Flame vs Dear ImGui
Which should you use? A side-by-side look at what each one does, who it suits, what it costs, how hard it is to set up, and where each falls short.
Open source · MIT
A lightweight C++ library for building immediate-mode graphical user interfaces, mainly for tools and games.
The short answer
Choose Flame if you need…
- Flutter developers who want to add a game to an app
- Developers making 2D games in Dart
- Learners exploring game loops and component systems with a familiar language
- Teams that want optional bridge packages for physics, tile maps, or animation tools
Choose Dear ImGui if you need…
- Game developers who want an in-engine debug or tools panel
- C++ developers building internal tools that need a quick interface
- Developers who want a small GUI library with few dependencies
Side-by-side
| Flame | Dear ImGui | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Library | Library |
| Price | Free and open source | Free and open source |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| GitHub stars | 10.8k | 76.9k |
| Setup difficulty | Intermediate | Intermediate |
| How you get it | Install with a package manager | Clone and build from source |
| Main language | Dart | C++ |
| Last code update | 4 days ago | 7 days ago |
What each one is
Flame
Flame is a game engine built on Flutter, the Google UI toolkit, and written in Dart. It provides common game building blocks such as a game loop, a component system, collision detection, input handling, sprites and animations, and effects. It is meant for developers who want to make games using Flutter instead of a dedicated game engine.
Dear ImGui
Dear ImGui is a C++ library for drawing graphical user interfaces such as buttons, sliders, and windows. It is described as bloat-free with minimal dependencies, and it is commonly used for debug panels and tools inside games and other software. The README provided to me was empty, so this description relies mainly on the repository's description and topics.
Best for
Flame
- Flutter developers who want to add a game to an app
- Developers making 2D games in Dart
- Learners exploring game loops and component systems with a familiar language
- Teams that want optional bridge packages for physics, tile maps, or animation tools
Dear ImGui
- Game developers who want an in-engine debug or tools panel
- C++ developers building internal tools that need a quick interface
- Developers who want a small GUI library with few dependencies
Strengths
Flame
- Official bridge packages connect it to many tools, including Tiled, Rive, Spine, and Box2D physics
- Documentation, a browser-based examples site, and tutorials are linked from the README
- Active project with a large community on Discord and a recent push date
Dear ImGui
- Described as bloat-free with minimal dependencies
- Widely starred and actively pushed, with a v1.93.0 release listed
- Released under the permissive MIT license
Not ideal for
Flame
- People who need a full visual editor, since the README describes a code-first engine and does not mention one
- Teams building large 3D games, because the README calls the 3D package experimental
- Non-programmers, since it requires writing Dart code
Dear ImGui
- People who want a ready-made desktop app with no coding, since this is a library for developers
- Teams that need a native-looking, polished end-user interface out of the box, because the README provided does not establish this
Trade-offs
Flame
- Tied to the Flutter ecosystem, so it is not a good choice if you do not want to use Flutter or Dart
- The README notes that main-branch docs can be newer than the published docs site, so version mismatches are possible
- The 3D package is labeled experimental
Dear ImGui
- The README was not available to verify features, APIs, or setup details
- Release v1.93.0 is listed without binaries, so you build from source
- Being a library, it requires C++ programming to use
Getting started
Flame
Add Flame to a Flutter project
git clone https://github.com/flame-engine/flameDear ImGui
Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/ocornut/imguiFrequently asked questions
What is the difference between Flame and Dear ImGui?
Flame: A game engine for building 2D games with Flutter and Dart. Dear ImGui: A lightweight C++ library for building immediate-mode graphical user interfaces, mainly for tools and games. Flame suits flutter developers who want to add a game to an app, while Dear ImGui suits game developers who want an in-engine debug or tools panel.
Are Flame and Dear ImGui free?
Flame: Free and open source. Dear ImGui: Free and open source.
Is Flame or Dear ImGui more popular?
Dear ImGui has more GitHub stars (76.9k) than Flame (10.8k). Popularity isn't the same as fit — check which one matches your use case above.
What are other alternatives to Flame and Dear ImGui?
Other options people compare them with include Godot, Phaser, EnTT, PlayCanvas, Jolt Physics.
Keep comparing
Built from our catalogue entries for both products: open-source details come from each project's README (AI-assisted, refreshed weekly) and GitHub data; AI-tool details are editorial. Spotted something wrong? Let us know from either product's page.