1 files changed, 44 insertions, 0 deletions

diff --git a/benchmarks/comparison/README.md b/benchmarks/comparison/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1b97429
--- /dev/null
+++ b/benchmarks/comparison/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,44 @@
+# Nostr Library Comparison Benchmarks
+
+This module contains benchmarks comparing `code.northwest.io/nostr` with other popular Go Nostr libraries:
+
+- **NWIO** (`code.northwest.io/nostr`) - This library
+- **NBD** (`github.com/nbd-wtf/go-nostr`) - Popular community library
+- **Fiat** (`fiatjaf.com/nostr`) - Original implementation by Fiatjaf
+
+## Why a Separate Module?
+
+The comparison libraries are isolated in this separate Go module to keep the main `code.northwest.io/nostr` package clean. Users who import the main package won't have `fiatjaf.com/nostr` or `github.com/nbd-wtf/go-nostr` pulled into their dependency tree.
+
+## Running Benchmarks
+
+From this directory:
+
+```bash
+# Run all comparison benchmarks
+go test -bench=. -benchmem
+
+# Run specific benchmarks
+go test -bench=BenchmarkEventSign -benchmem
+
+# Compare NWIO vs NBD
+go test -bench='.*_(NWIO|NBD)' -benchmem
+```
+
+From the project root:
+
+```bash
+cd benchmarks/comparison
+go test -bench=. -benchmem
+```
+
+## Benchmark Categories
+
+- **Event Unmarshaling/Marshaling**: JSON parsing and serialization
+- **Event Serialization**: Canonical serialization for ID computation
+- **Event ID Computation**: Computing event ID hashes
+- **Key Generation**: Generating new private keys
+- **Event Signing/Verification**: Cryptographic operations
+- **Filter Matching**: Simple and complex filter matching
+
+See [../../BENCHMARKS.md](../../BENCHMARKS.md) for detailed documentation.