diff --git a/Cargo.lock b/Cargo.lock
index 1c6d40f..862f68b 100644
--- a/Cargo.lock
+++ b/Cargo.lock
@@ -45,6 +45,12 @@ version = "0.5.0"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "4aa90d7ce82d4be67b64039a3d588d38dbcc6736577de4a847025ce5b0c468d1"
 
+[[package]]
+name = "anes"
+version = "0.1.6"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "4b46cbb362ab8752921c97e041f5e366ee6297bd428a31275b9fcf1e380f7299"
+
 [[package]]
 name = "anstyle"
 version = "1.0.8"
@@ -196,6 +202,12 @@ version = "1.7.1"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "8318a53db07bb3f8dca91a600466bdb3f2eaadeedfdbcf02e1accbad9271ba50"
 
+[[package]]
+name = "cast"
+version = "0.3.0"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "37b2a672a2cb129a2e41c10b1224bb368f9f37a2b16b612598138befd7b37eb5"
+
 [[package]]
 name = "cc"
 version = "1.1.13"
@@ -223,6 +235,33 @@ version = "1.0.0"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "baf1de4339761588bc0619e3cbc0120ee582ebb74b53b4efbf79117bd2da40fd"
 
+[[package]]
+name = "ciborium"
+version = "0.2.2"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "42e69ffd6f0917f5c029256a24d0161db17cea3997d185db0d35926308770f0e"
+dependencies = [
+ "ciborium-io",
+ "ciborium-ll",
+ "serde",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "ciborium-io"
+version = "0.2.2"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "05afea1e0a06c9be33d539b876f1ce3692f4afea2cb41f740e7743225ed1c757"
+
+[[package]]
+name = "ciborium-ll"
+version = "0.2.2"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "57663b653d948a338bfb3eeba9bb2fd5fcfaecb9e199e87e1eda4d9e8b240fd9"
+dependencies = [
+ "ciborium-io",
+ "half",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "clap"
 version = "4.5.16"
@@ -311,6 +350,42 @@ dependencies = [
  "cfg-if",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "criterion"
+version = "0.5.1"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "f2b12d017a929603d80db1831cd3a24082f8137ce19c69e6447f54f5fc8d692f"
+dependencies = [
+ "anes",
+ "cast",
+ "ciborium",
+ "clap",
+ "criterion-plot",
+ "is-terminal",
+ "itertools 0.10.5",
+ "num-traits",
+ "once_cell",
+ "oorandom",
+ "plotters",
+ "rayon",
+ "regex",
+ "serde",
+ "serde_derive",
+ "serde_json",
+ "tinytemplate",
+ "walkdir",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "criterion-plot"
+version = "0.5.0"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "6b50826342786a51a89e2da3a28f1c32b06e387201bc2d19791f622c673706b1"
+dependencies = [
+ "cast",
+ "itertools 0.10.5",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "crossbeam-deque"
 version = "0.8.5"
@@ -960,6 +1035,15 @@ dependencies = [
  "windows-sys 0.52.0",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "itertools"
+version = "0.10.5"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "b0fd2260e829bddf4cb6ea802289de2f86d6a7a690192fbe91b3f46e0f2c8473"
+dependencies = [
+ "either",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "itertools"
 version = "0.12.1"
@@ -1082,6 +1166,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "clap",
  "color-eyre",
  "colorsys",
+ "criterion",
  "directories",
  "enquote",
  "execute",
@@ -1238,6 +1323,12 @@ version = "1.19.0"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "3fdb12b2476b595f9358c5161aa467c2438859caa136dec86c26fdd2efe17b92"
 
+[[package]]
+name = "oorandom"
+version = "11.1.4"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "b410bbe7e14ab526a0e86877eb47c6996a2bd7746f027ba551028c925390e4e9"
+
 [[package]]
 name = "option-ext"
 version = "0.2.0"
@@ -1322,6 +1413,34 @@ version = "0.3.30"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "d231b230927b5e4ad203db57bbcbee2802f6bce620b1e4a9024a07d94e2907ec"
 
