diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index bb65197..fe26527 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -49,6 +49,48 @@ func main() {
 }
 ```
 
+### Compress only when response meets minimum byte size
+
+```go
+package main
+
+import (
+	"log"
+	"net/http"
+	"strconv"
+	"strings"
+
+	"github.com/gin-contrib/gzip"
+	"github.com/gin-gonic/gin"
+)
+
+func main() {
+	r := gin.Default()
+	r.Use(gzip.Gzip(gzip.DefaultCompression, gzip.WithMinLength(2048)))
+	r.GET("/ping", func(c *gin.Context) {
+		sizeStr := c.Query("size")
+		size, _ := strconv.Atoi(sizeStr)
+		c.String(http.StatusOK, strings.Repeat("a", size))
+	})
+
+	// Listen and Server in 0.0.0.0:8080
+	if err := r.Run(":8080"); err != nil {
+		log.Fatal(err)
+	}
+}
+```
+Test with curl:
+```bash
+curl -i --compressed 'http://localhost:8080/ping?size=2047'
+curl -i --compressed 'http://localhost:8080/ping?size=2048'
+```
+
+Notes:
+- If a "Content-Length" header is set, that will be used to determine whether to compress based on the given min length.
+- If no "Content-Length" header is set, a buffer is used to temporarily store writes until the min length is met or the request completes.
+  - Setting a high min length will result in more buffering (2048 bytes is a recommended default for most cases)
+  - The handler performs optimizations to avoid unnecessary operations, such as testing if `len(data)` exceeds min length before writing to the buffer, and reusing buffers between requests.
+
 ### Customized Excluded Extensions
 
 ```go
diff --git a/gzip.go b/gzip.go
index 931945a..4a188ae 100644
--- a/gzip.go
+++ b/gzip.go
@@ -2,10 +2,12 @@ package gzip
 
 import (
 	"bufio"
+	"bytes"
 	"compress/gzip"
 	"errors"
 	"net"
 	"net/http"
+	"strconv"
 
 	"github.com/gin-gonic/gin"
 )
@@ -25,15 +27,46 @@ func Gzip(level int, options ...Option) gin.HandlerFunc {
 type gzipWriter struct {
 	gin.ResponseWriter
 	writer *gzip.Writer
+	// minLength is the minimum length of the response body (in bytes) to enable compression
+	minLength int
+	// shouldCompress indicates whether the minimum length for compression has been met
+	shouldCompress bool
+	// buffer to store response data in case compression limit not met
+	buffer bytes.Buffer
 }
 
 func (g *gzipWriter) WriteString(s string) (int, error) {
-	g.Header().Del("Content-Length")
-	return g.writer.Write([]byte(s))
+	return g.Write([]byte(s))
 }
 
+// Write writes the given data to the appropriate underlying writer.
+// Note that this method can be called multiple times within a single request.
 func (g *gzipWriter) Write(data []byte) (int, error) {
-	g.Header().Del("Content-Length")
+	// If a Content-Length header is set, use that to decide whether to compress the response.
+	if g.Header().Get("Content-Length") != "" {
+		contentLen, _ := strconv.Atoi(g.Header().Get("Content-Length")) // err intentionally ignored for invalid headers
+		if contentLen < g.minLength {
+			return g.ResponseWriter.Write(data)
+		}
+		g.shouldCompress = true
+		g.Header().Del("Content-Length")
+	}
+
+	// Check if the response body is large enough to be compressed. If so, skip this condition and proceed with the
+	// normal write process. If not, store the data in the buffer in case more data is written later.
+	// (At the end, if the response body is still too small, the caller should check wasMinLengthMetForCompression and
+	// use the data stored in the buffer to write the response instead.)
+	if !g.shouldCompress && len(data) >= g.minLength {
+		g.shouldCompress = true
+	} else if !g.shouldCompress {
+		lenWritten, err := g.buffer.Write(data)
+		if err != nil || g.buffer.Len() < g.minLength {
+			return lenWritten, err
+		}
+		g.shouldCompress = true
+		data = g.buffer.Bytes()
+	}
+
 	return g.writer.Write(data)
 }
 
@@ -42,12 +75,6 @@ func (g *gzipWriter) Flush() {
 	g.ResponseWriter.Flush()
 }
 
-// Fix: https://github.com/mholt/caddy/issues/38
-func (g *gzipWriter) WriteHeader(code int) {
-	g.Header().Del("Content-Length")
-	g.ResponseWriter.WriteHeader(code)
-}
-
 // Ensure gzipWriter implements the http.Hijacker interface.
 // This will cause a compile-time error if gzipWriter does not implement all methods of the http.Hijacker interface.
 var _ http.Hijacker = (*gzipWriter)(nil)
diff --git a/gzip_test.go b/gzip_test.go
index be64040..f3af03c 100644
--- a/gzip_test.go
+++ b/gzip_test.go
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ import (
 	"net/http/httputil"
 	"net/url"
 	"strconv"
+	"strings"
 	"testing"
 
