ng-include might seem like an innocent, helpful directive. After all, it allows us to break down a big template into simpler chunks, which makes code more readable, right?
Personally, I never liked ng-include or used it, but I didn’t care much if I saw code that made use of it. But years ago I found out that in addition to being a kind of code smell, ng-include also has a pretty significant performance hit. Since then I’ve religiously made sure my clients stay clear of it.