BotPenguin vs Chatfuel (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, we pick Chatfuel: it is second in our ranking of SMS and chat marketing tools, and it grades higher too, 2.6 against 2.2.
Checked Nov 9, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 9, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Chatfuel grades higher on value for money and features. They get the same grade on the free plan, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
BotPenguin
No-code chatbot builder for WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger and web
Chatfuel
AI chatbots for WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook with a usage wallet
Which one is for you
Pick BotPenguin if
- Fits if you want a chatbot on a small site or shop
- Works for a team trying a bot before paying
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you stay free, as that is 1,000 messages and 1 chatbot
- Pricey if you grow: extra messages are $5 per 1,000 and extra AI messages $15 per 1,000
- Watch out: extra team members are $7 each, an MS Teams bot $100 and a whitelabel window $20 a bot
- Watch out: Meta's WhatsApp fees are on top
- Watch out: yearly prices were not shown, and the vendor says yearly means 10 months
Pick Chatfuel if
- Fits if you want an AI agent answering Instagram and WhatsApp messages around the clock
- Works for agencies running chatbots for several clients from one wallet
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if your bot is busy, as credits don't roll over and messages stop when the wallet hits zero
- Skip it if you rely on Zapier, which the help center says isn't supported though the pricing page names it
- Not for you if you like a long cooling-off period, as monthly plans are refunded only within 3 days
- Watch out: Meta's WhatsApp charges come out of your wallet at country rates, with no US figure given
- Tight if you need more than one bot, since Business S gives you 1 and agency plans start at $90 a month
How we grade them
| 2.2GPABotPenguinFair | 2.6GPAChatfuelGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C$29 a month for 3,000 messages, in the middle band of chat tools. | BBusiness S is $18 a month billed yearly ($20 monthly), with unlimited contacts and teammates and $20 of credits a month. That's the cheaper quarter of this category. Sizes run up to XXL at $366.67 a month billed yearly. Meta's WhatsApp charges come out of the wallet at its own rates, with no US figure given. |
| Free plan and trial | CFree: 1,000 messages a month, 1 chatbot and a unified inbox, which a live site passes quickly. A 7-day trial needs no card. | CNo free plan, but a 7-day trial with full access, $15 in credits and no credit card. Enough to set up the AI agent and watch it answer. |
| Features | CMulti-platform bots, knowledge-base training, inbox, WhatsApp bulk and voice agents. WhatsApp flows start at King. | BThe whole chat-marketing job: an AI agent that answers and qualifies leads, Instagram and Facebook comment auto-replies, WhatsApp broadcasts, bookings and payments in the chat, a shared inbox and a simple CRM. Business S gives you 1 bot. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. You build flows and connect channels. | CNo App Store rating on record. You'll connect each channel, feed the AI agent your knowledge base and keep an eye on the wallet, since heavy AI use can pause the bot. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, iPhone and Android with Shopify, WooCommerce, Zendesk, Zapier, HubSpot and Salesforce. | BRuns on the web, with Google Sheets, Stripe, Meta Pixel, a JSON API and an MCP server for AI assistants. Thin on ready-made integrations, though: the help center says Zapier isn't supported. No apps. |
| Best for | chatbots for websites and WhatsApp | AI chatbots for WhatsApp and Instagram on a budget |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: BotPenguin and Chatfuel. How we grade
Price against what you get
BotPenguin starts at $29 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Chatfuel starts at $18 a month and scores 2.7.
Chatfuel scores higher and starts $11 a month lower. Of the other SMS and chat marketing tools on the chart, 3 score higher than BotPenguin for less, and none scores higher than Chatfuel for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- BotPenguin also covers shared inbox and no-code.
- Chatfuel also covers marketing automation.
At a glance
| BotPenguin | Chatfuel | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free trial |
| Starts at | $29 per month for 3,000 bot messages | $18 per month, billed annually ($20 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | Baby plan: 1,000 bot messages a month, 1 chatbot, unlimited leads, unified inbox, live chat and a basic LLM knowledge base. | None |
| Free trial | 7-day free trial, no credit card required | 7-day free trial with full access and $15 in credits, no credit card required |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Relinns Technologies Pvt. Ltd. | Chatfuel |
| Price read from | botpenguin.com | chatfuel.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 9, 2026 |
Worth knowing
BotPenguin
- Prices follow the monthly message allowance; extra messages cost $5 a month per 1,000 and extra AI messages $15 a month per 1,000.
- The vendor says paying yearly means paying for 10 months, but the yearly prices were not shown in the page text read.
