diff --git a/autoload/startify.vim b/autoload/startify.vim
index 4f36cff..bc1b0ee 100644
--- a/autoload/startify.vim
+++ b/autoload/startify.vim
@@ -381,7 +381,8 @@ endfunction
 
 " Function: s:display_by_path {{{1
 function! s:display_by_path(path_prefix, path_format) abort
-  let oldfiles = s:filter_oldfiles(a:path_prefix, a:path_format)
+  let oldfiles = call(get(g:, 'startify_enable_unsafe') ? 's:filter_oldfiles_unsafe' : 's:filter_oldfiles',
+        \ [a:path_prefix, a:path_format])
 
   if !empty(oldfiles)
     if exists('s:last_message')
@@ -418,10 +419,36 @@ function! s:filter_oldfiles(path_prefix, path_format) abort
           \ || !filereadable(absolute_path)
           \ || s:is_in_skiplist(absolute_path)
           \ || (exists('g:startify_bookmarks') && s:is_bookmark(absolute_path))
+          \ || match(absolute_path, path_prefix)
       continue
     endif
 
-    if match(absolute_path, path_prefix)
+    let entry_path              = fnamemodify(absolute_path, a:path_format)
+    let entries[absolute_path]  = 1
+    let counter                -= 1
+    let oldfiles               += [[absolute_path, entry_path]]
+  endfor
+
+  return oldfiles
+endfun
+
+" Function: s:filter_oldfiles_unsafe {{{1
+function! s:filter_oldfiles_unsafe(path_prefix, path_format) abort
+  let path_prefix = '\V'. escape(a:path_prefix, '\')
+  let counter     = s:numfiles
+  let entries     = {}
+  let oldfiles    = []
+
+  for fname in v:oldfiles
+    if counter <= 0
+      break
+    endif
+
+    let absolute_path = glob(fnameescape(fnamemodify(fname, ":p")))
+    if empty(absolute_path)
+          \ || has_key(entries, absolute_path)
+          \ || s:is_in_skiplist(absolute_path)
+          \ || match(absolute_path, path_prefix)
       continue
     endif
 
diff --git a/doc/startify.txt b/doc/startify.txt
index 1547513..b954e0c 100644
--- a/doc/startify.txt
+++ b/doc/startify.txt
@@ -95,6 +95,7 @@ default values.
     |g:startify_custom_indices|
     |g:startify_disable_at_vimenter|
     |g:startify_enable_special|
+    |g:startify_enable_unsafe|
     |g:startify_files_number|
     |g:startify_list_order|
     |g:startify_relative_path|
@@ -278,6 +279,27 @@ Example:
     let g:startify_enable_special = 1
 <
 Show <empty buffer> and <quit>.
+------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+                                                      *g:startify_enable_unsafe*
+>
+    let g:startify_enable_unsafe = 0
+<
+Enable the option only in case you think Vim starts too slowly (because of
+:Startify) or if you often edit files on remote filesystems.
+
+It's called unsafe because it improves the time :Startify needs to execute by
+reducing the amount of syscalls to the underlying operating system, but
+sacrifices the precision of shown entries.
+
+This could lead to inconsistences in the shown :Startify entries (e.g. the
+same file could be shown twice, because one time file was opened via absolute
+path and another time via symlink).
+
+Currently this option does this:
+
+    - don't resolves symlinks (readlink(2))
+    - don't check every file if it's readable (stat(2))
+    - don't filter through the bookmark list
 
 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                    *g:startify_session_savevars*