PixilUI and prompt-kit
Core building blocks for AI apps: accessible, customizable components for AI interfaces, installed with the shadcn CLI. MIT.
In short
prompt-kit is a free set of chat building blocks on shadcn/ui: prompt input, message, markdown, code block, reasoning, tool and steps. For a chat interface it is a strong free start. PixilUI goes deeper on the agent moments: an approval card that folds into a receipt, a run timeline with a live timer and a waiting step, a tool call row with its JSON one click away. Both install with the shadcn CLI and can share an app.
Checked against prompt-kit's own docs on .
Side by side
| Question | prompt-kit | PixilUI |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Chat building blocks for AI apps | Designed components for agent moments, as a shadcn registry |
| Components | 19 on its home page, including prompt input, message, markdown, reasoning, tool and steps | 13: 11 free, 2 Pro |
| Needs | shadcn/ui installed and React 19, per its docs | React 19, Tailwind v4 and a components.json |
| Human approval | Not listed on its home page on 31 October 2026 | Approval card with risk, a note on reject and a receipt |
| Install | npx shadcn@latest add "https://prompt-kit.com/c/[COMPONENT].json" | npx shadcn@latest add @pixilui/approval-card |
| License and price | Free, MIT | Free items under MIT. Pro $199 once (the first 100 at $99 when Pro opens), Pro yearly $129, Team $599 once for 10 people |
What prompt-kit is good at
- The chat surface: prompt input, message, markdown, code block, chat container, scroll button and file upload.
- The model's work in the chat: reasoning, chain of thought, steps, thinking bar and tool.
- Free and MIT, installed with the shadcn CLI, on a shadcn/ui setup.
What PixilUI adds
- An approval card for an agent asking before it acts, with risk, a note on reject and a receipt.
- A run timeline whose connector fills as steps finish, with a live timer and a step that waits on an approval.
- Every state and the motion between them designed per item, from one token set with a reduced-motion branch.
- Pro pieces around the chat: an agent inbox and an eval table.
Install
prompt-kit
npx shadcn@latest add "https://prompt-kit.com/c/prompt-input.json"pnpm dlx shadcn@latest add "https://prompt-kit.com/c/prompt-input.json"yarn dlx shadcn@latest add "https://prompt-kit.com/c/prompt-input.json"bunx --bun shadcn@latest add "https://prompt-kit.com/c/prompt-input.json"PixilUI, after adding the registry to components.json (installation)
npx shadcn@latest add @pixilui/approval-cardpnpm dlx shadcn@latest add @pixilui/approval-cardyarn dlx shadcn@latest add @pixilui/approval-cardbunx --bun shadcn@latest add @pixilui/approval-cardUsing both
Use prompt-kit for the chat composer and messages, and PixilUI for the agent moments around them: an approval card when a tool waits on a person, a run timeline for a long run, a tool call row for each call.
Questions
Is PixilUI a prompt-kit alternative?
For the agent moments, yes. For a chat composer and message list, prompt-kit covers more today. Many apps use prompt-kit or shadcn/ui for the chat and PixilUI where an agent needs a decision or shows its run.
Can prompt-kit and PixilUI share a project?
Yes. Both install with the shadcn CLI; prompt-kit into components/ui and PixilUI into components/pixilui, so neither overwrites the other.
Which one is free?
prompt-kit is MIT. PixilUI's free items are MIT too; Pro items need a paid license.
More comparisons
Sources
Read on . If something here no longer matches prompt-kit's site, write to hello@pixilui.com and we will fix it.