head to head · open source
imgui vs kaplay
imgui has 77,089 GitHub stars, 12,106 forks, 1,227 open issues and last shipped yesterday. kaplay has 1,828 stars, 132 forks, 76 open issues and last shipped yesterday. imgui leads on adoption by 4,117% (77,089 vs 1,828 stars). imgui is written in C++ under MIT; kaplay is written in TypeScript under MIT. imgui has attracted 16% as many forks as stars, kaplay 7%. imgui 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 | kaplay | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 77K | ★ 1.8K |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Written in | C++ | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-13 | 2026-11-13 |
| Forks | ⑂ 12K | ⑂ 132 |
| 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 kaplay if
- You want the kaplay feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and kaplay 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 kaplay
🎮 KAPLAY.js — A JavaScript & TypeScript Game Library KAPLAY is the fun first , 2D game library for JavaScript and TypeScript . It’s made to feel like a game while you're making games. Simple. Fast. Powerful. ✨ Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced dev, KAPLAY comes with its own web based editor — the KAPLAYGROUND — so you can try code instantly, and learn with more than 90 examples ! 🎲 Quick Overview Game objects are composed from simple, powerful components: Blocky imperative syntax for describing behaviors 🖥️ Installation 🚀 Using create kaplay The fastest way to get started: Then open and edit…
read the full kaplay overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is imgui or kaplay more popular?
imgui has 77,089 GitHub stars and kaplay has 1,828. imgui has the larger community by that measure.
Are imgui and kaplay free?
Both are open source. imgui is licensed under MIT and kaplay under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between imgui and kaplay?
imgui is written in C++ and kaplay 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 kaplay?
Choose imgui if you want the larger community (77,089 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose kaplay if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.