# Dear ImGui

> MIT bloat-free immediate-mode GUI for C++ tools

**Category:** Libraries  
**Pricing:** open-source  
**URL:** https://github.com/ocornut/imgui  
**GitHub:** https://github.com/ocornut/imgui  
**Added:** 2026-10-18

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## The Hook

Dear ImGui is a small immediate-mode GUI library for C++: you describe widgets every frame in plain code and it outputs vertex buffers your renderer draws, which makes it the standard for game debug tools, editors and in-engine UIs.

## What's Good

MIT (ocornut/imgui), release v1.93.0 (2026-10-14), developed since 2014. Renderer- and platform-agnostic, with official backends for DirectX, Vulkan, Metal, OpenGL, WebGPU, SDL, GLFW and more, and bindings for many languages. No dependencies beyond a C++ compiler, so you drop the source files into your project. Huge ecosystem of plots, node editors and widgets. ★~76.7k.

## The Catch

It is built for tools and debug UIs, not polished end-user interfaces: theming, accessibility and text input for complex languages are limited. Immediate mode means you manage your own state and layout in code. Docking and multi-viewport live on a separate branch.

## Verdict

The default for in-game tools and developer UIs in C++.