head to head · open source
Godot vs imgui
Godot has 119,519 GitHub stars, 27,347 forks, 18,870 open issues and last shipped yesterday. imgui has 76,951 stars, 12,101 forks, 1,227 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Godot leads on adoption by 55% (119,519 vs 76,951 stars). Godot is written in C++ under MIT; imgui is written in C++ under MIT. Godot has attracted 23% as many forks as stars, imgui 16%. imgui was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 4 topic tags (game-development, game-engine, gamedev, multi-platform), 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
| Godot | imgui | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 120K | ★ 77K |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Written in | C++ | C++ |
| Last push | 2026-11-03 | 2026-11-03 |
| Forks | ⑂ 27K | ⑂ 12K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Godot if
- You weight community size — 120K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches C++
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick imgui if
- You want the imgui feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches C++
- You evaluated both and imgui fits your workflow better
About Godot
Godot Engine 2D and 3D cross platform game engine Godot Engine is a feature packed, cross platform game engine to create 2D and 3D games from a unified interface. It provides a comprehensive set of common tools, so that users can focus on making games without having to reinvent the wheel. Games can be exported with one click to a number of platforms, including the major desktop platforms (Linux, macOS, Windows), mobile platforms (Android, iOS), as well as Web based platforms and consoles. Free, open source and community driven Godot is completely free and open source under the very permissive MIT license. No…
read the full Godot overview →
About imgui
Dear ImGui ===== "Give someone state and they'll have a bug one day, but teach them how to represent state in two separate locations that have to be kept in sync and they'll have bugs for a lifetime." ryg (This library is available under a free and permissive license, but needs financial support to sustain its continued improvements. In addition to maintenance and stability there are many desirable features yet to be added. If your company is using Dear ImGui, please consider reaching out.) Businesses: support continued development and maintenance via invoiced sponsoring/support contracts: E mail: contact @…
read the full imgui overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Godot or imgui more popular?
Godot has 119,519 GitHub stars and imgui has 76,951. Godot has the larger community by that measure.
Are Godot and imgui free?
Both are open source. Godot is licensed under MIT and imgui under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Godot and imgui?
Godot is written in C++ and imgui in C++. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, Godot or imgui?
Choose Godot if you want the larger community (119,519 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose imgui if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.