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Perry is the better fit for a complete native application stack; scriptc is the better fit when you want a tightly defined, inspectable compilation contract. Perry’s Rust/SWC/LLVM toolchain is designed to turn TypeScript or JavaScript into standalone binaries for desktop, Apple platforms, Android, web/WASM and other targets, with native UI, threads and Node-compatible APIs. scriptc takes a narrower route: TypeScript is type-checked, lowered into typed intermediate representation, converted to LLVM IR and then compiled by clang, with explicit static, dynamic and rejected-code boundaries.
There is no evidence that either compiler is universally faster. Perry has published workload benchmarks, including wins over Node and Bun on some CPU-heavy tests and losses on a large JSON pipeline. The available scriptc comparison does not provide a directly comparable benchmark suite. Your choice should therefore follow platform needs, API coverage, runtime policy and measurements from your own application.
What are Perry and scriptc?
Both projects aim to run TypeScript as native code rather than relying exclusively on a conventional JavaScript runtime, but they optimize for different goals. Perry is presented as an application platform with a broad compatibility layer. scriptc is presented as a compiler with a deliberately explicit contract about what can be compiled statically, what needs a dynamic runtime and what is rejected.
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What does Perry provide?
Perry uses a Rust compiler with SWC and LLVM components to emit machine-code executables. Its project slogan is “Write TypeScript. Ship native. Everywhere.” The documented feature set includes native user interfaces, Node-compatible and web APIs, real operating-system threads, package integrations and output for desktop, Apple devices, Android and web/WASM targets.
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The native path is intended to run without a JavaScript engine. Perry also documents optional runtime behavior for compatibility, so “native” does not mean every feature follows one identical execution path. The exact subset and implementation status can change; check the project’s current compatibility documentation before committing a production application.
What does scriptc provide?
scriptc’s documented flow is TypeScript parsing and type checking, lowering to a typed intermediate representation, generation of LLVM IR, compilation through clang and production of a native executable. Static builds avoid a JavaScript engine. A --dynamic mode can embed quickjs-ng, allowing code that cannot be represented by the static compiler to run dynamically.
The important distinction is that scriptc makes the boundary visible. Code may be classified as statically compilable, dynamically handled or rejected. The available comparison does not document a comparable built-in UI framework, a complete platform matrix, a license, or a stable list of supported APIs, so those details must be verified in scriptc’s current first-party repository.
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How do the compilation contracts differ?
Perry emphasizes practical application coverage, while scriptc emphasizes predictable boundaries and inspectable lowering. That difference affects architecture, debugging and how much JavaScript you can bring unchanged.
| Aspect | Perry | scriptc |
|---|---|---|
| Front end and native output | Rust compiler using SWC and LLVM; emits standalone machine-code binaries. | TypeScript parsing and type checking, typed IR, LLVM IR, clang, then a native executable. |
| Static execution | Native path runs without a JavaScript engine. | Static builds run without a JavaScript engine. |
| Dynamic escape hatch | Optional runtime behavior is documented for compatibility; the exact path depends on the feature. | --dynamic can embed quickjs-ng. |
| Unsupported code | Compatibility is feature-specific; unsupported APIs need testing against the current implementation. | The comparison explicitly distinguishes static, dynamic and rejected code. |
| Primary design emphasis | Broad application platform and multi-target deployment. | Clear compilation contract and typed lowering. |
This is more than a branding difference. A broad platform can let one project share UI, networking and platform integration across targets, but it may contain compatibility layers whose behavior must be tested. A strict compiler can make failures easier to identify at build time, but you may need to redesign code or isolate dynamic sections.
Which platforms and application types does each compiler target?
Perry is the stronger choice when deployment targets are part of the requirement. Its project documentation names desktop, Apple platforms, Android and web/WASM, along with native UI and operating-system threads. scriptc’s available comparison does not establish an equivalent UI or mobile framework.
| Requirement | Perry | scriptc |
|---|---|---|
| Desktop native application | Documented target; native UI and standalone binaries are part of the platform story. | Native executable generation is documented; a desktop UI framework is not stated. |
| Apple platforms | Documented as a target family. | Not stated in the available comparison. |
| Android | Documented as a target family. | Not stated. |
| Web or WebAssembly | Web/WASM output is documented. | Not stated. |
| Native UI toolkit | Documented. | No comparable UI framework is documented. |
| Operating-system threads | Real OS threads are documented. | Not stated. |
| Node-compatible APIs | Documented, with feature-specific coverage. | Not established by the available comparison. |
For a command-line utility or server component with a limited API surface, scriptc can still be attractive if its static contract matches your code. For a product that must ship a desktop client, mobile client and web build from a shared TypeScript codebase, Perry’s documented scope is materially broader.
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Can either compiler replace Node.js?
They can remove a JavaScript engine from selected native builds, but neither should be treated as an automatic, drop-in replacement for every Node.js program. Replacement depends on APIs, package behavior, reflection, dynamic evaluation, native addons, startup expectations and target platform.
