v17.0.2"
	x-axis ["Original",1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12]
	y-axis "Gzip size" 0 --> 19385
	bar [19385,8177,8186,8193,8265,8448,8493,8543,8628,8661,8668,8746,11040]
Loading
Artifact Original size Gzip size
react v17.0.2 (Source) 72.13 kB 19.39 kB
Minifier Minified size Minzipped size Time
1. uglify-js πŸ†-69% 22.64 kB πŸ†-58% 8.18 kB 205x 497 ms
2. @swc/core -68% 22.81 kB -58% 8.19 kB 6x 16 ms
3. google-closure-compiler -68% 22.83 kB -58% 8.19 kB 1268x 3,070 ms
4. terser -68% 23.07 kB -57% 8.27 kB 113x 275 ms
5. babel-minify -67% 23.60 kB -56% 8.45 kB 267x 647 ms
6. oxc-minify -67% 23.52 kB -56% 8.49 kB 1x 3 ms
7. esbuild -67% 23.70 kB -56% 8.54 kB 5x 14 ms
8. @tdewolff/minify -67% 23.49 kB -55% 8.63 kB πŸ† 2 ms
9. bun -67% 23.99 kB -55% 8.66 kB 5x 14 ms
10. uglify-js (no compress) -65% 25.03 kB -55% 8.67 kB 37x 91 ms
11. terser (no compress) -65% 25.08 kB -55% 8.75 kB 48x 118 ms
12. tedivm/jshrink -43% 40.82 kB -43% 11.04 kB 50x 123 ms

---
config:
    xyChart:
        width: 720
        height: 360
        xAxis:
            labelPadding: 20
        yAxis:
            labelPadding: 10
---
xychart-beta
	title "moment v2.29.1"
	x-axis ["Original",1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12]
	y-axis "Gzip size" 0 --> 36231
	bar [36231,18568,18690,18733,18910,19119,19260,19334,19478,19569,19683,19857,24998]
Loading
Artifact Original size Gzip size
moment v2.29.1 (Source) 173.90 kB 36.23 kB
Minifier Minified size Minzipped size Time
1. uglify-js πŸ†-67% 57.73 kB πŸ†-49% 18.57 kB 156x 1,149 ms
2. terser -66% 59.14 kB -48% 18.69 kB 90x 668 ms
3. @swc/core -66% 58.41 kB -48% 18.73 kB 5x 40 ms
4. google-closure-compiler -66% 58.27 kB -48% 18.91 kB 511x 3,753 ms
5. babel-minify -66% 59.70 kB -47% 19.12 kB 199x 1,465 ms
6. oxc-minify -66% 59.52 kB -47% 19.26 kB 1x 8 ms
7. esbuild -66% 59.82 kB -47% 19.33 kB 3x 23 ms
8. @tdewolff/minify -66% 59.87 kB -46% 19.48 kB πŸ† 7 ms
9. uglify-js (no compress) -64% 62.50 kB -46% 19.57 kB 29x 215 ms
10. terser (no compress) -64% 63.15 kB -46% 19.68 kB 36x 270 ms
11. bun -64% 61.84 kB -45% 19.86 kB 2x 18 ms
12. tedivm/jshrink -44% 97.63 kB -31% 25.00 kB 38x 282 ms

---
config:
    xyChart:
        width: 720
        height: 360
        xAxis:
            labelPadding: 20
        yAxis:
            labelPadding: 10
---
xychart-beta
	title "jquery v3.5.1"
	x-axis ["Original",1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12]
	y-axis "Gzip size" 0 --> 84498
	bar [84498,30874,30903,30912,30970,31446,31470,31621,31799,31954,32653,33086,40879]
Loading
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% 89.20 kB πŸ†-63% 30.87 kB 7x 63 ms
2. uglify-js πŸ†-69% 88.45 kB -63% 30.90 kB 186x 1,593 ms
3. terser -69% 89.54 kB -63% 30.91 kB 104x 891 ms
4. oxc-minify -69% 89.33 kB -63% 30.97 kB 1x 13 ms
5. @tdewolff/minify -69% 89.68 kB -63% 31.45 kB πŸ† 9 ms
6. uglify-js (no compress) -67% 94.08 kB -63% 31.47 kB 36x 314 ms
7. terser (no compress) -67% 94.55 kB -63% 31.62 kB 41x 353 ms
8. babel-minify -68% 92.10 kB -62% 31.80 kB 280x 2,398 ms
9. esbuild -69% 90.07 kB -62% 31.95 kB 4x 36 ms
10. bun -68% 92.55 kB -61% 32.65 kB 3x 28 ms
11. google-closure-compiler -68% 92.70 kB -61% 33.09 kB 474x 4,056 ms
12. tedivm/jshrink -50% 144.14 kB -52% 40.88 kB 42x 363 ms

