head to head · open source
imgui vs boardgame.io
imgui has 77,069 GitHub stars, 12,102 forks, 1,227 open issues and last shipped yesterday. boardgame.io has 12,486 stars, 833 forks, 67 open issues and last shipped 13 days ago. imgui leads on adoption by 517% (77,069 vs 12,486 stars). imgui is written in C++ under MIT; boardgame.io is written in TypeScript under MIT. imgui has attracted 16% as many forks as stars, boardgame.io 7%. imgui was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (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 | boardgame.io | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 77K | ★ 12K |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Written in | C++ | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-11 | 2026-10-30 |
| Forks | ⑂ 12K | ⑂ 833 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick imgui if
- You weight community size — 77K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches C++
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick boardgame.io if
- You want the boardgame.io feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and boardgame.io fits your workflow better
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 →
About boardgame.io
Read the Documentation boardgame.io is an engine for creating turn based games using JavaScript. Write simple functions that describe how the game state changes when a particular move is made. This is automatically converted into a playable game complete with online multiplayer features, all without requiring you to write a single line of networking or storage code. Features State Management : Game state is managed seamlessly across clients, server and storage automatically. Multiplayer : Game state is kept in sync in realtime and across platforms. AI : Automatically generated bots that can play your game. Game…
read the full boardgame.io overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is imgui or boardgame.io more popular?
imgui has 77,069 GitHub stars and boardgame.io has 12,486. imgui has the larger community by that measure.
Are imgui and boardgame.io free?
Both are open source. imgui is licensed under MIT and boardgame.io under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between imgui and boardgame.io?
imgui is written in C++ and boardgame.io 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 boardgame.io?
Choose imgui if you want the larger community (77,069 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose boardgame.io if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.