+[[package]]
+name = "plotters"
+version = "0.3.6"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "a15b6eccb8484002195a3e44fe65a4ce8e93a625797a063735536fd59cb01cf3"
+dependencies = [
+ "num-traits",
+ "plotters-backend",
+ "plotters-svg",
+ "wasm-bindgen",
+ "web-sys",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "plotters-backend"
+version = "0.3.6"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "414cec62c6634ae900ea1c56128dfe87cf63e7caece0852ec76aba307cebadb7"
+
+[[package]]
+name = "plotters-svg"
+version = "0.3.6"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "81b30686a7d9c3e010b84284bdd26a29f2138574f52f5eb6f794fc0ad924e705"
+dependencies = [
+ "plotters-backend",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "png"
 version = "0.17.13"
@@ -1511,7 +1630,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "built",
  "cfg-if",
  "interpolate_name",
- "itertools",
+ "itertools 0.12.1",
  "libc",
  "libfuzzer-sys",
  "log",
@@ -1820,6 +1939,15 @@ version = "1.0.18"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "f3cb5ba0dc43242ce17de99c180e96db90b235b8a9fdc9543c96d2209116bd9f"
 
+[[package]]
+name = "same-file"
+version = "1.0.6"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "93fc1dc3aaa9bfed95e02e6eadabb4baf7e3078b0bd1b4d7b6b0b68378900502"
+dependencies = [
+ "winapi-util",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "scopeguard"
 version = "1.2.0"
@@ -2070,6 +2198,16 @@ dependencies = [
  "weezl",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "tinytemplate"
+version = "1.2.1"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "be4d6b5f19ff7664e8c98d03e2139cb510db9b0a60b55f8e8709b689d939b6bc"
+dependencies = [
+ "serde",
+ "serde_json",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "tinyvec"
 version = "1.8.0"
@@ -2334,6 +2472,16 @@ version = "0.9.5"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "0b928f33d975fc6ad9f86c8f283853ad26bdd5b10b7f1542aa2fa15e2289105a"
 
+[[package]]
+name = "walkdir"
+version = "2.5.0"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "29790946404f91d9c5d06f9874efddea1dc06c5efe94541a7d6863108e3a5e4b"
+dependencies = [
+ "same-file",
+ "winapi-util",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "want"
 version = "0.3.1"
diff --git a/Cargo.toml b/Cargo.toml
index d803736..3137276 100644
--- a/Cargo.toml
+++ b/Cargo.toml
@@ -22,6 +22,13 @@ update-informer = ["dep:update-informer"]
 web-image = ["dep:reqwest"]
 dump-json = ["dep:serde_json"]
 
+[dev-dependencies]
+criterion = { version = "0.5", features = ["html_reports"] }
+
+[[bench]]
+name = "template"
+harness = false
+
 [dependencies]
 # logging
 log = "0.4.17"
diff --git a/benches/template.rs b/benches/template.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a9e349c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/benches/template.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,50 @@
+use std::hint::black_box;
+use criterion::{criterion_group, criterion_main, Criterion};
+
+use matugen::{scheme::{get_custom_color_schemes, get_schemes, SchemesEnum}, template_util::template::{self, get_render_data, render_template}};
+use template::add_engine_filters;
+use upon::{Engine, Syntax};
+
+fn parse_template(data: &str) {
+    let source_color = material_colors::color::Argb::new(255, 255, 0, 0);
+
+    let syntax = Syntax::builder().expr("{{", "}}").block("<*", "*>").build();
+    let mut engine = Engine::with_syntax(syntax);
+
+    add_engine_filters(&mut engine);
+
+    let (scheme_dark, scheme_light) = get_schemes(source_color, &None, &None);
+    let schemes = get_custom_color_schemes(
+        source_color,
+        scheme_dark,
+        scheme_light,
+        &None,
+        &None,
+        &None
+    );
+    let render_data = get_render_data(&schemes, &source_color,&SchemesEnum::Dark, &None, None).unwrap();
+
+    engine.add_template("a", data.repeat(50)).expect("failed to add template");
+    render_template(&engine, &"a".to_string(), &render_data, None).expect("failed to render template");
+}
+
+fn criterion_benchmark(c: &mut Criterion) {
+    let data = 
+    r#"
+    <* for name, value in colors *>
+        {{name}} {{value.default.rgba}};
+    <* endfor *>
+    "#;
+    let data_filter = 
+    r#"
+    <* for name, value in colors *>
+        {{name | replace: "_", "-" }} {{value.default.rgba | set_alpha: 0.7 | set_hue: -180.0 }};
+    <* endfor *>
+    "#;
+
+    c.bench_function("parse 20", |b| b.iter(|| parse_template(black_box(&data.repeat(20)))));
+    c.bench_function("parse 20 filters", |b| b.iter(|| parse_template(black_box(&data_filter.repeat(20)))));
+}
+
+criterion_group!(benches, criterion_benchmark);
+criterion_main!(benches);
\ No newline at end of file