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Measured before every release

Measured,
not claimed.

Launch time, memory and CPU on real Macs, at rest and in use. Every figure is a median, every run is in the repository, and the losses stay on the page.

MacBook Air

Apple M3 · 16 GB · macOS 27.0 (26A428) · SolKube 067f19b, November 7, 2026 vs GPUI build b98d194, November 7, 2026

  • Memory at rest

    2.0×

    less memory than the GPUI build

    SolKube24.8 MB
    GPUI build50.5 MB

  • Memory after a minute of use

    3.8×

    less memory than the GPUI build

    SolKube29.9 MB
    GPUI build113.9 MB

  • CPU while idle

    6.0×

    less CPU than the GPUI build

    SolKube0.13%
    GPUI build0.78%

  • CPU during light use

    1.8×

    less CPU than the GPUI build

    SolKube3.42%
    GPUI build6.07%

  • Launch to first window

    Photo finish

    ≈

    level with the GPUI build

    SolKube271 ms
    GPUI build270 ms

  • The small print

    MacBook Air: Apple M3, 16 GB, macOS 27.0 (26A428). Measured November 7, 2026.

    Each figure is the median of every run, so one fast run can't flatter a build. Lens, Freelens and Headlamp come next, on the same Macs.

    How we measure

M3 Max 48GB

Apple M3 Max · 48 GB · macOS 27.0.1 (26A434) · GPUI build 7ae76f5, October 28, 2026 vs GPUIX prototype a8b0392, October 28, 2026

  • Memory at rest

    2.3×

    less memory than the GPUIX prototype

    GPUI build67.6 MB
    GPUIX prototype158.7 MB

  • Memory after a minute of use

    1.3×

    less memory than the GPUIX prototype

    GPUI build322.0 MB
    GPUIX prototype413.1 MB

  • CPU while idle

    4.3×

    less CPU than the GPUIX prototype

    GPUI build0.92%
    GPUIX prototype3.93%

  • CPU during light use

    1.5×

    less CPU than the GPUIX prototype

    GPUI build5.65%
    GPUIX prototype8.68%

  • Launch to first window

    2.4×

    faster than the GPUIX prototype

    GPUI build277 ms
    GPUIX prototype678 ms

  • The small print

    M3 Max 48GB: Apple M3 Max, 48 GB, macOS 27.0.1 (26A434). Measured October 28, 2026.

    Each figure is the median of every run, so one fast run can't flatter a build.

    How we measure

The method

How we
measure.

The script is scripts/bench/bench.mts in the SolKube repository. It clones one commit, builds it once untimed, then measures.

A clean sandbox

Every launch runs with its own home folder: setup done, an empty kubeconfig, no saved tabs and no network. The numbers are each build's own baseline, and no real cluster is ever contacted.

Launch

A small Swift tool spawns the app and polls the window server every 2 ms until the process owns an on-screen window larger than 200 by 200. Ten launches 3 s apart; the median covers the nine warm ones.

Memory and CPU

Three launches. Each settles for 10 s, idles for 60 s, then gets 60 s of light use: the cursor sweeps the window, it scrolls, and panels and the cluster switcher open and close. Memory is the physical footprint Activity Monitor shows; CPU is a share of one core, summed over the process tree.

What we compare

Until Lens, Freelens and Headlamp are measured the same way, SolKube is compared with its own earlier builds. SolKube: Today's app: Rust on NSH, drawn with AppKit views. GPUI build: Our previous build: Rust on GPUI, drawn on the GPU. GPUIX prototype: Our first prototype: React components on GPUI.

Raw numbers

Every run.

Medians from each run file. The same data is at /benchmarks.json.

RunMemory at restMemory after a minute of useCPU while idleCPU during light useLaunch to first window
SolKubeMacBook Air · 067f19b · 2026-11-0724.8 MB29.9 MB0.13%3.42%271 ms
GPUI buildMacBook Air · b98d194 · 2026-11-0750.5 MB113.9 MB0.78%6.07%270 ms
GPUI buildM3 Max 48GB · 7ae76f5 · 2026-10-2867.6 MB322.0 MB0.92%5.65%277 ms
GPUIX prototypeM3 Max 48GB · a8b0392 · 2026-10-28158.7 MB413.1 MB3.93%8.68%678 ms

Native on macOS

Calm
clusters.

Point it at your kubeconfig, or let it find your EKS, AKS and GKE clusters. Nothing to install in the cluster.

Download for MacComing soonWhat's nextRelease notes

macOS · Apple silicon · Updates through Sparkle · No account

Also available for Linux.