TL;DR
A recent post argues that Oh My Zsh (OMZ) introduces unnecessary shell startup overhead and recommends a pared-down Zsh configuration. The author reports cutting interactive startup from about 0.38s to 0.07s by removing OMZ, using a minimal config, adopting the Starship prompt, and using fzf for history search.
What happened
A long-time shell user published a critique of Oh My Zsh, saying its collection of shell scripts and plugins increases the time to open interactive shells and terminal tabs. Benchmarks shown in the post indicate an example OMZ setup with several plugins yields roughly 0.38 seconds for zsh -i -c exit, while a simplified configuration combined with the Starship prompt and fzf-based history search reduces that startup time to about 0.07 seconds. The author also calls out occasional automatic update checks and frequent third-party plugin updates as additional sources of delay. As an alternative, the post provides a minimal Zsh configuration to initialize history and completions, recommends disabling cloud-related prompt modules in Starship to reduce visual noise, suggests using Ctrl+R bound to fzf for history search, and offers a tip to enable vi mode for command editing. The writer says they stopped using OMZ a year ago and regained speed within days.
Why it matters
- Shell startup latency is experienced every time a new terminal tab or session opens; it accumulates for heavy terminal workflows.
- Scripting-based frameworks and many plugins require interpreter time on each shell launch, which can add noticeable delay.
- Automatic update checks and frequent third-party plugin updates can introduce extra latency when a shell starts.
- Replacing multi-script frameworks with a single-binary prompt (like Starship) and targeted tooling (fzf) can reduce both runtime and visual clutter.
Key facts
- Example startup time with an OMZ default setup and several plugins: 0.38 seconds measured with /usr/bin/time -f "%e seconds" zsh -i -c exit.
- Startup time reported after switching to a minimal Zsh config plus Starship and fzf: 0.07 seconds with the same timing command.
- Minimal Zsh suggestions include increasing HISTSIZE and SAVEHIST, enabling EXTENDED_HISTORY, turning on autocd, and initializing compinit for completions.
- The author recommends Starship as a single-binary prompt and shows disabling cloud-related modules (AWS, GCP, Azure, package, nodejs) to avoid prompt noise.
- For history search, the post prefers an fzf-based Ctrl+R binding over interactive autosuggestions, arguing it is less distracting.
- The post advises enabling vi mode in Zsh (set -o vi) and a bindkey tweak for backspace behavior in that mode.
- OMZ occasionally checks for updates on shell startup, which the author says can take up to a few seconds in some cases.
- In comments, one user reports a much faster personal measurement (about 0.044s) for zsh -i -c exit on their machine, while another shared zsh-bench results showing hundreds of milliseconds to first prompt lag with certain plugins enabled.
What to watch next
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Quick glossary
- Oh My Zsh (OMZ): A community-driven framework of Zsh configuration, themes and plugins designed to simplify shell customization.
- Shell startup time: The time it takes for an interactive shell to initialize and display a prompt after being launched.
- Starship: A cross-shell prompt implemented as a single binary intended to be fast and minimal; used here as a replacement for multiple prompt plugins.
- fzf: A general-purpose command-line fuzzy finder often used to provide interactive search over lists such as command history.
- compinit: Zsh routine that initializes the shell completion system, enabling tab completion and related features.
Reader FAQ
Does Oh My Zsh necessarily make the shell noticeably slower?
The source argues OMZ can add measurable startup time in some setups and provides a before/after benchmark (0.38s vs 0.07s) from the author’s environment.
Can you keep useful features without OMZ?
According to the post, many features can be replaced with targeted tools (Starship for prompts, fzf for history) and by loading only needed plugins manually.
Will moving away from OMZ break my workflows?
not confirmed in the source
Are the benchmark results universal?
No — the post shows specific measurements from the author’s setup, and comments include readers reporting different timing results on their machines.
You probably don't need Oh My Zsh Last updated on January 09, 2026, in other Oh My Zsh is still getting recommended a lot. The main problem with Oh My…
Sources
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