---
config:
    xyChart:
        width: 720
        height: 360
        xAxis:
            labelPadding: 20
        yAxis:
            labelPadding: 10
---
xychart-beta
	title "vue v2.6.12"
	x-axis ["Original",1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12]
	y-axis "Gzip size" 0 --> 89668
	bar [89668,42730,42919,43036,43370,43925,44230,44354,44368,44450,44679,45400,57169]
Loading
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% 115.69 kB πŸ†-52% 42.73 kB 6x 88 ms
2. terser -66% 116.80 kB -52% 42.92 kB 77x 1,102 ms
3. uglify-js πŸ†-67% 113.80 kB -52% 43.04 kB 154x 2,206 ms
4. oxc-minify -66% 117.25 kB -52% 43.37 kB 1x 16 ms
5. babel-minify -66% 117.90 kB -51% 43.93 kB 189x 2,696 ms
6. google-closure-compiler -66% 115.61 kB -51% 44.23 kB 329x 4,686 ms
7. @tdewolff/minify -66% 117.67 kB -51% 44.35 kB πŸ† 14 ms
8. esbuild -65% 118.14 kB -51% 44.37 kB 3x 43 ms
9. uglify-js (no compress) -63% 126.14 kB -50% 44.45 kB 25x 364 ms
10. terser (no compress) -63% 126.58 kB -50% 44.68 kB 31x 443 ms
11. bun -64% 121.50 kB -49% 45.40 kB 2x 32 ms
12. tedivm/jshrink -42% 197.36 kB -36% 57.17 kB 33x 479 ms

---
config:
    xyChart:
        width: 720
        height: 360
        xAxis:
            labelPadding: 20
        yAxis:
            labelPadding: 10
---
xychart-beta
	title "lodash v4.17.21"
	x-axis ["Original",1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12]
	y-axis "Gzip size" 0 --> 96690
	bar [96690,24686,24972,25186,25239,25503,25862,25979,26200,26221,26498,26655,36327]
Loading
Artifact Original size Gzip size
lodash v4.17.21 (Source) 544.09 kB 96.69 kB
Minifier Minified size Minzipped size Time
1. uglify-js πŸ†-87% 68.17 kB πŸ†-74% 24.69 kB 141x 1,689 ms
2. google-closure-compiler -86% 73.47 kB -74% 24.97 kB 368x 4,402 ms
3. terser -87% 70.67 kB -74% 25.19 kB 79x 947 ms
4. @swc/core -87% 69.82 kB -74% 25.24 kB 6x 73 ms
5. babel-minify -87% 72.37 kB -74% 25.50 kB 174x 2,083 ms
6. uglify-js (no compress) -86% 74.61 kB -73% 25.86 kB 27x 333 ms
7. oxc-minify -87% 71.38 kB -73% 25.98 kB πŸ† 12 ms
8. esbuild -87% 72.48 kB -73% 26.20 kB 2x 35 ms
9. terser (no compress) -86% 75.29 kB -73% 26.22 kB 31x 377 ms
10. @tdewolff/minify -87% 71.90 kB -73% 26.50 kB 1x 14 ms
11. bun -87% 73.45 kB -72% 26.66 kB 1x 24 ms
12. tedivm/jshrink -73% 148.78 kB -62% 36.33 kB 30x 365 ms

