Oh My Zsh

Community-driven framework of themes and plugins for configuring Zsh.

Verified facts: 4 of 4
Alternatives ranked: 3
Approved reviews: 0
Visits sent from here: 0

About Oh My Zsh

Oh My Zsh is an open-source framework for managing Zsh configuration, and the most popular way people set up zsh. A one-line installer replaces your .zshrc with a structured setup, and you then pick from hundreds of bundled plugins, for git, docker, kubectl, Homebrew, Node, Python and many other tools, which add aliases, completions and helper functions, plus a large collection of prompt themes. It also handles automatic updates. Thousands of contributors maintain it on GitHub, and it is free under the MIT licence. It is a convenient starting point for people new to shell customisation. The common criticism is speed: loading many plugins can make new terminal tabs noticeably slow, so experienced users often move to lighter plugin managers or prompts like Starship. It only works with zsh, so it is not useful for fish, bash or other shells.

Best for: Zsh users who want plugins and themes without writing configuration from scratch.

What works

Hundreds of plugins and themes in one install
Easy one-line setup
Large, active community

Why people leave

Many plugins can slow shell startup
Zsh only
Bundles far more than most people use

Top Oh My Zsh alternatives

See all 3

1
Starship
Fast standalone prompt that keeps startup quick and works in any shell.
66.5
2
fish
Gives autosuggestions and highlighting without any framework.
62.6
3
Zsh
Configure zsh directly or with a lighter plugin manager for speed.
59.6

Why people left Oh My Zsh

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Oh My Zsh: common questions

Is Oh My Zsh free?

Yes. Oh My Zsh is free, open-source software.

Is Oh My Zsh open source?

Yes. The source code is on GitHub at ohmyzsh/ohmyzsh.

What platforms does Oh My Zsh run on?

Oh My Zsh is available for Linux and macOS.

What are the best alternatives to Oh My Zsh?

The highest-ranked Oh My Zsh alternatives right now are Starship, fish and Zsh. See the full ranked list for pricing, platforms and verified facts.

See all 3 Oh My Zsh alternatives

Oh My Zsh facts

4 of 4 verified

License: MIT; Checked Oct 25, 2026github.com(opens source in a new tab); “License: MIT (MIT License).”
Plugins: 300+ optional plugins; Checked Oct 25, 2026github.com(opens source in a new tab); “Includes 300+ optional plugins”
Contributors: 2,500+; Checked Oct 25, 2026github.com(opens source in a new tab); “Description: 🙃 A delightful community-driven (with 2,500+ contributors) framework for managing your zsh configuration.”
Description: Framework for managing Zsh configuration; Checked Oct 25, 2026ohmyz.sh(opens source in a new tab); “Oh My Zsh is a delightful, open source, community-driven framework for managing your Zsh configuration.”