diff --git a/mypyc/irbuild/ll_builder.py b/mypyc/irbuild/ll_builder.py
index dafb0aab9646..b6cf990d025d 100644
--- a/mypyc/irbuild/ll_builder.py
+++ b/mypyc/irbuild/ll_builder.py
@@ -46,6 +46,7 @@
     method_call_ops, CFunctionDescription, function_ops,
     binary_ops, unary_ops, ERR_NEG_INT
 )
+from mypyc.primitives.bytes_ops import bytes_compare
 from mypyc.primitives.list_ops import (
     list_extend_op, new_list_op, list_build_op
 )
@@ -860,8 +861,12 @@ def binary_op(self, lreg: Value, rreg: Value, op: str, line: int) -> Value:
         # Special case various ops
         if op in ('is', 'is not'):
             return self.translate_is_op(lreg, rreg, op, line)
+        # TODO: modify 'str' to use same interface as 'compare_bytes' as it avoids
+        # call to PyErr_Occurred()
         if is_str_rprimitive(ltype) and is_str_rprimitive(rtype) and op in ('==', '!='):
             return self.compare_strings(lreg, rreg, op, line)
+        if is_bytes_rprimitive(ltype) and is_bytes_rprimitive(rtype) and op in ('==', '!='):
+            return self.compare_bytes(lreg, rreg, op, line)
         if is_tagged(ltype) and is_tagged(rtype) and op in int_comparison_op_mapping:
             return self.compare_tagged(lreg, rreg, op, line)
         if is_bool_rprimitive(ltype) and is_bool_rprimitive(rtype) and op in (
@@ -1002,6 +1007,12 @@ def compare_strings(self, lhs: Value, rhs: Value, op: str, line: int) -> Value:
         return self.add(ComparisonOp(compare_result,
                                      Integer(0, c_int_rprimitive), op_type, line))
 
+    def compare_bytes(self, lhs: Value, rhs: Value, op: str, line: int) -> Value:
+        compare_result = self.call_c(bytes_compare, [lhs, rhs], line)
+        op_type = ComparisonOp.EQ if op == '==' else ComparisonOp.NEQ
+        return self.add(ComparisonOp(compare_result,
+                                     Integer(1, c_int_rprimitive), op_type, line))
+
     def compare_tuples(self,
                        lhs: Value,
                        rhs: Value,
diff --git a/mypyc/lib-rt/CPy.h b/mypyc/lib-rt/CPy.h
index cfdea38dabd8..8aa7247bd66f 100644
--- a/mypyc/lib-rt/CPy.h
+++ b/mypyc/lib-rt/CPy.h
@@ -409,6 +409,10 @@ PyObject *CPyBytes_Concat(PyObject *a, PyObject *b);
 PyObject *CPyBytes_Join(PyObject *sep, PyObject *iter);
 
 
+int CPyBytes_Compare(PyObject *left, PyObject *right);
+
+
+
 // Set operations
 
 
diff --git a/mypyc/lib-rt/bytes_ops.c b/mypyc/lib-rt/bytes_ops.c
index b80fc3102f55..bece7c13c957 100644
--- a/mypyc/lib-rt/bytes_ops.c
+++ b/mypyc/lib-rt/bytes_ops.c
@@ -5,6 +5,31 @@
 #include <Python.h>
 #include "CPy.h"
 