---
config:
    xyChart:
        width: 720
        height: 360
        xAxis:
            labelPadding: 20
        yAxis:
            labelPadding: 10
---
xychart-beta
	title "d3 v6.3.1"
	x-axis ["Original",1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10]
	y-axis "Gzip size" 0 --> 130686
	bar [130686,87016,87216,88087,88162,88319,89156,89882,90800,92395,94121]
Loading
Artifact Original size Gzip size
d3 v6.3.1 (Source) 555.77 kB 130.69 kB
Minifier Minified size Minzipped size Time
1. uglify-js πŸ†-53% 263.56 kB πŸ†-33% 87.02 kB 118x 3,927 ms
2. @swc/core -52% 265.24 kB -33% 87.22 kB 6x 199 ms
3. terser -52% 267.77 kB -33% 88.09 kB 68x 2,274 ms
4. oxc-minify -51% 270.84 kB -33% 88.16 kB 1x 37 ms
5. uglify-js (no compress) -50% 275.35 kB -32% 88.32 kB 21x 711 ms
6. terser (no compress) -50% 276.47 kB -32% 89.16 kB 30x 1,011 ms
7. @tdewolff/minify -52% 269.35 kB -31% 89.88 kB πŸ† 33 ms
8. esbuild -51% 270.13 kB -31% 90.80 kB 2x 69 ms
9. bun -51% 273.41 kB -29% 92.40 kB 1x 48 ms
10. google-closure-compiler -51% 270.30 kB -28% 94.12 kB 213x 7,048 ms
11. babel-minify ❌ Minification ❌ ❌ -
12. tedivm/jshrink ❌ Minification ❌ ❌ -

---
config:
    xyChart:
        width: 720
        height: 360
        xAxis:
            labelPadding: 20
        yAxis:
            labelPadding: 10
---
xychart-beta
	title "terser v5.30.3"
	x-axis ["Original",1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11]
	y-axis "Gzip size" 0 --> 193763
	bar [193763,122364,123299,123334,123482,124428,124609,124878,126562,126707,127653,145178]
Loading
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% 440.17 kB πŸ†-37% 122.36 kB 1x 39 ms
2. @swc/core -55% 455.57 kB -36% 123.30 kB 5x 177 ms
3. uglify-js -55% 451.19 kB -36% 123.33 kB 110x 3,787 ms
4. terser -55% 458.29 kB -36% 123.48 kB 63x 2,172 ms
5. terser (no compress) -53% 474.40 kB -36% 124.43 kB 28x 967 ms
6. uglify-js (no compress) -53% 472.16 kB -36% 124.61 kB 22x 778 ms
7. @tdewolff/minify -55% 456.58 kB -36% 124.88 kB πŸ† 34 ms
8. google-closure-compiler πŸ†-56% 439.95 kB -35% 126.56 kB 192x 6,579 ms
9. esbuild -55% 458.89 kB -35% 126.71 kB 1x 63 ms
10. bun -54% 466.80 kB -34% 127.65 kB 1x 42 ms
11. tedivm/jshrink -37% 633.71 kB -25% 145.18 kB 39x 1,341 ms
12. babel-minify ❌ Minification ❌ ❌ -

---
config:
    xyChart:
        width: 720
        height: 360
        xAxis:
            labelPadding: 20
        yAxis:
            labelPadding: 10
---
xychart-beta
	title "three v0.124.0"
	x-axis ["Original",1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11]
	y-axis "Gzip size" 0 --> 248267
	bar [248267,158752,159071,159198,160831,162998,163036,163198,163725,164610,166210,193471]
Loading
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% 643.00 kB πŸ†-36% 158.75 kB 5x 282 ms
2. uglify-js πŸ†-49% 641.59 kB -36% 159.07 kB 95x 5,046 ms
3. terser -48% 653.25 kB -36% 159.20 kB 55x 2,934 ms
4. oxc-minify -48% 647.01 kB -35% 160.83 kB 1x 57 ms
5. google-closure-compiler -48% 644.45 kB -34% 163.00 kB 163x 8,569 ms
6. uglify-js (no compress) -46% 674.49 kB -34% 163.04 kB 18x 994 ms
7. terser (no compress) -46% 675.50 kB -34% 163.20 kB 24x 1,287 ms
8. esbuild -48% 646.76 kB -34% 163.73 kB 1x 91 ms
9. @tdewolff/minify -48% 642.46 kB -34% 164.61 kB πŸ† 53 ms
10. bun -47% 655.93 kB -33% 166.21 kB 1x 56 ms
11. tedivm/jshrink -24% 952.01 kB -22% 193.47 kB 32x 1,715 ms
12. babel-minify ❌ Timed out - - ⚠️ +10,000 ms

