head to head · open source
n8n vs ui-builder
n8n has 205,086 GitHub stars, 60,753 forks, 1,143 open issues and last shipped today. ui-builder has 666 stars, 96 forks, 2 open issues and last shipped 3 months ago. n8n leads on adoption by 30,694% (205,086 vs 666 stars). n8n is written in TypeScript under a custom or non-standard licence; ui-builder is written in TypeScript under MIT. n8n has attracted 30% as many forks as stars, ui-builder 14%. n8n was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee.
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
| n8n | ui-builder | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 205K | ★ 666 |
| License | Custom / other | MIT |
| Written in | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-18 | 2026-07-03 |
| Forks | ⑂ 61K | ⑂ 96 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick n8n if
- You weight community size — 205K stars and counting
- You want the Custom / other license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick ui-builder if
- You want the ui-builder feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and ui-builder fits your workflow better
About n8n
n8n is a visual workflow automation platform built in TypeScript that combines a drag and drop editor with custom code execution. It lives in the integration and automation ecosystem, positioned as an open alternative to proprietary services like Zapier. Users design multi step workflows—called “n8n flows”—that connect apps, services, and custom logic to automate repetitive tasks.
About ui-builder
UI Builder — Visual Editor for Your React App UI Builder is a shadcn/ui package that adds a Figma style editor to your own product, letting non developers compose pages, emails, dashboards, and white label views with the exact React components you already ship. Layouts are saved as plain JSON for easy versioning and can be rendered instantly with dynamic data. View Full Documentation UI Builder is now part of BTST — ship full stack features faster with production ready plugins that generate database schemas, API routes, and pages for Next.js, TanStack Start, and React Router. Installation Quick Start with shadcn/…
read the full ui-builder overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is n8n or ui-builder more popular?
n8n has 205,086 GitHub stars and ui-builder has 666. n8n has the larger community by that measure.
Are n8n and ui-builder free?
Both are open source. n8n has no licence declared in this registry, and ui-builder is licensed under MIT. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between n8n and ui-builder?
n8n is written in TypeScript and ui-builder in TypeScript. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, n8n or ui-builder?
Choose n8n if you want the larger community (205,086 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose ui-builder if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.