head to head · open source
imgui vs Babylon.js
imgui has 76,257 GitHub stars, 12,045 forks, 1,227 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Babylon.js has 26,085 stars, 3,686 forks, 22 open issues and last shipped yesterday. imgui leads on adoption by 192% (76,257 vs 26,085 stars). imgui is written in C++ under MIT; Babylon.js is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0. imgui has attracted 16% as many forks as stars, Babylon.js 14%. Babylon.js was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 2 topic tags (game-development, game-engine), 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 | Babylon.js | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 76K | ★ 26K |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | C++ | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-18 | 2026-09-18 |
| Forks | ⑂ 12K | ⑂ 3.7K |
| 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 Babylon.js if
- You want the Babylon.js feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and Babylon.js 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 Babylon.js
Babylon.js is an open source, Apache 2.0 licensed 3D game and rendering engine written in TypeScript, built for JavaScript and TypeScript developers who want to create browser based 3D games, visualizations and WebXR experiences inside a friendly JavaScript framework.
read the full Babylon.js overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is imgui or Babylon.js more popular?
imgui has 76,257 GitHub stars and Babylon.js has 26,085. imgui has the larger community by that measure.
Are imgui and Babylon.js free?
Both are open source. imgui is licensed under MIT and Babylon.js under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between imgui and Babylon.js?
imgui is written in C++ and Babylon.js in TypeScript. 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 Babylon.js?
Choose imgui if you want the larger community (76,257 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose Babylon.js if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.