head to head · open source
imgui vs Overload
imgui has 76,823 GitHub stars, 12,072 forks, 1,227 open issues and last shipped 4 days ago. Overload has 2,498 stars, 288 forks, 107 open issues and last shipped 22 days ago. imgui leads on adoption by 2,975% (76,823 vs 2,498 stars). imgui is written in C++ under MIT; Overload is written in C++ under MIT. imgui has attracted 16% as many forks as stars, Overload 12%. imgui was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 3 topic tags (game-engine, gamedev, imgui), 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 | Overload | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 77K | ★ 2.5K |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Written in | C++ | C++ |
| Last push | 2026-10-23 | 2026-10-05 |
| Forks | ⑂ 12K | ⑂ 288 |
| 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 Overload if
- You want the Overload feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches C++
- You evaluated both and Overload 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 Overload
Releases Screenshots Features Wiki Contributing [!IMPORTANT] Overload is not currently accepting external contributions. Until further notice, issues and pull requests are disabled for external users. Looking for community driven development? Try one of these active forks. ⚠️ WARNING: Overload Technologies does not vet, monitor, or endorse these forks, and is not responsible for any damage they may cause. Use them at your own risk. What's Overload? Overload is a free, open source 3D game engine made in C++ with Lua as its scripting language. Originally created in 2019 by Benjamin VIRANIN, Max BRUN, and Adrien…
read the full Overload overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is imgui or Overload more popular?
imgui has 76,823 GitHub stars and Overload has 2,498. imgui has the larger community by that measure.
Are imgui and Overload free?
Both are open source. imgui is licensed under MIT and Overload under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between imgui and Overload?
imgui is written in C++ and Overload 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, imgui or Overload?
Choose imgui if you want the larger community (76,823 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose Overload if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.