Yes, there are performance implications for long-running snapshots. There are even greater implications for consolidating delta VMDKs back to the original disk file. This can cause unresponsiveness in your VM's operating system or other undesirable behavior.
VMware has templating and cloning functionality built into vCenter. You need a $600 vSphere Essentials license to enable this.
You can create a VM to your taste, then clone it to a template. That template can then be used to generate new virtual machines from a "Golden Master" image.
This allows you to have a "clean state" but also create long-running or permanent VMs from that master image. No snapshots needed.