diff --git a/Cargo.toml b/Cargo.toml
index c335917bc..0d35fa5c1 100644
--- a/Cargo.toml
+++ b/Cargo.toml
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ stdlib = { package = "acvm_stdlib", version = "0.18.2", path = "stdlib", default
 brillig = { version = "0.18.2", path = "brillig", default-features = false }
 blackbox_solver = { package = "acvm_blackbox_solver", version = "0.18.2", path = "blackbox_solver", default-features = false }
 
+bincode = "1.3.3"
 rmp-serde = "1.1.0"
 
 num-bigint = "0.4"
diff --git a/acir/Cargo.toml b/acir/Cargo.toml
index 47e4906ac..0baeed24a 100644
--- a/acir/Cargo.toml
+++ b/acir/Cargo.toml
@@ -15,8 +15,9 @@ acir_field.workspace = true
 brillig.workspace = true
 serde.workspace = true
 thiserror.workspace = true
-rmp-serde.workspace = true
+rmp-serde = { workspace = true, optional = true }
 flate2 = "1.0.24"
+bincode.workspace = true
 
 [dev-dependencies]
 serde_json = "1.0"
diff --git a/acir/src/circuit/mod.rs b/acir/src/circuit/mod.rs
index 22f140999..a9cd30b8f 100644
--- a/acir/src/circuit/mod.rs
+++ b/acir/src/circuit/mod.rs
@@ -6,10 +6,12 @@ pub mod opcodes;
 use crate::native_types::Witness;
 pub use opcodes::Opcode;
 
-use flate2::{read::DeflateDecoder, write::DeflateEncoder, Compression};
+use std::io::prelude::*;
+
+use flate2::Compression;
+
 use serde::{Deserialize, Serialize};
 use std::collections::BTreeSet;
-use std::io::prelude::*;
 
 #[derive(Clone, PartialEq, Eq, Serialize, Deserialize, Default)]
 pub struct Circuit {
@@ -49,21 +51,41 @@ impl Circuit {
         PublicInputs(public_inputs)
     }
 
+    #[cfg(feature = "serialize-messagepack")]
     pub fn write<W: std::io::Write>(&self, writer: W) -> std::io::Result<()> {
         let buf = rmp_serde::to_vec(&self).unwrap();
-        let mut deflater = DeflateEncoder::new(writer, Compression::best());
+        let mut deflater = flate2::write::DeflateEncoder::new(writer, Compression::best());
         deflater.write_all(&buf).unwrap();
 
         Ok(())
     }
+    #[cfg(feature = "serialize-messagepack")]
     pub fn read<R: std::io::Read>(reader: R) -> std::io::Result<Self> {
-        let mut deflater = DeflateDecoder::new(reader);
+        let mut deflater = flate2::read::DeflateDecoder::new(reader);
         let mut buf_d = Vec::new();
         deflater.read_to_end(&mut buf_d).unwrap();
         let circuit = rmp_serde::from_slice(buf_d.as_slice()).unwrap();
         Ok(circuit)
     }
 
+    #[cfg(not(feature = "serialize-messagepack"))]
+    pub fn write<W: std::io::Write>(&self, writer: W) -> std::io::Result<()> {
+        let buf = bincode::serialize(&self).unwrap();
+        let mut encoder = flate2::write::GzEncoder::new(writer, Compression::default());
+        encoder.write_all(&buf).unwrap();
+        encoder.finish().unwrap();
+        Ok(())
+    }
+
+    #[cfg(not(feature = "serialize-messagepack"))]
+    pub fn read<R: std::io::Read>(reader: R) -> std::io::Result<Self> {
+        let mut gz_decoder = flate2::read::GzDecoder::new(reader);
+        let mut buf_d = Vec::new();
+        gz_decoder.read_to_end(&mut buf_d).unwrap();
+        let circuit = bincode::deserialize(&buf_d).unwrap();
+        Ok(circuit)
+    }
+
     /// Initial list of labels attached to opcodes.
     pub fn initial_opcode_labels(&self) -> Vec<OpcodeLabel> {
         (0..self.opcodes.len()).map(|label| OpcodeLabel::Resolved(label as u64)).collect()
diff --git a/acir/src/native_types/witness_map.rs b/acir/src/native_types/witness_map.rs
index 4df598dbd..400e0a8ca 100644
--- a/acir/src/native_types/witness_map.rs
+++ b/acir/src/native_types/witness_map.rs
@@ -5,15 +5,15 @@ use std::{
 };
 
