diff --git a/resources/message_compression_benchmarking.py b/resources/message_compression_benchmarking.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..09b8c97c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/resources/message_compression_benchmarking.py
@@ -0,0 +1,142 @@
+"""Script for benchmarking different message compression options."""
+
+import argparse
+import json
+
+TITLE_SPACING = 20
+SIZE_SPACING = 8
+
+
+def compare_size(algo_pkg, data):
+    """Compare the size of the data in various compression methods."""
+
+    was_bytes = False
+    if isinstance(data, bytes):
+        was_bytes = True
+        print(f"{'raw bytes':{TITLE_SPACING}} {len(data):{SIZE_SPACING}}")
+        import base64
+
+        data = base64.b64encode(data).decode("utf-8")
+        print(f"\nthe following use base64 first...\n")
+
+    compressed_size = len(algo_pkg.compress(json.dumps(data).encode()))
+    print(
+        f"{f'json+encode+{algo_pkg.__name__}':{TITLE_SPACING}} {compressed_size:{SIZE_SPACING}}"
+    )
+
+    json_encoded_size = len(json.dumps(data).encode())
+    print(
+        f"{'only json+encode':{TITLE_SPACING}} {json_encoded_size:{SIZE_SPACING}} (comp. ratio: {compressed_size / json_encoded_size:.3f})"
+    )
+
+    import pickle
+
+    if not was_bytes:
+        pickle_size = len(pickle.dumps(data))
+        print(
+            f"{'only pickled':{TITLE_SPACING}} {pickle_size:{SIZE_SPACING}} (comp. ratio: {compressed_size / pickle_size:.3f})"
+        )
+
+
+def compress_decompress(algo_pkg, data):
+    if isinstance(data, bytes):
+        import base64
+
+        data = base64.b64encode(data).decode("utf-8")
+    comp_data = algo_pkg.compress(json.dumps(data).encode())
+    out_data = json.loads(algo_pkg.decompress(comp_data))
+    # just in case there's a typo, check the data
+    assert out_data == data
+
+
+def main():
+    parser = argparse.ArgumentParser()
+    parser.add_argument("--algo", required=True)
+    parser.add_argument("--data", required=True)
+    parser.add_argument("--only-size", action="store_true")
+    args = parser.parse_args()
+
+    # get data
+
+    if args.data == "large_dict":
+        data = {
+            chr(i): [{chr(k % (i + 1)): k} for k in range(1000)] for i in range(100)
+        }
+    elif args.data == "medium_string":
+        data = "\n".join(
+            [
+                "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.",
+                "She sells sea shells by the sea shore.",
+                "How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?",
+                "Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.",
+                "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.",
+                "To be or not to be, that is the question.",
+                "All that glitters is not gold.",
+                "A picture is worth a thousand words.",
+                "Actions speak louder than words.",
+                "Better late than never.",
+                "Birds of a feather flock together.",
+                "Fortune favors the bold.",
+                "A watched pot never boils.",
+                "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.",
+                "Beggars can't be choosers.",
+                "Cleanliness is next to godliness.",
+                "Discretion is the better part of valor.",
+                "Every cloud has a silver lining.",
+                "Good things come to those who wait.",
+                "Haste makes waste.",
+                "If it ain't broke, don't fix it.",
+                "Laughter is the best medicine.",
+                "Necessity is the mother of invention.",
+                "No man is an island.",
+                "Practice makes perfect.",
+                "Rome wasn't built in a day.",
+                "The early bird catches the worm.",
+                "The pen is mightier than the sword.",
+            ]
+        )
+    elif args.data == "skyscan_i3_frame_pkl":