+// Returns -1 on error, 0 on inequality, 1 on equality.
+// 
+// Falls back to PyObject_RichCompareBool.
+int CPyBytes_Compare(PyObject *left, PyObject *right) {
+    if (PyBytes_CheckExact(left) && PyBytes_CheckExact(right)) {
+        if (left == right) {
+            return 1;
+        }
+
+        // Adapted from cpython internal implementation of bytes_compare.
+        Py_ssize_t len = Py_SIZE(left);
+        if (Py_SIZE(right) != len) {
+            return 0;
+        }
+        PyBytesObject *left_b = (PyBytesObject *)left;
+        PyBytesObject *right_b = (PyBytesObject *)right;
+        if (left_b->ob_sval[0] != right_b->ob_sval[0]) {
+            return 0;
+        }
+
+        return memcmp(left_b->ob_sval, right_b->ob_sval, len) == 0;
+    }
+    return PyObject_RichCompareBool(left, right, Py_EQ);
+}
+
 CPyTagged CPyBytes_GetItem(PyObject *o, CPyTagged index) {
     if (CPyTagged_CheckShort(index)) {
         Py_ssize_t n = CPyTagged_ShortAsSsize_t(index);
diff --git a/mypyc/primitives/bytes_ops.py b/mypyc/primitives/bytes_ops.py
index ea6c7ec0f72b..6ddb5e38111c 100644
--- a/mypyc/primitives/bytes_ops.py
+++ b/mypyc/primitives/bytes_ops.py
@@ -3,10 +3,11 @@
 from mypyc.ir.ops import ERR_MAGIC
 from mypyc.ir.rtypes import (
     object_rprimitive, bytes_rprimitive, list_rprimitive, dict_rprimitive,
-    str_rprimitive, RUnion, int_rprimitive, c_pyssize_t_rprimitive
+    str_rprimitive, c_int_rprimitive, RUnion, c_pyssize_t_rprimitive,
+    int_rprimitive,
 )
 from mypyc.primitives.registry import (
-    load_address_op, function_op, method_op, binary_op, custom_op
+    load_address_op, function_op, method_op, binary_op, custom_op, ERR_NEG_INT
 )
 
 # Get the 'bytes' type object.
@@ -31,6 +32,13 @@
     c_function_name='PyByteArray_FromObject',
     error_kind=ERR_MAGIC)
 
+# bytes ==/!= (return -1/0/1)
+bytes_compare = custom_op(
+    arg_types=[bytes_rprimitive, bytes_rprimitive],
+    return_type=c_int_rprimitive,
+    c_function_name='CPyBytes_Compare',
+    error_kind=ERR_NEG_INT)
+
 # bytes + bytes
 # bytearray + bytearray
 binary_op(
diff --git a/mypyc/test-data/irbuild-bytes.test b/mypyc/test-data/irbuild-bytes.test
index 17b1c3942154..f13a1a956580 100644
--- a/mypyc/test-data/irbuild-bytes.test
+++ b/mypyc/test-data/irbuild-bytes.test
@@ -62,6 +62,32 @@ L0:
     c = r6
     return 1
 
+[case testBytesEquality]
+def eq(x: bytes, y: bytes) -> bool:
+    return x == y
+
+def neq(x: bytes, y: bytes) -> bool:
+    return x != y
+[out]
+def eq(x, y):
+    x, y :: bytes
+    r0 :: int32
+    r1, r2 :: bit
+L0:
+    r0 = CPyBytes_Compare(x, y)
+    r1 = r0 >= 0 :: signed
+    r2 = r0 == 1
+    return r2
+def neq(x, y):
+    x, y :: bytes
+    r0 :: int32
+    r1, r2 :: bit
+L0:
+    r0 = CPyBytes_Compare(x, y)
+    r1 = r0 >= 0 :: signed
+    r2 = r0 != 1
+    return r2
+
 [case testBytesSlicing]
 def f(a: bytes, start: int, end: int) -> bytes:
     return a[start:end]
diff --git a/mypyc/test-data/run-bytes.test b/mypyc/test-data/run-bytes.test
index 96c2e7f84235..aaf541194ac6 100644
--- a/mypyc/test-data/run-bytes.test
+++ b/mypyc/test-data/run-bytes.test
@@ -17,6 +17,8 @@ assert f(b'123') == b'123'
 assert f(b'\x07 \x0b " \t \x7f \xf0') == b'\x07 \x0b " \t \x7f \xf0'
 assert eq(b'123', b'123')
 assert not eq(b'123', b'1234')
+assert not eq(b'123', b'124')
+assert not eq(b'123', b'223')
 assert neq(b'123', b'1234')
 try:
     f('x')