Current Records
| Record | Swimmer | Nation | Time | Meet / Date |
| World Record | Jordan Crooks | Cayman Islands | 19.90 | World Aquatics Swimming Championships (25m), Budapest · 14 Dec 2024 |
| World Junior Record | Kenzo Simons | Netherlands | 20.98 | Dutch Short Course Championships, Tilburg · 22 Dec 2019 |
| Commonwealth Record | Roland Schoeman | South Africa | 20.30 | South African Championships · 8 Aug 2009 |
Crooks became the first man under 20 seconds for 50m freestyle in a 25m pool.
Top 10 All-Time Performers
One best time per swimmer. This avoids listing the same swimmer multiple times and makes the ranking easier to compare. | # | Swimmer | Time | Nation | Meet / Date |
| 1 | Jordan Crooks | 19.90 | Cayman Islands | World Aquatics Swimming Championships (25m), Budapest · 14 Dec 2024 |
| 2 | Caeleb Dressel | 20.16 | United States | International Swimming League Final, Budapest · 21 Nov 2020 |
| 3 | Ben Proud | 20.18 | Great Britain | European Short Course Championships, Otopeni · 7 Dec 2023 |
| 4 | Florent Manaudou | 20.26 | France | World Short Course Championships, Doha · 5 Dec 2014 |
| 5 | Roland Schoeman | 20.30 | South Africa | South African Championships · 8 Aug 2009 |
| 6 | Vladimir Morozov | 20.31 | Russia | Add verified meet and date |
| 7= | César Cielo | 20.51 | Brazil | Add verified meet and date |
| 7= | Jack Alexy | 20.51 | United States | Add verified meet and date |
| 7= | Egor Kornev | 20.51 | Russia | Add verified meet and date |
| 10 | Amaury Leveaux | 20.48 | France | Add verified meet and date |
Race Analysis & Comparison
Compare the world’s fastest 50m freestyle performances through 25m splits, stroke counts, breakout speed, and the relationship between a swimmer’s opening 25m and their 50m personal best. Race data is compiled from official results and reviewed race footage where available. Technical measures can vary by camera angle, lane position, and video quality. | Men’s 50m Freestyle – Short Course |
| Jordon Crooks | Caeleb Dressel | Ben Proud | Florent Manaudou | Roland Schoeman | Vladimir Morozov | Amaury Leveaux | Cesar Cielo Filho |
| Height: | | 6 ft 3 in 191cm | 6 ft 3 in 191cm | 6 ft 6 in 199cm | 6 ft 3 in 190cm | 6 ft 1 in 185cm | 6 ft 8 in 202cm | 6 ft 5 in 195cm |
| Weight: | | 200 Ib 92kg | 207 lb 94 kg | 218 Ib 99kg | 185 Ib 84kg | 187 Ib 85kg | 194 Ib 88kg | 176 Ib 80kg |
| Country: | CYM | USA | GBR | FRA | RSA | RUS | FRA | BRA |
| DOB: | 2002-05-02 | 1996-10-16 | 1994-09-21 | 1990-11-12 | 1980-07-04 | 1992-06-16 | 1985-12-02 | 1987-01-10 |
| Meet: | World Aquatics Swimming Championships 2024 | ISL 2020 Season – Final | 2023 European Short Course Championships – Bucharest | 12th FINA World Swimming Championships (25m) 2014 | South African National Championships (25m) | European Short Course Swimming Championships 2017 | European Short Course Swimming Championships 2008 | 10th FINA World Swimming Championships (25m) 2010 |
| | | | | | | | |
| 1st 25m Split | 9.55 | 9.64 | | | | |
| Strokes | 10 | 10 | | | | | | |
| 2nd 25m Split | | | | | | |
| Strokes | 11 | 14 | 14 | 16 | | | | |
| Total Time: | 19.90 | 20.16 | 20.18 | 20.26 | 20.30 | 20.31 | 20.48 | 20.51 |