Pure vs Skeleton
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
A minimal, fast zsh prompt that shows git status and command timing.
Open source · MIT
A small, plain CSS starting point for responsive, mobile-friendly web pages.
The short answer
Choose Pure if you need…
- Developers who use zsh and want a simple, readable prompt
- People who work with git branches and want to see status at a glance
- Users who want a prompt they can extend with their own segments
- Anyone who prefers a minimal look over a heavily decorated prompt
Choose Skeleton if you need…
- Developers who want a simple responsive grid without a build tool
- Prototypes and small landing pages
- People who prefer writing plain CSS and HTML
- Projects that need a light starting stylesheet to customize
Side-by-side
| Pure | Skeleton | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Dev tool | Library |
| Price | Free and open source | Free and open source |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| GitHub stars | 14.5k | 19.3k |
| Setup difficulty | Beginner | Beginner |
| How you get it | Install with a package manager | Download the app |
| Main language | Shell | CSS |
| Last code update | 30 days ago | 3 years ago |
What each one is
Pure
Pure is a prompt for the zsh shell, the command line used on many Macs and Linux systems. It shows your current folder, your git branch with a marker when there are uncommitted changes, and arrows when local commits are not yet pushed or pulled. It is designed to look clean and stay out of your way.
Skeleton
Skeleton is a small CSS boilerplate that gives you a responsive grid and basic styling for raw HTML elements, so pages look reasonable on phones and desktops. The download includes its CSS, Normalize CSS as a reset, a favicon, and a starter index.html. It is described as a starting point rather than a full UI framework, and needs no build step.
Best for
Pure
- Developers who use zsh and want a simple, readable prompt
- People who work with git branches and want to see status at a glance
- Users who want a prompt they can extend with their own segments
- Anyone who prefers a minimal look over a heavily decorated prompt
Skeleton
- Developers who want a simple responsive grid without a build tool
- Prototypes and small landing pages
- People who prefer writing plain CSS and HTML
- Projects that need a light starting stylesheet to customize
Strengths
Pure
- Installs and enables with a few lines and has a documented npm and Homebrew route
- Git status checks run asynchronously and many options are configurable via environment variables and zstyle
- The README offers a documented hook (prompt_pure_precustom) for adding custom content
Skeleton
- Small, about 400 lines of commented CSS according to the README
- No compiling or installing; plain vanilla CSS
- Available under the MIT license
Not ideal for
Pure
- People who do not use zsh (the README describes a zsh-only prompt), since it will not work in bash or fish
- Users who want many built-in segments by default, because several extras such as Node.js version display are off unless enabled
- Users on very old zsh versions, since the README recommends zsh 5.2+ and says older versions are not recommended
Skeleton
- Teams that need a large set of prebuilt components, since the README says it is not a UI framework
- Projects that rely on the latest CSS features, since it targets broad browser support rather than modern-only browsers
- Anyone needing long-term stability from the main branch, since the README says the repo is under active development and recommends the zip for stable use
Trade-offs
Pure
- Configuration is done through zstyle and environment variables, which takes some reading of the README to learn
- Some useful features such as detailed dirty indicators and stash display are opt-in rather than on by default
- The README does not describe compatibility beyond the listed minimum versions of Git and zsh
Skeleton
- Styles only raw HTML elements plus a grid, so you will write most components yourself
- Main branch is under active development; the zip release is the stable option per the README
- Last push in the metadata is from November 2023, and the README does not describe recent updates
Getting started
Pure
Install with npm
npm install --global pure-promptInstall with Homebrew
brew install pureSkeleton
Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/dhg/Skeleton.gitFrequently asked questions
What is the difference between Pure and Skeleton?
Pure: A minimal, fast zsh prompt that shows git status and command timing. Skeleton: A small, plain CSS starting point for responsive, mobile-friendly web pages. Pure suits developers who use zsh and want a simple, readable prompt, while Skeleton suits developers who want a simple responsive grid without a build tool.
Are Pure and Skeleton free?
Pure: Free and open source. Skeleton: Free and open source.
Is Pure or Skeleton more popular?
Skeleton has more GitHub stars (19.3k) than Pure (14.5k). Popularity isn't the same as fit — check which one matches your use case above.
What are other alternatives to Pure and Skeleton?
Other options people compare them with include Powerlevel10k, Oh My Zsh, Spaceship Prompt, Oh My Posh, Milligram.
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.