If you program Forth like it's C, and then use a non-optimizing compiler, you're going to have a bad time (e.g. 10/20x slowdowns).
I've written Forth compilers that generated output that was ~25% slower than optimized assembly, without putting that much work into it. There are companies that will sell you a much better compiler [0], at prices even approachable to hobbyists.
I've written Forth compilers that generated output that was ~25% slower than optimized assembly, without putting that much work into it. There are companies that will sell you a much better compiler [0], at prices even approachable to hobbyists.
[0] - https://www.mpeforth.com/software/pc-systems/vfx-forth-for-l...