 use acir_field::FieldElement;
-use flate2::{
-    bufread::{DeflateDecoder, DeflateEncoder},
-    Compression,
-};
+use flate2::bufread::GzDecoder;
+use flate2::bufread::GzEncoder;
+use flate2::Compression;
 use serde::{Deserialize, Serialize};
 use thiserror::Error;
 
 use crate::native_types::Witness;
 
+#[cfg(feature = "serialize-messagepack")]
 #[derive(Debug, Error)]
 enum SerializationError {
     #[error(transparent)]
@@ -26,6 +26,13 @@ enum SerializationError {
     Deflate(#[from] std::io::Error),
 }
 
+#[cfg(not(feature = "serialize-messagepack"))]
+#[derive(Debug, Error)]
+enum SerializationError {
+    #[error(transparent)]
+    Deflate(#[from] std::io::Error),
+}
+
 #[derive(Debug, Error)]
 #[error(transparent)]
 pub struct WitnessMapError(#[from] SerializationError);
@@ -85,23 +92,38 @@ impl From<BTreeMap<Witness, FieldElement>> for WitnessMap {
     }
 }
 
+#[cfg(feature = "serialize-messagepack")]
 impl TryFrom<WitnessMap> for Vec<u8> {
     type Error = WitnessMapError;
 
     fn try_from(val: WitnessMap) -> Result<Self, Self::Error> {
         let buf = rmp_serde::to_vec(&val).map_err(|err| WitnessMapError(err.into()))?;
-        let mut deflater = DeflateEncoder::new(buf.as_slice(), Compression::best());
+        let mut deflater = flate2::write::DeflateEncoder::new(buf.as_slice(), Compression::best());
         let mut buf_c = Vec::new();
         deflater.read_to_end(&mut buf_c).map_err(|err| WitnessMapError(err.into()))?;
         Ok(buf_c)
     }
 }
 
+#[cfg(not(feature = "serialize-messagepack"))]
+impl TryFrom<WitnessMap> for Vec<u8> {
+    type Error = WitnessMapError;
+
+    fn try_from(val: WitnessMap) -> Result<Self, Self::Error> {
+        let buf = bincode::serialize(&val).unwrap();
+        let mut deflater = GzEncoder::new(buf.as_slice(), Compression::best());
+        let mut buf_c = Vec::new();
+        deflater.read_to_end(&mut buf_c).map_err(|err| WitnessMapError(err.into()))?;
+        Ok(buf_c)
+    }
+}
+
+#[cfg(feature = "serialize-messagepack")]
 impl TryFrom<&[u8]> for WitnessMap {
     type Error = WitnessMapError;
 
     fn try_from(bytes: &[u8]) -> Result<Self, Self::Error> {
-        let mut deflater = DeflateDecoder::new(bytes);
+        let mut deflater = flate2::bufread::DeflateDecoder::new(bytes);
         let mut buf_d = Vec::new();
         deflater.read_to_end(&mut buf_d).map_err(|err| WitnessMapError(err.into()))?;
         let witness_map =
@@ -109,3 +131,16 @@ impl TryFrom<&[u8]> for WitnessMap {
         Ok(Self(witness_map))
     }
 }
+
+#[cfg(not(feature = "serialize-messagepack"))]
+impl TryFrom<&[u8]> for WitnessMap {
+    type Error = WitnessMapError;
+
+    fn try_from(bytes: &[u8]) -> Result<Self, Self::Error> {
+        let mut deflater = GzDecoder::new(bytes);
+        let mut buf_d = Vec::new();
+        deflater.read_to_end(&mut buf_d).map_err(|err| WitnessMapError(err.into()))?;
+        let witness_map = bincode::deserialize(buf_d.as_slice()).unwrap();
+        Ok(Self(witness_map))
+    }
+}