head to head · open source
imgui vs colyseus
imgui has 76,934 GitHub stars, 12,107 forks, 1,227 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. colyseus has 7,506 stars, 683 forks, 19 open issues and last shipped 3 days ago. imgui leads on adoption by 925% (76,934 vs 7,506 stars). imgui is written in C++ under MIT; colyseus is written in TypeScript under MIT. imgui has attracted 16% as many forks as stars, colyseus 9%. imgui was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee.
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 | colyseus | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 77K | ★ 7.5K |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Written in | C++ | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-01 |
| Forks | ⑂ 12K | ⑂ 683 |
| 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 colyseus if
- You want the colyseus feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and colyseus 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 colyseus
Multiplayer Framework for Node.js. View documentation Colyseus is an Authoritative Multiplayer Framework for Node.js, with SDKs available for all major platforms and engines. Client SDKs The project focuses on providing synchronizable data structures for realtime and turn based games, matchmaking, and ease of usage both on the server side and client side. The mission of the framework is to be a standard netcode & matchmaking solution for any kind of project you can think of! Why developers choose Colyseus: ⚡️ Real time state sync that just works → Define your state on the server and it automatically synchronizes…
read the full colyseus overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is imgui or colyseus more popular?
imgui has 76,934 GitHub stars and colyseus has 7,506. imgui has the larger community by that measure.
Are imgui and colyseus free?
Both are open source. imgui is licensed under MIT and colyseus under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between imgui and colyseus?
imgui is written in C++ and colyseus 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 colyseus?
Choose imgui if you want the larger community (76,934 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose colyseus if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.