Perry and Node.js compatibility
Perry reports approximately a 97% pass rate on Node’s own test suite across 53 node:* modules. That is a project-reported compatibility result, not a guarantee that any particular application or npm package will work. A package can depend on an API or edge case outside the tested feature set, and coverage can change as the project evolves.
scriptc and JavaScript runtime dependence
scriptc’s static mode is explicitly designed to avoid a JavaScript engine. Its dynamic mode can embed quickjs-ng, which is useful when code depends on JavaScript behavior that the static compiler cannot lower. That flexibility changes the deployment profile: a build using dynamic islands is not equivalent to a wholly statically compiled binary.
If your objective is “no JavaScript engine anywhere,” define that as a release requirement and reject dynamic paths during review. If your objective is simply a single executable with a controlled runtime, a dynamic mode may be an acceptable compromise.
How compatible are they with npm and Node APIs?
Perry is the only project here with a published Node compatibility figure and an explicit package-integration story. scriptc’s comparison describes an npm strategy based on dynamic-island behavior by default, with static compilation considered experimental.
What Perry’s 97% figure means
The approximately 97% result covers 53 node:* modules in Node’s own test suite. It should be read as broad but feature-specific coverage: passing a module’s tests does not prove that every package using that module will compile, link and behave identically on every target. Treat package support as a matrix of APIs you actually use.
What scriptc’s dynamic-island strategy means
Dynamic islands let a project keep selected JavaScript or npm-dependent portions in an embedded runtime while compiling the rest statically. The comparison labels fully static npm compilation experimental, so teams that depend heavily on npm should prototype their dependency graph early rather than assuming conventional install-and-run behavior.
For either compiler, test transitive dependencies, filesystem and networking calls, serialization, timers, worker usage and any package that performs runtime code generation. A package that installs successfully can still fail at compilation, linking or execution.
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No universal winner has been established. Perry publishes a benchmark suite, but the available scriptc material does not report equivalent measurements, so a direct Perry-versus-scriptc speed ranking would be unsupported. Perry’s own results also vary substantially by workload.
What Perry’s published benchmark shows
The benchmark refresh is dated May 14, 2026 and uses Perry version 0.5.908 on an Apple M1 Max with 64 GB of RAM. Values below are median execution times in milliseconds from 11 runs per cell.
| Workload | Perry | Node | Bun | Rust |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Image convolution | 354 ms | 1,207 ms | 915 ms | 392 ms |
| Recursive Fibonacci | 309 ms | 987 ms | 518 ms | 316 ms |
| JSON pipeline, 500,000 records (108 MB) | 1,649 ms | 1,010 ms | 647 ms | 604 ms |
| Method calls, full-suite example | 35 ms | 11 ms | 8 ms | Not stated |
| Matrix multiplication, full-suite example | 19 ms | 33 ms | 33 ms | Not stated |
| JSON roundtrip, full-suite example | 144 ms | 379 ms | 219 ms | Not stated |
These figures show why “native is faster” is too broad. Perry is substantially quicker than Node and Bun in the image-convolution and recursive-Fibonacci rows, but slower than both on the 500,000-record JSON pipeline. It also wins some smaller examples and loses the method-call test.
How the benchmark was measured
Perry’s benchmark README says each headline value is a median of 11 runs, while p95, standard deviation, minimum, maximum and peak resident memory are retained. It uses three untimed warmups. Node is measured from a precompiled .mjs file, whereas Bun runs the TypeScript source directly. Perry’s README warns that the project is pre-1.0 and that results can regress.
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What binary sizes and build costs should you expect?
Perry reports a hello-world binary of roughly 330 KB and a MongoDB GUI of roughly 7 MB. Those are project-reported examples, not a universal size range; dependencies, platform libraries, debug information, link-time optimization and runtime features can change the result.
No comparable scriptc artifact-size or compile-time figure is established in the available comparison. Measure both release and development builds if binary size affects downloads, mobile installation or cold-start performance. Also record compile time and peak build memory: a fast executable can still be costly to produce in continuous integration.
How mature and stable are the projects?
Perry’s benchmark evidence is explicitly pre-1.0. Version 0.5.908 was used for the May 14, 2026 refresh, and the benchmark README warns that future changes may regress results. This does not make the project unsuitable, but it means you should pin versions, retain performance baselines and retest after upgrades.
scriptc is also moving quickly enough that its license, API list and platform matrix should be confirmed from its current first-party repository before adoption. The explicit static/dynamic/rejected model can aid review, but it does not by itself establish production maturity, long-term compatibility or support commitments.
Which compiler should you choose?
Choose based on the constraint that would be most expensive to compromise: target platforms and application framework, or a strict and inspectable compilation boundary.
| Your priority | Better starting point | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Desktop, mobile and web targets from one TypeScript-oriented platform | Perry | Those target families, native UI and web/WASM output are documented. |
| Node-compatible APIs and a broad application stack | Perry | It reports coverage across 53 node:* modules and tracks package integrations. |
| A clear static, dynamic and rejected-code contract | scriptc | Its pipeline and boundaries are explicitly described. |
| Minimal or no JavaScript runtime in the final artifact | Either, after testing | Both document a static path; scriptc also makes dynamic fallback explicit. |
| Built-in native UI framework | Perry | No comparable scriptc UI framework is established. |
| Predictable behavior for a small, controlled codebase | scriptc may be worth investigating | Typed IR and rejected-code boundaries can expose unsupported constructs early. |
| Highest measured throughput on your workload | Neither by default | Benchmark the actual application; Perry’s published results are workload-dependent. |
How should you evaluate Perry or scriptc before committing?
