C# Programming Performance Tips - Part Four - List.Count() Vs List.Any()

In this blog, we will compare the execution time between List.Count() and List.Any().

You can read all the C# performance tips from the following links,

• C# Programming Performance Tips - Part One - String Split
• C# Programming Performance Tips - Part Two - String Equals
• C# Programming Performance Tips - Part Three - Adding Strings
• C# Programming Performance Tips - Part Four - List.Count() Vs List.Any()
• C# Programming Performance Tips - Part Five - List.Count() Vs List.Count
• C# Programming Performance Tips - Part Six - Array Length 

Many times, developers use List.Count() to check whether a list has data or is empty, before iterating. Here, we will compare the execution time of List.Count() and List.Any(). 

List.Count()

Stopwatch watch = new Stopwatch();
List < string > strs = new List < string > () {
    "Akshay",
    "Patel",
    "Panth",
    "Patel"
};
watch.Start();
if (strs.Count() > 0) {}
Console.WriteLine("List.Count()-{0}", watch.Elapsed);

List.Any()

watch.Restart();
if (strs.Any()) {}
Console.WriteLine("List.Any() - {0}", watch.Elapsed);

Result

 

The result suggests that we should use List.Any() over List.Count() wherever possible.