 	"github.com/gin-gonic/gin"
@@ -136,6 +137,17 @@ func TestGzipPNG(t *testing.T) {
 	assert.Equal(t, w.Body.String(), "this is a PNG!")
 }
 
+func TestWriteString(t *testing.T) {
+	testC, _ := gin.CreateTestContext(httptest.NewRecorder())
+	gz := gzipWriter{
+		ResponseWriter: testC.Writer,
+		writer:         gzip.NewWriter(testC.Writer),
+	}
+	n, err := gz.WriteString("test")
+	assert.NoError(t, err)
+	assert.Equal(t, 4, n)
+}
+
 func TestExcludedPathsAndExtensions(t *testing.T) {
 	tests := []struct {
 		path                    string
@@ -377,6 +389,138 @@ func TestCustomShouldCompressFn(t *testing.T) {
 	assert.Equal(t, testResponse, w.Body.String())
 }
 
+func TestMinLengthShortResponse(t *testing.T) {
+	req, _ := http.NewRequestWithContext(context.Background(), "GET", "/", nil)
+	req.Header.Add(headerAcceptEncoding, "gzip")
+
+	router := gin.New()
+	router.Use(Gzip(DefaultCompression, WithMinLength(2048)))
+	router.GET("/", func(c *gin.Context) {
+		c.String(200, testResponse)
+	})
+
+	w := httptest.NewRecorder()
+	router.ServeHTTP(w, req)
+
+	assert.Equal(t, 200, w.Code)
+	assert.Equal(t, "", w.Header().Get(headerContentEncoding))
+	assert.Equal(t, "19", w.Header().Get("Content-Length"))
+	assert.Equal(t, testResponse, w.Body.String())
+}
+
+func TestMinLengthLongResponse(t *testing.T) {
+	req, _ := http.NewRequestWithContext(context.Background(), "GET", "/", nil)
+	req.Header.Add(headerAcceptEncoding, "gzip")
+
+	router := gin.New()
+	router.Use(Gzip(DefaultCompression, WithMinLength(2048)))
+	router.GET("/", func(c *gin.Context) {
+		c.String(200, strings.Repeat("a", 2048))
+	})
+
+	w := httptest.NewRecorder()
+	router.ServeHTTP(w, req)
+
+	assert.Equal(t, 200, w.Code)
+	assert.Equal(t, "gzip", w.Header().Get(headerContentEncoding))
+	assert.NotEqual(t, "2048", w.Header().Get("Content-Length"))
+	assert.Less(t, w.Body.Len(), 2048)
+}
+
+func TestMinLengthMultiWriteResponse(t *testing.T) {
+	req, _ := http.NewRequestWithContext(context.Background(), "GET", "/", nil)
+	req.Header.Add(headerAcceptEncoding, "gzip")
+
+	router := gin.New()
+	router.Use(Gzip(DefaultCompression, WithMinLength(2048)))
+	router.GET("/", func(c *gin.Context) {
+		c.String(200, strings.Repeat("a", 1024))
+		c.String(200, strings.Repeat("b", 1024))
+	})
+
+	w := httptest.NewRecorder()
+	router.ServeHTTP(w, req)
+
+	assert.Equal(t, 200, w.Code)
+	assert.Equal(t, "gzip", w.Header().Get(headerContentEncoding))
+	assert.NotEqual(t, "2048", w.Header().Get("Content-Length"))
+	assert.Less(t, w.Body.Len(), 2048)
+}
+
+// Note this test intentionally triggers gzipping even when the actual response doesn't meet min length. This is because
+// we use the Content-Length header as the primary determinant of compression to avoid the cost of buffering.
+func TestMinLengthUsesContentLengthHeaderInsteadOfBuffering(t *testing.T) {
+	req, _ := http.NewRequestWithContext(context.Background(), "GET", "/", nil)
+	req.Header.Add(headerAcceptEncoding, "gzip")
+
+	router := gin.New()
+	router.Use(Gzip(DefaultCompression, WithMinLength(2048)))
+	router.GET("/", func(c *gin.Context) {
+		c.Header("Content-Length", "2048")
+		c.String(200, testResponse)
+	})
+
+	w := httptest.NewRecorder()
+	router.ServeHTTP(w, req)
+
+	assert.Equal(t, 200, w.Code)
+	assert.Equal(t, "gzip", w.Header().Get(headerContentEncoding))
+	assert.NotEmpty(t, w.Header().Get("Content-Length"))
+	assert.NotEqual(t, "19", w.Header().Get("Content-Length"))
+}
+
+// Note this test intentionally does not trigger gzipping even when the actual response meets min length. This is
+// because we use the Content-Length header as the primary determinant of compression to avoid the cost of buffering.
+func TestMinLengthMultiWriteResponseUsesContentLengthHeaderInsteadOfBuffering(t *testing.T) {
+	req, _ := http.NewRequestWithContext(context.Background(), "GET", "/", nil)
+	req.Header.Add(headerAcceptEncoding, "gzip")
+
+	router := gin.New()
+	router.Use(Gzip(DefaultCompression, WithMinLength(1024)))
+	router.GET("/", func(c *gin.Context) {
+		c.Header("Content-Length", "999")
+		c.String(200, strings.Repeat("a", 1024))
+		c.String(200, strings.Repeat("b", 1024))
+	})
+
+	w := httptest.NewRecorder()
+	router.ServeHTTP(w, req)
+
+	assert.Equal(t, 200, w.Code)
+	assert.NotEqual(t, "gzip", w.Header().Get(headerContentEncoding)) // no gzip due to Content-Length header
+	assert.Equal(t, "2048", w.Header().Get("Content-Length"))
+}
+
+func TestMinLengthWithInvalidContentLengthHeader(t *testing.T) {
+	req, _ := http.NewRequestWithContext(context.Background(), "GET", "/", nil)
+	req.Header.Add(headerAcceptEncoding, "gzip")
+
+	router := gin.New()
+	router.Use(Gzip(DefaultCompression, WithMinLength(2048)))
+	router.GET("/", func(c *gin.Context) {
+		c.Header("Content-Length", "xyz")
+		c.String(200, testResponse)
+	})
+
+	w := httptest.NewRecorder()
+	router.ServeHTTP(w, req)
+
+	assert.Equal(t, 200, w.Code)
+	assert.Equal(t, "", w.Header().Get(headerContentEncoding))
+	assert.Equal(t, "19", w.Header().Get("Content-Length"))
+}
+
+func TestFlush(t *testing.T) {
+	testC, _ := gin.CreateTestContext(httptest.NewRecorder())
+	gz := gzipWriter{
+		ResponseWriter: testC.Writer,
+		writer:         gzip.NewWriter(testC.Writer),
+	}
+	_, _ = gz.WriteString("test")
+	gz.Flush()
+	assert.True(t, gz.Written())
+}
+
 type hijackableResponse struct {
 	Hijacked bool
 	header   http.Header
diff --git a/handler.go b/handler.go
index 412c838..e926c03 100644
--- a/handler.go
+++ b/handler.go
@@ -84,13 +84,27 @@ func (g *gzipHandler) Handle(c *gin.Context) {
 	if originalEtag != "" && !strings.HasPrefix(originalEtag, "W/") {
 		c.Header("ETag", "W/"+originalEtag)
 	}
-	c.Writer = &gzipWriter{c.Writer, gz}
+	gzWriter := gzipWriter{
+		ResponseWriter: c.Writer,
+		writer:         gz,
+		minLength:      g.minLength,
+	}
+	c.Writer = &gzWriter
 	defer func() {
+		// if compression limit not met after all write commands were executed, then the response data is stored in the
+		// internal buffer which should now be written to the response writer directly
+		if !gzWriter.shouldCompress {
+			c.Writer.Header().Del(headerContentEncoding)
+			c.Writer.Header().Del(headerVary)
+			_, _ = gzWriter.ResponseWriter.Write(gzWriter.buffer.Bytes())
+			gzWriter.writer.Reset(io.Discard)
+		}
+
 		if c.Writer.Size() < 0 {
 			// do not write gzip footer when nothing is written to the response body
-			gz.Reset(io.Discard)
+			gzWriter.writer.Reset(io.Discard)
 		}
-		_ = gz.Close()
+		_ = gzWriter.writer.Close()
 		if c.Writer.Size() > -1 {
 			c.Header("Content-Length", strconv.Itoa(c.Writer.Size()))
 		}
diff --git a/options.go b/options.go
index 67607f5..97a9e32 100644
--- a/options.go
+++ b/options.go
@@ -47,6 +47,7 @@ type config struct {
 	decompressFn           func(c *gin.Context)
 	decompressOnly         bool
 	customShouldCompressFn func(c *gin.Context) bool
+	minLength              int
 }
 