A short representative prototype is more informative than a language-level benchmark. Use the same source, inputs and release settings for both candidates wherever the feature sets allow.
- Freeze versions and targets. Record the Perry version or scriptc commit, host CPU, operating system, target architecture and compiler flags. For Perry, note that version 0.5.908 is the benchmarked pre-1.0 release; do not silently compare a different build.
- Build a vertical slice. Include startup, configuration, filesystem access, networking, serialization, error handling and the UI or service path that matters to users. A synthetic loop alone will not reveal API gaps.
- Inventory dependencies. List direct and transitive npm packages, then classify each package as statically compilable, dynamically handled or unsupported. Pay special attention to packages that load code at runtime or expect Node-specific behavior.
- Test every deployment target. A feature that works on desktop may have different status on Apple, Android or WebAssembly. Produce a build for each target you intend to ship rather than extrapolating from one host.
- Measure the five practical axes. Capture execution-time medians and tail latency, peak memory, final artifact size, clean build time and incremental build time. Use identical inputs and enough repetitions to expose variance.
- Check runtime policy. Confirm whether the release contains a JavaScript engine, which modules use dynamic execution and whether that is acceptable for security, licensing, startup or footprint requirements.
- Repeat after upgrades. Keep a small compatibility and performance suite in continuous integration. Pre-1.0 projects can improve quickly, but a new compiler or runtime can also alter results or break an API.
What can go wrong, and how do you recover?
- A package compiles but fails at runtime: reduce the failure to the specific API, add it to a target-specific compatibility test and replace, isolate or dynamically execute the package if the compiler supports that path.
- Static compilation rejects a critical module: determine whether the module can be moved behind a narrow boundary. With scriptc, a dynamic island may be deliberate; with Perry, verify whether the feature has a documented compatibility implementation before redesigning the application.
- The native binary is larger than expected: compare release and debug artifacts, inspect which runtime and package features are linked, and measure each target separately. Do not use the 330 KB hello-world example as a production-size promise.
- Performance regresses after an upgrade: rerun the same workload with the pinned previous version, compare medians and p95 values, and retain the exact artifact and commit. Perry’s own benchmark documentation warns that pre-1.0 results can regress.
- One benchmark favors a compiler but users see no gain: profile the complete request or interaction, including startup, I/O, parsing and memory pressure. A faster numerical kernel may not improve an I/O-bound application.
- A target-specific API is missing: separate portable core logic from platform adapters, then verify each adapter independently. This keeps a single unsupported API from blocking every target.
Frequently asked questions
Does a native binary still need operating-system libraries?
Yes. “No JavaScript engine” describes the JavaScript execution layer, not every system dependency. Native binaries can still rely on the operating system, C or platform libraries and any runtime components linked by the compiler.
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The comparison describes a dynamic-island strategy, so isolating selected code is the intended model rather than making the whole program dynamic. Confirm the current project’s boundary rules and test how data, exceptions and callbacks cross between static code and the embedded quickjs-ng runtime.
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Why are Node and Bun included in Perry’s benchmark if the comparison is about scriptc?
They provide familiar JavaScript-runtime baselines for Perry’s published workloads. They do not supply a direct scriptc result, and the differing benchmark methods mean the table should not be read as a Perry-versus-scriptc ranking.
Is a 97% Node test pass rate enough to migrate a server?
No. The figure covers 53 node:* modules in Node’s own tests, while your server may depend on packages, timing behavior and edge cases outside those tests. Port a representative service, exercise failure paths and monitor memory, startup and latency before replacing an existing runtime.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a native binary still need operating-system libraries?
Yes. “No JavaScript engine” describes the JavaScript execution layer, not every system dependency. Native binaries can still rely on the operating system, C or platform libraries and any runtime components linked by the compiler.
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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsCan I use scriptc’s dynamic mode for only one npm dependency?
The comparison describes a dynamic-island strategy, so isolating selected code is the intended model rather than making the whole program dynamic. Confirm the current project’s boundary rules and test how data, exceptions and callbacks cross between static code and the embedded quickjs-ng runtime.
Why are Node and Bun included in Perry’s benchmark if the comparison is about scriptc?
They provide familiar JavaScript-runtime baselines for Perry’s published workloads. They do not supply a direct scriptc result, and the differing benchmark methods mean the table should not be read as a Perry-versus-scriptc ranking.
Is a 97% Node test pass rate enough to migrate a server?
No. The figure covers 53 node:* modules in Node’s own tests, while your server may depend on packages, timing behavior and edge cases outside those tests. Port a representative service, exercise failure paths and monitor memory, startup and latency before replacing an existing runtime.
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