N8NChatUI vs @n8n/chat
A hosted layer on top of the same Chat Trigger integration @n8n/chat uses — adding a secure proxy, real-time analytics, and live widget controls, so the security and visibility work isn't left for you to build yourself.
n8n's own official chat widget package, installed via npm or a CDN script tag and wired directly to your Chat Trigger node's webhook. Free under n8n's Sustainable Use License (not standard open source), but everything past the base chat window — hiding the webhook, rate limiting, analytics, a dashboard for editing without redeploying — is left for you to build.
Both @n8n/chat and N8N Chat UI's Managed Widgets sit in front of the same thing: an n8n workflow behind a Chat Trigger node. @n8n/chat is the first-party option — maintained directly by the n8n team, free, and the natural starting point since it's what n8n's own docs point to.
That said, "official" doesn't mean "hardened." n8n's own Chat Trigger documentation confirms the widget calls the webhook URL directly from the browser, which means it's readable in page source — a limitation independently flagged by third-party developers who've built proxies specifically to hide it. There's no rate limiting, no geo-restriction, no analytics, and no way to change a live widget's settings without redeploying your embed code.
Managed Widgets starts from the same Chat Trigger integration but adds the proxy layer that makes hiding the webhook, rate limiting, domain/geo restrictions, and a live analytics dashboard possible — plus the ability to update a running widget's settings from a dashboard without touching your site's code.
Feature-by-feature
| Feature | N8N Chat UI (Managed Widgets) | @n8n/chat |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $70 / 25,000 messages (Professional tier), 100 free credits to start | Free (n8n Sustainable Use License — free for internal/non-commercial use; commercial resale terms are not clearly defined) |
| License | Commercial SaaS | "Fair-code" Sustainable Use License — not an OSI-recognized open source license |
| Setup | Hosted dashboard, no code required | npm install @n8n/chat or a CDN script tag — you write the init code |
| Webhook URL | Hidden — routed through a proxy, never in page source | Exposed in client-side page source (confirmed in n8n's own Chat Trigger docs) |
| Rate limiting | Built in | Not documented — flagged by third-party developers as a real gap |
| Domain / geo restrictions | Domain restrictions + geofencing | CORS "Allowed Origins" only — domain-based, no geofencing |
| Live widget editing | Update a live widget from the dashboard, no redeploy | Edit and redeploy your embed code |
| Analytics | Real-time dashboard — usage, sessions, performance | None built in |
| Voice input | Supported | Not documented |
| Programmatic JS API | open()/close(), sendMessage() with metadata, live updateTheme(), updatePrompts() mid-conversation | Only the initial createChat() config call is documented — no separate open/close/sendMessage/theme-update API found |
| RTL language support | Yes (Arabic, Hebrew, Persian, and others) | English only in documented language options |
| First-party status | Third-party managed layer | Maintained directly by the n8n team — guaranteed to track Chat Trigger changes |
Two rows favor @n8n/chat and are left as genuine advantages: price, and being the first-party option.
If cost is the only constraint and you're comfortable with the security gap — or you're prototyping something internal that will never be public — @n8n/chat is free and it's what n8n itself ships, so compatibility with future Chat Trigger changes is never in question.
Managed Widgets earns its price once the widget is public-facing: n8n's own documentation confirms the webhook sits in your page source with @n8n/chat, with no rate limiting to stop it being replayed. The proxy is what closes that gap, and it's also what makes the analytics dashboard and no-redeploy live editing possible — none of which are architecturally available to a direct-to-webhook widget, regardless of how much custom code you're willing to write around it.
Skip the trade-offs — build with N8N Chat UI
Start free with 100 credits, no card required. A secure, branded chat widget for your n8n workflow, live in minutes.