diff --git a/.golangci.yml b/.golangci.yml
index 193366c2..db3f0cd9 100644
--- a/.golangci.yml
+++ b/.golangci.yml
@@ -9,6 +9,9 @@ run:
 issues:
   exclude-use-default: false
   max-same-issues: 0 # print all failures
+  exclude-rules:
+    - path: pkg/kgo/internal/bucketed_pool.go
+      text: "SA6002: argument should be pointer-like to avoid allocations"
 
 linters:
   disable-all: true
diff --git a/pkg/kgo/compression.go b/pkg/kgo/compression.go
index fe8ad645..0ec00a73 100644
--- a/pkg/kgo/compression.go
+++ b/pkg/kgo/compression.go
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import (
 	"compress/gzip"
 	"encoding/binary"
 	"errors"
+	pool "github.com/twmb/franz-go/pkg/kgo/internal"
 	"io"
 	"runtime"
 	"sync"
@@ -14,8 +15,6 @@ import (
 	"github.com/pierrec/lz4/v4"
 )
 
-var byteBuffers = sync.Pool{New: func() any { return bytes.NewBuffer(make([]byte, 8<<10)) }}
-
 type codecType int8
 
 const (
@@ -230,9 +229,10 @@ func (c *compressor) compress(dst *bytes.Buffer, src []byte, produceRequestVersi
 }
 
 type decompressor struct {
-	ungzPool   sync.Pool
-	unlz4Pool  sync.Pool
-	unzstdPool sync.Pool
+	ungzPool               sync.Pool
+	unlz4Pool              sync.Pool
+	unzstdPool             sync.Pool
+	bucketedByteBufferPool *pool.BucketedPool[byte]
 }
 
 func newDecompressor() *decompressor {
@@ -256,6 +256,7 @@ func newDecompressor() *decompressor {
 				return r
 			},
 		},
+		bucketedByteBufferPool: pool.NewBucketedPool[byte](1, 50<<20, 2, func(int) []byte { return make([]byte, 1<<10) }),
 	}
 	return d
 }
@@ -270,9 +271,16 @@ func (d *decompressor) decompress(src []byte, codec byte) ([]byte, error) {
 	if compCodec == codecNone {
 		return src, nil
 	}
-	out := byteBuffers.Get().(*bytes.Buffer)
-	out.Reset()
-	defer byteBuffers.Put(out)
+	out, buf, err := d.getDecodedBuffer(src, compCodec)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	defer func() {
+		if compCodec == codecSnappy {
+			return
+		}
+		d.bucketedByteBufferPool.Put(buf)
+	}()
 
