raygui

Pros of ImGui

• More feature-rich and mature, with extensive documentation and examples
• Highly customizable and flexible, supporting various rendering backends
• Large and active community, resulting in frequent updates and third-party extensions

Cons of ImGui

• Steeper learning curve due to its extensive feature set
• Requires more setup and integration work compared to raygui's simplicity
• Higher memory footprint and potential performance overhead for complex UIs

Code Comparison

ImGui:

ImGui::Begin("My Window");
ImGui::Text("Hello, world!");
if (ImGui::Button("Click me!"))
    doSomething();
ImGui::End();

raygui:

GuiWindowBox((Rectangle){ 10, 10, 200, 100 }, "My Window");
GuiLabel((Rectangle){ 20, 40, 180, 20 }, "Hello, world!");
if (GuiButton((Rectangle){ 20, 70, 180, 20 }, "Click me!"))
    doSomething();

Key Differences

• ImGui uses a more immediate-mode approach, while raygui is closer to retained-mode GUI
• raygui is designed specifically for Raylib integration, while ImGui is more versatile
• ImGui offers more advanced features like docking and multi-viewport support
• raygui has a simpler API and is easier to get started with for beginners

Pros of Nuklear

• More extensive widget set and customization options
• Better cross-platform support, including game consoles
• Smaller memory footprint and faster performance

Cons of Nuklear

• Steeper learning curve due to more complex API
• Less beginner-friendly documentation
• Requires more manual setup and configuration

Code Comparison

Nuklear:

struct nk_context ctx;
nk_init_default(&ctx, 0);
if (nk_begin(&ctx, "Demo", nk_rect(50, 50, 200, 200), NK_WINDOW_BORDER|NK_WINDOW_MOVABLE|NK_WINDOW_SCALABLE|NK_WINDOW_MINIMIZABLE|NK_WINDOW_TITLE))
{
    nk_layout_row_dynamic(&ctx, 30, 1);
    if (nk_button_label(&ctx, "Button")) {
        // Button pressed
    }
}
nk_end(&ctx);

raygui:

if (GuiButton((Rectangle){ 50, 50, 200, 30 }, "Button"))
{
    // Button pressed
}

The code comparison shows that Nuklear requires more setup and configuration, while raygui offers a simpler, more straightforward API for basic UI elements. Nuklear provides more control over window properties and layout, but at the cost of increased complexity.

Pros of Nuklear

• More comprehensive feature set, including advanced widgets and layout options
• Highly customizable and flexible, allowing for deeper integration with existing codebases
• Better cross-platform support, including mobile devices

Cons of Nuklear

• Steeper learning curve due to its more complex API
• Larger codebase and potentially higher memory footprint
• Less beginner-friendly documentation compared to raygui

Code Comparison

Nuklear example:

struct nk_context ctx;
nk_init_default(&ctx, 0);
if (nk_begin(&ctx, "Demo", nk_rect(50, 50, 200, 200),
    NK_WINDOW_BORDER|NK_WINDOW_MOVABLE|NK_WINDOW_SCALABLE|
    NK_WINDOW_MINIMIZABLE|NK_WINDOW_TITLE))
{
    nk_layout_row_dynamic(&ctx, 30, 1);
    if (nk_button_label(&ctx, "Button")) {
        // Button pressed
    }
}
nk_end(&ctx);

raygui example:

if (GuiButton((Rectangle){ 50, 50, 100, 30 }, "Button")) {
    // Button pressed
}

The code comparison shows that Nuklear requires more setup and has a more verbose API, while raygui offers a simpler, more straightforward approach for basic UI elements. Nuklear's example demonstrates its flexibility with window creation and styling options, which are not as readily available in raygui's simpler API.

Pros of libui

• Cross-platform native UI toolkit for C
• Supports multiple programming languages through bindings
• Provides a more comprehensive set of UI controls and layouts

Cons of libui

• Less active development and maintenance
• Steeper learning curve for beginners
• Larger codebase and more complex architecture

Code Comparison

libui:

uiInit(NULL);
uiWindow *window = uiNewWindow("Hello", 300, 200, 0);
uiButton *button = uiNewButton("Click Me");
uiWindowSetChild(window, uiControl(button));
uiControlShow(uiControl(window));
uiMain();

raygui:

InitWindow(300, 200, "Hello");
while (!WindowShouldClose()) {
    BeginDrawing();
    if (GuiButton((Rectangle){100, 80, 100, 40}, "Click Me")) {
        // Handle click
    }
    EndDrawing();
}

Summary

While libui offers a more comprehensive native UI toolkit with cross-platform support and language bindings, raygui provides a simpler, more lightweight solution that integrates seamlessly with raylib. libui may be better suited for complex applications requiring native look and feel, while raygui excels in rapid prototyping and game development scenarios.

Pros of microui

• Extremely lightweight and minimalistic (single-file implementation)
• Easy to integrate into existing projects due to its simplicity
• No external dependencies, making it highly portable

Cons of microui

• Limited set of UI elements compared to raygui's more comprehensive offering
• Less actively maintained, with fewer recent updates
• Lacks some advanced features and customization options present in raygui

Code Comparison

microui:

mu_begin(ctx);
if (mu_button(ctx, "Hello")) {
  printf("Hello\n");
}
mu_end(ctx);

raygui:

GuiSetStyle(DEFAULT, TEXT_SIZE, 20);
if (GuiButton((Rectangle){ 50, 50, 100, 30 }, "Hello")) {
    printf("Hello\n");
}

Summary

microui is a minimalist immediate mode GUI library, ideal for simple projects or those requiring a lightweight solution. raygui offers a more feature-rich and actively maintained alternative, suitable for more complex applications with diverse UI needs. While microui excels in simplicity and ease of integration, raygui provides a broader range of UI elements and customization options.