---
config:
    xyChart:
        width: 720
        height: 360
        xAxis:
            labelPadding: 20
        yAxis:
            labelPadding: 10
---
xychart-beta
	title "victory v35.8.4"
	x-axis ["Original",1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9]
	y-axis "Gzip size" 0 --> 309942
	bar [309942,157435,157846,158706,162262,165014,166386,167579,181071,182671]
Loading
Artifact Original size Gzip size
victory v35.8.4 (Source) 2.13 MB 309.94 kB
Minifier Minified size Minzipped size Time
1. uglify-js πŸ†-67% 694.78 kB πŸ†-49% 157.44 kB 118x 6,579 ms
2. @swc/core -67% 706.21 kB -49% 157.85 kB 7x 426 ms
3. terser -66% 715.58 kB -49% 158.71 kB 71x 3,977 ms
4. oxc-minify -66% 716.14 kB -48% 162.26 kB 1x 84 ms
5. @tdewolff/minify -66% 717.07 kB -47% 165.01 kB πŸ† 56 ms
6. terser (no compress) -64% 759.34 kB -46% 166.39 kB 28x 1,606 ms
7. uglify-js (no compress) -65% 756.53 kB -46% 167.58 kB 23x 1,314 ms
8. esbuild -66% 724.14 kB -42% 181.07 kB 2x 125 ms
9. bun -66% 727.90 kB -41% 182.67 kB 1x 79 ms
10. google-closure-compiler ❌ Timed out - - ⚠️ +10,000 ms
11. babel-minify ❌ Minification ❌ ❌ -
12. tedivm/jshrink ❌ Post-validation ❌ ❌ -

---
config:
    xyChart:
        width: 720
        height: 360
        xAxis:
            labelPadding: 20
        yAxis:
            labelPadding: 10
---
xychart-beta
	title "echarts v5.1.1"
	x-axis ["Original",1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8]
	y-axis "Gzip size" 0 --> 684611
	bar [684611,321226,321987,324635,330736,331412,331563,331847,337934]
Loading
Artifact Original size Gzip size
echarts v5.1.1 (Source) 3.20 MB 684.61 kB
Minifier Minified size Minzipped size Time
1. @swc/core πŸ†-69% 994.54 kB πŸ†-53% 321.23 kB 6x 793 ms
2. terser -69% 1.00 MB -53% 321.99 kB 51x 6,005 ms
3. oxc-minify -69% 1.01 MB -53% 324.64 kB 1x 162 ms
4. terser (no compress) -66% 1.07 MB -52% 330.74 kB 22x 2,649 ms
5. uglify-js (no compress) -67% 1.07 MB -52% 331.41 kB 14x 1,756 ms
6. esbuild -68% 1.01 MB -52% 331.56 kB 1x 192 ms
7. @tdewolff/minify -68% 1.01 MB -52% 331.85 kB πŸ† 118 ms
8. bun -68% 1.02 MB -51% 337.93 kB 1x 127 ms
9. babel-minify ❌ Timed out - - ⚠️ +10,000 ms
10. google-closure-compiler ❌ Timed out - - ⚠️ +10,000 ms
11. uglify-js ❌ Timed out - - ⚠️ +10,000 ms
12. tedivm/jshrink ❌ Minification ❌ ❌ -

---
config:
    xyChart:
        width: 720
        height: 360
        xAxis:
            labelPadding: 20
        yAxis:
            labelPadding: 10
---
xychart-beta
	title "antd v4.16.1"
	x-axis ["Original",1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8]
	y-axis "Gzip size" 0 --> 825175
	bar [825175,452707,457786,463357,471730,475480,478572,488279,491833]
Loading
Artifact Original size Gzip size
antd v4.16.1 (Source) 6.67 MB 825.18 kB
Minifier Minified size Minzipped size Time
1. @swc/core πŸ†-68% 2.15 MB πŸ†-45% 452.71 kB 8x 1,153 ms
2. terser -66% 2.25 MB -45% 457.79 kB 48x 6,823 ms
3. oxc-minify -66% 2.28 MB -44% 463.36 kB 1x 221 ms
4. @tdewolff/minify -66% 2.29 MB -43% 471.73 kB πŸ† 140 ms
5. terser (no compress) -64% 2.43 MB -42% 475.48 kB 22x 3,111 ms
6. uglify-js (no compress) -64% 2.42 MB -42% 478.57 kB 18x 2,525 ms
7. esbuild -65% 2.31 MB -41% 488.28 kB 2x 304 ms
8. bun -66% 2.30 MB -40% 491.83 kB 1x 174 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. uglify-js ❌ Timed out - - ⚠️ +10,000 ms

