The performance of javascript engines in different modern browsers.

A couple of days ago I have done tests of javascript performance (speed) for modern browsers. I've got the following versions of browsers installed on my PC which is run under WinXP.

• FireFox v3.0.10
• FireFox v.3.5 beta 4
• Internet Explorer v8.0.6001.18702
• Chrome v2.0.172.28
• Opera v9.64

I've used a SunSpider JavaScript Benchmark to produce this statistics and MS Excel to produce these cute reports :). The source code of all JavaScript tests can be found here.

The SunSprider contains 26 test-cases for testing JavaScript performance in different topics.

3D calculation

1. Cube Rotation
   
2. Morph
   
3. Raytrace
   

Access to data

1. Binary trees
2. Fannkuch test (Indexed-access to tiny integer-sequence)
3. N-body particle simulation methods
   
4. Sieve benchmark for variable sized arrays

Bit operations

1. 3bit bits in byte
2. Bits in byte
3. Bitwise and
4. Nsieve bits
   

Control flow

1. Recursive
   

Cryptograph values calculation(md5, sha1)

1. AES
2. MD5
3. SHA1
   

Date manipulation

1. Format xparb
2. Format tofte (a PHP date like function, for formatting date strings)

Mathematical calculation

1. CORDIC (digit-by-digit method, Volder's algorithm)
2. Partial sums
3. Spectral Norm
   

RegExp

1. DNA test
   

Strings manipulation

1. Base64 encode/decode
2. Fasta
3. Tag cloud
4. Unpack code
5. Validate input

Summary Results

Below there is a table with summary results by topics:

A chart with summary results:


A table with detailed results by topics:


A chart with detailed results by topics:

1st place

Undoubtedly, Chrome took the first place in speed performance tests. No wonder programmers from Google opted to refine it for their projects and succeeded. Chrome has proven to be the best in every 18 out of 26 tests with no worst results.

2nd place

Snapping at its heels is Firefox 3.5 beta 4. The guys from Mozilla certainly are creating a very good browser. Given that the total difference in comparison with Chrome is negligible - approximately 586ms (and given the huge number of plug-ins and extensions that Firefox already has), we can safely say that the next release of Firefox will be very successful and many people will chose Firefox (and I certainly will). Firefox has proven to be the best in every 9 out of 26 tests with no worst results.

3rd place

The third place is held by Opera. Opera has not demonstrated any best results. In the two tests, Opera has been the worst. It is not bad (considering who competitors are), I expected worse results.

4th place

IE8 is at the fourth place. This could have been occupied by Firefox v3.0.10, unless a failure test format-tofte. IE8 «champion» has shown the highest number of worst results -- 17 out of 26 with no best results.

Last place

And finally, Firefox v3.0.10. In 7 out of 26 tests Firefox v3.0.10 has been the worst. Also like IE8 it has not shown any best result.

Given that, IE8, released only in spring, it can be assumed that IE8 is dragging behind as a browser, when Firefox 3.5 is officially released, it will take the 2nd honoured place (and the first one for me) and will be difficult to overcome in the short run.