---
title: "Benchmarking the demo instead of the workload"
description: "Selection is driven by published throughput numbers on a trivial program. The real workload is dominated by foreign-field arithmetic or a hash loop with a…"
type: "failure-mode"
url: "https://zkpick.com/frameworks/failure-modes/benchmarking-the-demo-instead-of-the-workload/"
section: "02 Choosing a framework"
authors:
  - "MarketComp"
publisher: "MarketComp"
version: "1.3"
updated: "2026-09-12"
license: "CC-BY-4.0"
json: "https://zkpick.com/data/frameworks/failure-modes/benchmarking-the-demo-instead-of-the-workload.json"
---

*By MarketComp. Updated 2026-09-12. Version 1.3. CC BY 4.0.*

# Benchmarking the demo instead of the workload

Selection is driven by published throughput numbers on a trivial program. The real workload is dominated by foreign-field arithmetic or a hash loop with a completely different cost profile, and peak memory — not wall-clock time — turns out to decide feasibility.

**Mitigation:** Prototype your most expensive component in the top candidates and measure prover time, peak RAM and cost per proof on the hardware you will actually rent.