---
config:
    xyChart:
        width: 720
        height: 360
        xAxis:
            labelPadding: 20
        yAxis:
            labelPadding: 10
---
xychart-beta
	title "typescript v4.9.5"
	x-axis ["Original",1,2,3,4,5,6]
	y-axis "Gzip size" 0 --> 1884998
	bar [1884998,860435,860673,875806,876535,879301,915551]
Loading
Artifact Original size Gzip size
typescript v4.9.5 (Source) 10.95 MB 1.88 MB
Minifier Minified size Minzipped size Time
1. @swc/core πŸ†-70% 3.32 MB πŸ†-54% 860.44 kB 7x 2,063 ms
2. oxc-minify -69% 3.35 MB -54% 860.67 kB 1x 424 ms
3. @tdewolff/minify -69% 3.35 MB -54% 875.81 kB πŸ† 263 ms
4. uglify-js (no compress) -68% 3.54 MB -53% 876.54 kB 15x 4,029 ms
5. terser (no compress) -68% 3.53 MB -53% 879.30 kB 20x 5,318 ms
6. esbuild -68% 3.49 MB -51% 915.55 kB 1x 490 ms
7. terser ❌ Timed out - - ⚠️ +10,000 ms
8. babel-minify ❌ Timed out - - ⚠️ +10,000 ms
9. google-closure-compiler ❌ Timed out - - ⚠️ +10,000 ms
10. uglify-js ❌ Timed out - - ⚠️ +10,000 ms
11. tedivm/jshrink ❌ Timed out - - ⚠️ +10,000 ms
12. bun ❌ Post-validation ❌ ❌ -

βš”οΈ Minifier showdown

Note

πŸ€– This analysis is AI generated

The JavaScript minification race was nothing short of electrifying! Every minifier brought their A-game, battling for supremacy in speed and size reduction. Let’s dive into the results with a bright spotlight on the champions of compression!

Best Minifier

@swc/core emerges triumphant as the top recommendation! Blazing through heavyweights like "three," "antd," and "typescript," it consistently achieved stellar size reduction percentages (mean below ~50%) and speedy compression times. Particularly on packages like "antd" (825.18 kB) and "echarts" (684.61 kB), it managed awe-inspiring results, crushing files in mere milliseconds compared to competitors that lagged way behind in performance. For the average user seeking balance, it's an undeniable champion.

Honorable Mentions

Several contenders deserve applause for their standout performances:

  • Uglify-js: When you need the absolute smallest gzip sizes, uglify-js is your go-to. It delivered the tightest compression (e.g., 26% on "lodash" and 67% on "d3"), albeit at the cost of extreme processing times. Think of it as the marathon runner of minifiers: slow and steady but unbeatable in endurance.
  • @tdewolff/minify: The speed monster! Its lightning-fast resultsβ€”often 5-10x faster than @swc/core on smaller workloadsβ€”are jaw-dropping, especially for users prioritizing speed over compression fractions. However, it sacrifices compression percentages slightly in the pursuit of speed.
  • oxc-minify: This rising star showed incredible speed (e.g., 8 ms on "moment") with competitive results on mid-size packages like "lodash" (96.69 kB), where it was the fastest. Not always the tightest, but a strong contender for quick optimizations.

Eliminated

In every battle, some competitors stumble:

  • Babel-minify: Failed with a critical error during "d3" minification. Out of the race before even crossing the starting line.
  • Tedivm/jshrink: Suffered a fatal injury with an unclosed regex during the same round, disqualifying itself after "d3."
  • Bun: Crashed during the "typescript" round with output mishandling. While promising, it still needs refinement for production reliance.
  • Google-closure-compiler: Epic compression power but glacially slow. It even timed out on the heftier packages, struggling to stay relevant in high-stakes scenarios.

The competition was fierce, and the performances were nothing short of extraordinary. Hats off to each minifier for pushing the boundaries of optimization. If you're seeking speed and compression balance, @swc/core is your best bet. Speed demons should grab @tdewolff/minify, and hardcore compressionists can patiently rely on uglify-js. What an epic showdown!

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