head to head · open source
imgui vs libgdx
imgui has 76,271 GitHub stars, 12,047 forks, 1,227 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. libgdx has 25,405 stars, 6,526 forks, 337 open issues and last shipped 11 days ago. imgui leads on adoption by 200% (76,271 vs 25,405 stars). imgui is written in C++ under MIT; libgdx is written in Java under Apache-2.0. imgui has attracted 16% as many forks as stars, libgdx 26%. imgui was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 4 topic tags (framework, game-development, game-engine, gamedev), 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 | libgdx | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 76K | ★ 25K |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | C++ | Java |
| Last push | 2026-09-18 | 2026-09-09 |
| Forks | ⑂ 12K | ⑂ 6.5K |
| 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 libgdx if
- You want the libgdx feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Java
- You evaluated both and libgdx 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 libgdx
libGDX is a cross platform Java game development framework built on OpenGL (ES) that renders 2D and 3D games for Windows, Linux, macOS, Android, web browsers, and iOS, aimed at Java developers who want one codebase and no imposed design or coding style.
read the full libgdx overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is imgui or libgdx more popular?
imgui has 76,271 GitHub stars and libgdx has 25,405. imgui has the larger community by that measure.
Are imgui and libgdx free?
Both are open source. imgui is licensed under MIT and libgdx under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between imgui and libgdx?
imgui is written in C++ and libgdx in Java. 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 libgdx?
Choose imgui if you want the larger community (76,271 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose libgdx if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.