head to head · open source
imgui vs GDevelop
imgui has 76,271 GitHub stars, 12,047 forks, 1,227 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. GDevelop has 26,665 stars, 1,557 forks, 633 open issues and last shipped yesterday. imgui leads on adoption by 186% (76,271 vs 26,665 stars). imgui is written in C++ under MIT; GDevelop is written in JavaScript under a custom or non-standard licence. imgui has attracted 16% as many forks as stars, GDevelop 6%. GDevelop was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 3 topic tags (game-development, game-engine, gamedev), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| imgui | GDevelop | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 76K | ★ 27K |
| License | MIT | Custom / other |
| Written in | C++ | JavaScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-18 | 2026-09-19 |
| Forks | ⑂ 12K | ⑂ 1.6K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick imgui if
- You weight community size — 76K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches C++
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick GDevelop if
- You want the GDevelop feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Custom / other license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You evaluated both and GDevelop fits your workflow better
About imgui
Dear ImGui is a bloat free, MIT licensed graphical user interface library for C++ that outputs optimized vertex buffers for rendering inside 3D pipeline enabled applications, and it is aimed at programmers building content creation, visualization, and debug tools rather than at developers shipping consumer facing UI.
read the full imgui overview →
About GDevelop
GDevelop is an open source, cross platform game engine and editor for creating 2D, 3D, and multiplayer games without writing code. It runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux, and targets mobile (iOS, Android), desktop, and web platforms. Built with JavaScript, React, Electron, PixiJS, and Three.js, it combines a visual event based system with AI assisted development to lower the barrier to entry for game creation.
read the full GDevelop overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is imgui or GDevelop more popular?
imgui has 76,271 GitHub stars and GDevelop has 26,665. imgui has the larger community by that measure.
Are imgui and GDevelop free?
Both are open source. imgui is licensed under MIT, and GDevelop has no licence declared in this registry. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between imgui and GDevelop?
imgui is written in C++ and GDevelop in JavaScript. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, imgui or GDevelop?
Choose imgui if you want the larger community (76,271 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose GDevelop if its feature set, stack or Custom / other licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.