diff --git a/bucket.go b/bucket.go
index 5a4d7cb43..157d546e6 100644
--- a/bucket.go
+++ b/bucket.go
@@ -205,6 +205,16 @@ func (b *Bucket) CreateBucketIfNotExists(key []byte) (*Bucket, error) {
 	return b.CreateBucket(key)
 }
 
+func (b *Bucket) CreateBucketIfNotExistsOld(key []byte) (*Bucket, error) {
+	child, err := b.CreateBucket(key)
+	if err == errors.ErrBucketExists {
+		return b.Bucket(key), nil
+	} else if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	return child, nil
+}
+
 // DeleteBucket deletes a bucket at the given key.
 // Returns an error if the bucket does not exist, or if the key represents a non-bucket value.
 func (b *Bucket) DeleteBucket(key []byte) error {
diff --git a/bucket_test.go b/bucket_test.go
index 74d85e429..2fd7abcf1 100644
--- a/bucket_test.go
+++ b/bucket_test.go
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import (
 	"log"
 	"math/rand"
 	"os"
+	"path/filepath"
 	"strconv"
 	"strings"
 	"testing"
@@ -2032,3 +2033,88 @@ func ExampleBucket_ForEach() {
 	// A dog is fun.
 	// A liger is awesome.
 }
+
+func BenchmarkCreateBucketIfNotExists(b *testing.B) {
+	benchmarkCreateBucketIfNotExists(b, func(tx *bolt.Tx) error {
+		_, err := tx.CreateBucketIfNotExists([]byte("my-bucket"))
+		return err
+	})
+}
+func BenchmarkCreateBucketIfNotExistsOld(b *testing.B) {
+	benchmarkCreateBucketIfNotExists(b, func(tx *bolt.Tx) error {
+		_, err := tx.CreateBucketIfNotExistsOld([]byte("my-bucket"))
+		return err
+	})
+}
+
+func benchmarkCreateBucketIfNotExists(b *testing.B, f func(tx *bolt.Tx) error) {
+	dbPath := filepath.Join(os.TempDir(), "db")
+	// fmt.Printf("database path: %s\n", dbPath)
+
+	fresh := false
+	_, err := os.Stat(dbPath)
+	switch {
+	case os.IsNotExist(err):
+		fresh = true
+		// fmt.Println("database does not exist, will create one")
+	case err == nil:
+		// fmt.Println("using existing database")
+	default:
+		b.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	db, err := bolt.Open(dbPath, 0666, nil)
+	require.NoError(b, err)
+	defer db.Close()
+
+	if fresh {
+		err = db.Update(func(tx *bolt.Tx) error {
+			for i := 0; i < 1000000; i++ {
+				if i%1000 == 0 {
+					// fmt.Printf("created %d buckets\n", i+1)
+				}
+				_, err := tx.CreateBucket([]byte("my-bucket" + strconv.Itoa(i)))
+				require.NoError(b, err)
+			}
+			return nil
+		})
+		require.NoError(b, err)
+	}
+
+	b.ReportAllocs()
+	b.ResetTimer()
+	for i := 0; i < b.N; i++ {
+		err = db.Update(f)
+		require.NoError(b, err)
+	}
+}
+
+// func BenchmarkCreateBucketIfNotExistsOld(b *testing.B) {
+// 	f := filepath.Join(b.TempDir(), "db")
+// 	db, err := bolt.Open(f, 0666, nil)
+// 	require.NoError(b, err)
+// 	defer db.Close()
+
+// 	err = db.Update(func(tx *bolt.Tx) error {
+// 		for i := 0; i < 1000000; i++ {
+// 			if i%1000 == 0 {
+// 				fmt.Printf("created %d buckets\n", i)
+// 			}
+// 			_, err := tx.CreateBucket([]byte("my-bucket" + strconv.Itoa(i)))
+// 			require.NoError(b, err)
+// 		}
+// 		_, err := tx.CreateBucket([]byte("my-bucket"))
+// 		return err
+// 	})
+// 	require.NoError(b, err)
+
+// 	b.ReportAllocs()
+// 	b.ResetTimer()
+// 	for i := 0; i < b.N; i++ {
+// 		err = db.Update(func(tx *bolt.Tx) error {
+// 			_, err := tx.CreateBucketIfNotExistsOld([]byte("my-bucket"))
+// 			return err
+// 		})
+// 		require.NoError(b, err)
+// 	}
+// }
diff --git a/tx.go b/tx.go
index a8e4d9d0b..7bf8acf5c 100644
--- a/tx.go
+++ b/tx.go
@@ -116,6 +116,10 @@ func (tx *Tx) CreateBucketIfNotExists(name []byte) (*Bucket, error) {
 	return tx.root.CreateBucketIfNotExists(name)
 }
 
+func (tx *Tx) CreateBucketIfNotExistsOld(name []byte) (*Bucket, error) {
+	return tx.root.CreateBucketIfNotExistsOld(name)
+}
+
 // DeleteBucket deletes a bucket.
 // Returns an error if the bucket cannot be found or if the key represents a non-bucket value.
 func (tx *Tx) DeleteBucket(name []byte) error {