 // WithExcludedExtensions returns an Option that sets the ExcludedExtensions field of the Options struct.
@@ -117,6 +118,29 @@ func WithCustomShouldCompressFn(fn func(c *gin.Context) bool) Option {
 	})
 }
 
+// WithMinLength returns an Option that sets the minLength field of the Options struct.
+// Parameters:
+//   - minLength: int - The minimum length of the response body (in bytes) to trigger gzip compression.
+//     If the response body is smaller than this length, it will not be compressed.
+//     This option is useful for avoiding the overhead of compression on small responses, especially since gzip
+//     compression actually increases the size of small responses. 2048 is a recommended value for most cases.
+//     The minLength value must be non-negative; negative values will cause undefined behavior.
+//
+// Note that specifying this option does not override other options. If a path has been excluded (eg through
+// WithExcludedPaths), it will continue to be excluded.
+//
+// Returns:
+//   - Option - An option that sets the MinLength field of the Options struct.
+//
+// Example:
+//
+//	router.Use(gzip.Gzip(gzip.DefaultCompression, gzip.WithMinLength(2048)))
+func WithMinLength(minLength int) Option {
+	return optionFunc(func(o *config) {
+		o.minLength = minLength
+	})
+}
+
 // Using map for better lookup performance
 type ExcludedExtensions map[string]struct{}