 	switch compCodec {
 	case codecGzip:
@@ -284,7 +292,7 @@ func (d *decompressor) decompress(src []byte, codec byte) ([]byte, error) {
 		if _, err := io.Copy(out, ungz); err != nil {
 			return nil, err
 		}
-		return append([]byte(nil), out.Bytes()...), nil
+		return d.copyDecodedBuffer(out.Bytes(), compCodec), nil
 	case codecSnappy:
 		if len(src) > 16 && bytes.HasPrefix(src, xerialPfx) {
 			return xerialDecode(src)
@@ -293,7 +301,7 @@ func (d *decompressor) decompress(src []byte, codec byte) ([]byte, error) {
 		if err != nil {
 			return nil, err
 		}
-		return append([]byte(nil), decoded...), nil
+		return d.copyDecodedBuffer(decoded, compCodec), nil
 	case codecLZ4:
 		unlz4 := d.unlz4Pool.Get().(*lz4.Reader)
 		defer d.unlz4Pool.Put(unlz4)
@@ -301,7 +309,7 @@ func (d *decompressor) decompress(src []byte, codec byte) ([]byte, error) {
 		if _, err := io.Copy(out, unlz4); err != nil {
 			return nil, err
 		}
-		return append([]byte(nil), out.Bytes()...), nil
+		return d.copyDecodedBuffer(out.Bytes(), compCodec), nil
 	case codecZstd:
 		unzstd := d.unzstdPool.Get().(*zstdDecoder)
 		defer d.unzstdPool.Put(unzstd)
@@ -309,7 +317,7 @@ func (d *decompressor) decompress(src []byte, codec byte) ([]byte, error) {
 		if err != nil {
 			return nil, err
 		}
-		return append([]byte(nil), decoded...), nil
+		return d.copyDecodedBuffer(decoded, compCodec), nil
 	default:
 		return nil, errors.New("unknown compression codec")
 	}
@@ -344,3 +352,34 @@ func xerialDecode(src []byte) ([]byte, error) {
 	}
 	return dst, nil
 }
+
+func (d *decompressor) getDecodedBuffer(src []byte, compCodec codecType) (*bytes.Buffer, []byte, error) {
+	var (
+		decodedBufSize int
+		err            error
+	)
+	switch compCodec {
+	case codecSnappy:
+		decodedBufSize, err = s2.DecodedLen(src)
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, nil, err
+		}
+
+	default:
+		// Make a guess at the output size.
+		decodedBufSize = len(src) * 2
+	}
+	buf := d.bucketedByteBufferPool.Get(decodedBufSize)[:0]
+
+	return bytes.NewBuffer(buf), buf, nil
+}
+
+func (d *decompressor) copyDecodedBuffer(decoded []byte, compCodec codecType) []byte {
+	if compCodec == codecSnappy {
+		// We already know the actual size of the decoded buffer before decompression,
+		// so there's no need to copy the buffer.
+		return decoded
+	}
+	out := d.bucketedByteBufferPool.Get(len(decoded))
+	return append(out[:0], decoded...)
+}
diff --git a/pkg/kgo/internal/bucketed_pool.go b/pkg/kgo/internal/bucketed_pool.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..d6af0390
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/kgo/internal/bucketed_pool.go
@@ -0,0 +1,92 @@
+// Copyright 2017 The Prometheus Authors
+// Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+// you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+// You may obtain a copy of the License at
+//
+// http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+//
+// Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+// distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+// WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+// See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+// limitations under the License.
+
+package pool
+
+import (
+	"sync"
+)
+
+// BucketedPool is a bucketed pool for variably sized slices.
+type BucketedPool[T any] struct {
+	buckets []sync.Pool
+	sizes   []int
+	// make is the function used to create an empty slice when none exist yet.
+	make func(int) []T
+}
+
+// NewBucketedPool returns a new BucketedPool with size buckets for minSize to maxSize
+// increasing by the given factor.
+func NewBucketedPool[T any](minSize, maxSize int, factor float64, makeFunc func(int) []T) *BucketedPool[T] {
+	if minSize < 1 {
+		panic("invalid minimum pool size")
+	}
+	if maxSize < 1 {
+		panic("invalid maximum pool size")
+	}
+	if factor < 1 {
+		panic("invalid factor")
+	}
+
+	var sizes []int
+
+	for s := minSize; s <= maxSize; s = int(float64(s) * factor) {
+		sizes = append(sizes, s)
+	}
+
+	p := &BucketedPool[T]{
+		buckets: make([]sync.Pool, len(sizes)),
+		sizes:   sizes,
+		make:    makeFunc,
+	}
+	return p
+}
+
+// Get returns a new slice with capacity greater than or equal to size.
+func (p *BucketedPool[T]) Get(size int) []T {
+	for i, bktSize := range p.sizes {
+		if size > bktSize {
+			continue
+		}
+		buff := p.buckets[i].Get()
+		if buff == nil {
+			buff = p.make(bktSize)
+		}
+		return buff.([]T)
+	}
+	return p.make(size)
+}
+
+// Put adds a slice to the right bucket in the pool.
+// If the slice does not belong to any bucket in the pool, it is ignored.
+func (p *BucketedPool[T]) Put(s []T) {
+	sCap := cap(s)
+	if sCap < p.sizes[0] {
+		return
+	}
+
+	for i, size := range p.sizes {
+		if sCap > size {
+			continue
+		}
+
+		if sCap == size {
+			// Buffer is exactly the minimum size for this bucket. Add it to this bucket.
+			p.buckets[i].Put(s)
+		} else {
+			// Buffer belongs in previous bucket.
+			p.buckets[i-1].Put(s)
+		}
+		return
+	}
+}
diff --git a/pkg/kgo/internal/bucketed_pool_test.go b/pkg/kgo/internal/bucketed_pool_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..71735c1a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/kgo/internal/bucketed_pool_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,68 @@
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
+// Provenance-includes-location: https://github.com/prometheus/prometheus/blob/main/util/pool/pool_test.go
+// Provenance-includes-copyright: The Prometheus Authors
+
+package pool
+
+import (
+	"testing"
+)
+
+func makeFunc(size int) []int {
+	return make([]int, 0, size)
+}
+
+func TestBucketedPool_HappyPath(t *testing.T) {
+	testPool := NewBucketedPool(1, 8, 2, makeFunc)
+	cases := []struct {
+		size        int
+		expectedCap int
+	}{
+		{
+			size:        -1,
+			expectedCap: 1,
+		},
+		{
+			size:        3,
+			expectedCap: 4,
+		},
+		{
+			size:        10,
+			expectedCap: 10,
+		},
+	}
+	for _, c := range cases {
+		ret := testPool.Get(c.size)
+		if cap(ret) < c.expectedCap {
+			t.Fatalf("expected cap >= %d, got %d", c.expectedCap, cap(ret))
+		}
+		testPool.Put(ret)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestBucketedPool_SliceNotAlignedToBuckets(t *testing.T) {
+	pool := NewBucketedPool(1, 1000, 10, makeFunc)
+	pool.Put(make([]int, 0, 2))
+	s := pool.Get(3)
+	if cap(s) < 3 {
+		t.Fatalf("expected cap >= 3, got %d", cap(s))
+	}
+}
+
+func TestBucketedPool_PutEmptySlice(t *testing.T) {
+	pool := NewBucketedPool(1, 1000, 10, makeFunc)
+	pool.Put([]int{})
+	s := pool.Get(1)
+	if cap(s) < 1 {
+		t.Fatalf("expected cap >= 1, got %d", cap(s))
+	}
+}
+
+func TestBucketedPool_PutSliceSmallerThanMinimum(t *testing.T) {
+	pool := NewBucketedPool(3, 1000, 10, makeFunc)
+	pool.Put([]int{1, 2})
+	s := pool.Get(3)
+	if cap(s) < 3 {
+		t.Fatalf("expected cap >= 3, got %d", cap(s))
+	}
+}
diff --git a/pkg/kgo/pools.go b/pkg/kgo/pools.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..78055482
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/kgo/pools.go
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+package kgo
+
+import (
+	"bytes"
+	"sync"
+)
+
+// shared general purpose byte buff
+var byteBuffers = sync.Pool{New: func() any { return bytes.NewBuffer(make([]byte, 8<<10)) }}