chezmoi vs Oh my tmux!
Which should you use? A side-by-side look at what each one does, who it suits, what it costs, how hard it is to set up, and where each falls short.
Open source · MIT
Manages your config dotfiles across multiple machines, with secrets kept safe.
Open source · MIT
A ready-made, pretty tmux configuration file you drop in and customize.
The short answer
Choose chezmoi if you need…
- People who use more than one computer and want their settings to match
- Developers who keep shell, editor, and git configs under version control
- Users on macOS, Linux, or Windows, which the project topics list as supported platforms
Choose Oh my tmux! if you need…
- Developers who already use tmux and want a better-looking, feature-rich starting config
- People new to tmux who want a sensible default setup without writing their own
- Users who work over SSH or Mosh and want hostname and username shown in the status line
- Vim users who want vi-style key bindings in tmux
Side-by-side
| chezmoi | Oh my tmux! | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Dev tool | Dev tool |
| Price | Free and open source | Free and open source |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| GitHub stars | 22.1k | 25.5k |
| Setup difficulty | Intermediate | Beginner |
| How you get it | Install with a package manager | Clone and build from source |
| Main language | Go | Shell |
| Last code update | 4 days ago | 16 days ago |
What each one is
chezmoi
chezmoi is a tool for keeping your personal configuration files (dotfiles, such as shell and editor settings) in sync across several computers. You store the desired versions in a source directory, and chezmoi applies them to each machine, adapting where they differ. The README describes it as a way to manage dotfiles securely, but it says little beyond the tagline and points to the documentation site for details.
Oh my tmux!
Oh my tmux! is a configuration for tmux, a terminal tool that lets you split one terminal window into multiple panes and keep sessions running in the background. It gives tmux a polished look with a Powerline-inspired status bar, and adds conveniences such as a secondary C-a prefix, mouse mode toggling, and maximizing a pane to its own window. Customizations go in a separate .local file so the main config can be left alone.
Best for
chezmoi
- People who use more than one computer and want their settings to match
- Developers who keep shell, editor, and git configs under version control
- Users on macOS, Linux, or Windows, which the project topics list as supported platforms
Oh my tmux!
- Developers who already use tmux and want a better-looking, feature-rich starting config
- People new to tmux who want a sensible default setup without writing their own
- Users who work over SSH or Mosh and want hostname and username shown in the status line
- Vim users who want vi-style key bindings in tmux
Strengths
chezmoi
- Written in Go, a language that typically produces a single distributable binary
- MIT licensed, so it is free to use and modify
- Active project with a large community, reflected in its star count and recent releases
Oh my tmux!
- Installs as plain tmux config files with a documented manual and automatic option
- Customizations are kept in a separate .local file, making updates easier to manage
- Large community following with 25k+ stars and an MIT license
Not ideal for
chezmoi
- People who only use a single machine and have few config files, since the setup overhead may not pay off
- Users who want a point-and-click settings app; chezmoi is a command-line tool
- Anyone needing details on the secrets handling; the README does not describe how it works
Oh my tmux!
- People who do not use tmux or the terminal, since it only configures tmux
- Windows users without WSL or Cygwin, because native Windows is not supported by the README
- Users who want a minimal config with no visual theme, since the default look is a large part of the project
Trade-offs
chezmoi
- The README is minimal, so most usage detail lives on the external documentation site
- Managing config across machines still requires learning its source-directory model
- Claims about security depend on how you use it and are not explained in the README
Oh my tmux!
- Requires tmux 2.6 or newer plus awk, perl, grep, and sed on the system
- The README warns that editing the main config file leaves you on your own, so customization must follow its structure
- Some Unicode and emoji characters can display incorrectly depending on terminal and font setup
Getting started
Oh my tmux!
Automatic installation
curl -fsSL "https://github.com/gpakosz/.tmux/raw/refs/heads/master/install.sh#$(date +%s)" | bashManual installation in ~
cd && git clone --single-branch https://github.com/gpakosz/.tmux.git && ln -s -f .tmux/.tmux.conf && cp .tmux/.tmux.conf.local .Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between chezmoi and Oh my tmux!?
chezmoi: Manages your config dotfiles across multiple machines, with secrets kept safe. Oh my tmux!: A ready-made, pretty tmux configuration file you drop in and customize. chezmoi suits people who use more than one computer and want their settings to match, while Oh my tmux! suits developers who already use tmux and want a better-looking, feature-rich starting config.
Are chezmoi and Oh my tmux! free?
chezmoi: Free and open source. Oh my tmux!: Free and open source.
Which is easier to set up, chezmoi or Oh my tmux!?
Oh my tmux! is easier to get started with (rated beginner); chezmoi is rated intermediate and usually needs more setup.
Is chezmoi or Oh my tmux! more popular?
Oh my tmux! has more GitHub stars (25.5k) than chezmoi (22.1k). Popularity isn't the same as fit — check which one matches your use case above.
What are other alternatives to chezmoi and Oh my tmux!?
Other options people compare them with include dotfiles, Home Manager, tmuxinator, fzf, ccstatusline.
Keep comparing
Built from our catalogue entries for both products: open-source details come from each project's README (AI-assisted, refreshed weekly) and GitHub data; AI-tool details are editorial. Spotted something wrong? Let us know from either product's page.