diff --git a/pkg/chunkenc/util_test.go b/pkg/chunkenc/util_test.go
index c4e3de043dc1..a65bdbcae105 100644
--- a/pkg/chunkenc/util_test.go
+++ b/pkg/chunkenc/util_test.go
@@ -66,6 +66,7 @@ func fillChunkClose(c Chunk, close bool) int64 {
 func fillChunkRandomOrder(c Chunk, close bool) {
 	ub := int64(1 << 30)
 	i := int64(0)
+	random := rand.New(rand.NewSource(42))
 	entry := &logproto.Entry{
 		Timestamp: time.Unix(0, 0),
 		Line:      testdata.LogString(i),
@@ -77,7 +78,7 @@ func fillChunkRandomOrder(c Chunk, close bool) {
 			panic(err)
 		}
 		i++
-		entry.Timestamp = time.Unix(0, rand.Int63n(ub))
+		entry.Timestamp = time.Unix(0, random.Int63n(ub))
 		entry.Line = testdata.LogString(i)
 
 	}
diff --git a/pkg/iter/entry_iterator.go b/pkg/iter/entry_iterator.go
index 988e0051218b..25c160920ea3 100644
--- a/pkg/iter/entry_iterator.go
+++ b/pkg/iter/entry_iterator.go
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import (
 	"container/heap"
 	"context"
 	"io"
+	"sort"
 	"sync"
 	"time"
 
@@ -295,15 +296,11 @@ func (i *mergeEntryIterator) Len() int {
 }
 
 type entrySortIterator struct {
-	heap interface {
-		heap.Interface
-		Peek() EntryIterator
-	}
-	is         []EntryIterator
-	prefetched bool
-
-	currEntry entryWithLabels
-	errs      []error
+	is              []EntryIterator
+	prefetched      bool
+	byAscendingTime bool
+	currEntry       entryWithLabels
+	errs            []error
 }
 
 // NewSortEntryIterator returns a new EntryIterator that sorts entries by timestamp (depending on the direction) the input iterators.
@@ -320,25 +317,48 @@ func NewSortEntryIterator(is []EntryIterator, direction logproto.Direction) Entr
 	result := &entrySortIterator{is: is}
 	switch direction {
 	case logproto.BACKWARD:
-		result.heap = &iteratorSortHeap{iteratorHeap: make([]EntryIterator, 0, len(is)), byAscendingTime: false, byAlphabetical: true}
+		result.byAscendingTime = false
 	case logproto.FORWARD:
-		result.heap = &iteratorSortHeap{iteratorHeap: make([]EntryIterator, 0, len(is)), byAscendingTime: true, byAlphabetical: true}
+		result.byAscendingTime = true
 	default:
 		panic("bad direction")
 	}
 	return result
 }
 
-// init initialize the underlaying heap
+func (i *entrySortIterator) lessByIndex(k, j int) bool {
+	t1, t2 := i.is[k].Entry().Timestamp.UnixNano(), i.is[j].Entry().Timestamp.UnixNano()
+	if t1 == t2 {
+		return i.is[k].Labels() < i.is[j].Labels()
+	}
+	if i.byAscendingTime {
+		return t1 < t2
+	}
+	return t1 > t2
+}
+
+func (i *entrySortIterator) lessByValue(t1 int64, l1 string, index int) bool {
+	t2 := i.is[index].Entry().Timestamp.UnixNano()
+	if t1 == t2 {
+		return l1 < i.is[index].Labels()
+	}
+	if i.byAscendingTime {
+		return t1 < t2
+	}
+	return t1 > t2
+}
+
+// init throws out empty iterators and sorts them.
 func (i *entrySortIterator) init() {
 	if i.prefetched {
 		return
 	}
 
 	i.prefetched = true
+	tmp := make([]EntryIterator, 0, len(i.is))
 	for _, it := range i.is {
 		if it.Next() {
-			i.heap.Push(it)
+			tmp = append(tmp, it)
 			continue
 		}
 
@@ -347,36 +367,57 @@ func (i *entrySortIterator) init() {
 		}
 		util.LogError("closing iterator", it.Close)
 	}
-	heap.Init(i.heap)
+	i.is = tmp
+	sort.Slice(i.is, i.lessByIndex)
+}
 
-	// We can now clear the list of input iterators to merge, given they have all
-	// been processed and the non empty ones have been pushed to the heap
-	i.is = nil
+func (i *entrySortIterator) fix() {
+	head := i.is[0]
+	t1 := head.Entry().Timestamp.UnixNano()
+	l1 := head.Labels()
+
+	// shortcut
+	if len(i.is) <= 1 || i.lessByValue(t1, l1, 1) {
+		return
+	}
+
+	// First element is out of place. So we reposition it.
+	i.is = i.is[1:] // drop head
+	index := sort.Search(len(i.is), func(in int) bool { return i.lessByValue(t1, l1, in) })
+
+	if index == len(i.is) {
+		i.is = append(i.is, head)
+	} else {
+		i.is = append(i.is[:index+1], i.is[index:]...)
+		i.is[index] = head
+	}
 }
 
 func (i *entrySortIterator) Next() bool {
 	i.init()
 
-	if i.heap.Len() == 0 {
+	if len(i.is) == 0 {
 		return false
 	}
 
-	next := i.heap.Peek()
+	next := i.is[0]
 	i.currEntry.entry = next.Entry()
 	i.currEntry.labels = next.Labels()
 	i.currEntry.streamHash = next.StreamHash()
 	// if the top iterator is empty, we remove it.
 	if !next.Next() {
-		heap.Pop(i.heap)
+		i.is = i.is[1:]
 		if err := next.Error(); err != nil {
 			i.errs = append(i.errs, err)
 		}
 		util.LogError("closing iterator", next.Close)
 		return true
 	}
-	if i.heap.Len() > 1 {
-		heap.Fix(i.heap, 0)
+
+	if len(i.is) > 1 {
+		i.fix()
 	}
+
 	return true
 }
 
@@ -404,8 +445,8 @@ func (i *entrySortIterator) Error() error {
 }
 
 func (i *entrySortIterator) Close() error {
-	for i.heap.Len() > 0 {
-		if err := i.heap.Pop().(EntryIterator).Close(); err != nil {
+	for _, entryIterator := range i.is {
+		if err := entryIterator.Close(); err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
 	}
diff --git a/pkg/iter/entry_iterator_test.go b/pkg/iter/entry_iterator_test.go
index 3db309288763..7777ef674fe6 100644
--- a/pkg/iter/entry_iterator_test.go
+++ b/pkg/iter/entry_iterator_test.go
@@ -735,6 +735,7 @@ func BenchmarkSortIterator(b *testing.B) {
 	})
 
 	b.Run("sort", func(b *testing.B) {
+		b.ReportAllocs()
 		b.ResetTimer()
 		for i := 0; i < b.N; i++ {
 			b.StopTimer()