+        data = b"\x80\x04\x95\x96\x02\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x8c\x10icecube._icetray\x94\x8c\x07I3Frame\x94\x93\x94)R\x94}\x94Bh\x02\x00\x00[i3]\x06\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00P\x05\x00\x00\x00\r\x00\x00\x00I3EventHeader\r\x00\x00\x00I3EventHeader\x86\x00\x00\x00\x00\x01\x02\x00\r\x00\x00\x00I3EventHeader\x01\x03\x00\x00\x00\x00\x01\x00\x01\x00\x00\x00>\x16\x02\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x94\x88t\x00\x14\x00\x00\x00\x08\x00\x00\x00#\x00\x00\x00SCAN_nside0001_pixel0008_posvar0000\x01\x00\x02\x00\x00\x00\x03\x00\x00\x00\xe6\x07\x00\x00\xc1\x9d\xde^\xe8,\x18\x02\x04\x00\x00\x00\x05\x00\x00\x00\xe6\x07\x00\x00o\xa0\xe1^\xe8,\x18\x02\x15\x00\x00\x00MillipedeSeedParticle\n\x00\x00\x00I3Particle\x96\x00\x00\x00\x00\x01\x02\x00\n\x00\x00\x00I3Particle\x01\x05\x00\x00\x00\x00\x01\x00\x01\x00\x00\x00\x14\x00\x00\x00N\t\xb7q\xd0\xd0\x14U\x00\x00\x00\x00(\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x01\x00\x02\x00\x00\x00\x03\x00\x00\x00\xaeG\xe1z\x14\xdec@H\xe1z\x14\xae\x93u\xc0\n\xd7\xa3p=\x86\x7f\xc0\x01\x00\x04\x00\x00\x00\x05\x00\x00\x00\xa8aF\x06fj\x02@\x88\xe5:\xd1\xc7\x07\x0c@\x00\x00\x00\x00jr&A\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\xf8\x7f\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\xf8\x7f\x14\xa3\xac\xb4\xcc/\xd3?\x00\x00\x00\x00\x11\x00\x00\x00SCAN_HealpixNSide\x10\x00\x00\x00I3PODHolder<int>\x1d\x00\x00\x00\x00\x01\x02\x00\x05\x00\x00\x00I3Int\x01\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x01\x00\x01\x00\x00\x00\x01\x00\x00\x00\x11\x00\x00\x00SCAN_HealpixPixel\x10\x00\x00\x00I3PODHolder<int>\x1d\x00\x00\x00\x00\x01\x02\x00\x05\x00\x00\x00I3Int\x01\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x01\x00\x01\x00\x00\x00\x08\x00\x00\x00\x1b\x00\x00\x00SCAN_PositionVariationIndex\x10\x00\x00\x00I3PODHolder<int>\x1d\x00\x00\x00\x00\x01\x02\x00\x05\x00\x00\x00I3Int\x01\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x01\x00\x01\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x1aU\x07\xa1\x94\x86\x94b."
+    else:
+        raise ValueError("invalid --data value")
+
+    # go!
+
+    if args.algo == "bz2":
+        import bz2
+
+        if args.only_size:
+            compare_size(bz2, data)
+        else:
+            compress_decompress(bz2, data)
+
+    elif args.algo == "lzma":
+        import lzma
+
+        if args.only_size:
+            compare_size(lzma, data)
+        else:
+            compress_decompress(lzma, data)
+
+    elif args.algo == "zstd":
+        import zstd  # type: ignore
+
+        if args.only_size:
+            compare_size(zstd, data)
+        else:
+            compress_decompress(zstd, data)
+
+    elif args.algo == "gzip":
+        import gzip
+
+        if args.only_size:
+            compare_size(gzip, data)
+        else:
+            compress_decompress(gzip, data)
+
+    else:
+        raise Exception("invalid compression algorithm specified")
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    main()
diff --git a/resources/message_compression_benchmarking.sh b/resources/message_compression_benchmarking.sh
new file mode 100755
index 00000000..6418b765
--- /dev/null
+++ b/resources/message_compression_benchmarking.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+set -e
+
+if [ -z $1 ]; then
+    echo "MISSING ARG: message_compression_benchmarking.sh N_ITERATIONS"
+    exit 1
+fi
+N_ITERATIONS=$1
+
+all_algos='bz2 lzma zstd gzip'
+all_data='large_dict medium_string skyscan_i3_frame_pkl'
+
+for algo in $all_algos; do
+	echo
+	echo "=============================================================="
+	echo "$algo:"
+	for data in $all_data; do
+		echo
+		echo "--------------------------------------"
+		echo "data=$data"
+		echo
+		python3 message_compression_benchmarking.py --algo $algo --data $data --only-size
+		echo
+		echo "iterations=$N_ITERATIONS (compress + decompress)"
+		time for i in $(seq 1 $N_ITERATIONS); do python3 message_compression_benchmarking.py --algo $algo --data $data; done
+	done
+done