- Extra team members cost $7 a month each, an MS Teams bot is a $100 a month add-on and a whitelabel chat window is $20 a month per bot.
- WhatsApp fees charged by Meta are billed on top; BotPenguin says it adds no markup to them.
Chatfuel
- Meta's WhatsApp charges, including service replies since 1 October 2026, come out of the wallet at Meta's rates by country; no US figure is given.
- Plan credits do not roll over, and messages stop when the wallet reaches zero unless auto top-up is on; heavy AI use can pause the bot until the limit resets.
- Refunds are given only if you cancel within 3 days on monthly billing or 30 days on annual billing.
- The pricing page names Zapier among integrations, but the help center says Zapier is not supported; other tools connect through the JSON API.
Key features
BotPenguin
- Multi-platform chatbots
- Deploy one bot on WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, Telegram and websites, with the Emperor plan adding WeChat, LINE, Viber, SMS and Slack.
- AI knowledge-base training
- Train a bot on website content, PDFs and FAQs, with Google Sheets, Drive and Notion sources on higher plans.
- Unified inbox and live chat
- One inbox for all platform conversations, with a handover from bot to human agent at any time.
- WhatsApp bulk messages and flows
- Little adds bulk WhatsApp sending and shop automation; King adds WhatsApp flows for forms inside the chat.
- AI voice agents
- The King plan includes up to 10 AI voice agents; extra voice minutes are sold as add-ons.
- Integrations
- 30+ integrations on Little and 50+ on King, including Shopify, Zendesk, Zapier, HubSpot and Salesforce.
Chatfuel
- AI agent
- Replies from your knowledge base and instructions, qualifies and scores leads, follows up and hands a chat to a person when needed.
- Instagram and Facebook automation
- Automatic replies to post and Reels comments, story replies and keyword triggers, which lead people into a chat.
- WhatsApp broadcasts
- Bulk WhatsApp campaigns to segments, with click-to-chat ads and conversions sent back to Meta Pixel.
- Bookings and sales in chat
- Books meetings inside WhatsApp, shows a product catalog, takes orders and collects payments in the conversation.
- Shared inbox and CRM
- Teammates take over live conversations, and leads are tracked in a built-in CRM with unlimited contacts.
- JSON API and MCP
- A JSON API plugin connects bots to outside systems, and an MCP server lets AI assistants such as Claude run your bots.
Plans
BotPenguin
Baby Plan$0
Free forever: 1,000 messages a month (AI and regular share the limit), 1 chatbot, chat flow templates and a unified inbox.
Little Plan$29
per month for 3,000 messages and 5 team members, billed monthly
Adds WhatsApp bulk messaging, Instagram DM automation, appointment booking, reports, mobile apps for agents and 30+ integrations.
King Plan$99
per month for 12,000 messages, billed monthly
Adds WhatsApp flows, department routing, 50+ integrations, AI voice agents (10) and connections to models such as Gemini, Claude and DeepSeek.
Emperor Plan$990
per month and up, billed monthly
Custom volume with unlimited bots, agents and team members, extra channels such as SMS, Slack and LINE, and a build-it-for-you setup. Sold through sales.
Chatfuel
Business S$18
per month, billed annually ($20 billed monthly)
1 bot, every channel, unlimited contacts and teammates, and $20 of credits a month. Larger sizes run up to Business XXL at $366.67 a month, billed yearly, with $500 of credits.
Agency S$90
per month for up to 3 companies, billed annually ($100 monthly)
$100 of credits a month, an agency dashboard and an account manager. Larger agency tiers in the help center run up to $2,050 a month.
Ways to pay less
BotPenguin
- Annual discount
Two months free on yearly billing
The pricing FAQ says a yearly plan costs 10 months instead of 12.
- Nonprofit
50% off for nonprofits
The pricing page lists a 50% discount for nonprofit organizations and 100% for those working in animal welfare.
Chatfuel
- Annual discount
Save 10% with yearly billing
Chatfuel's pricing page takes 10% off for yearly billing: Business is $216 a year, against $20 a month billed monthly.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, BotPenguin or Chatfuel?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Chatfuel is cheaper to start with: $18 a month, against $29 a month for BotPenguin. BotPenguin starts at $29 per month for 3,000 bot messages, and Chatfuel starts at $18 per month, billed annually ($20 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, BotPenguin or Chatfuel?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only BotPenguin has a free plan. Chatfuel does not, though it has a free trial.
Which platforms do BotPenguin and Chatfuel run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only BotPenguin lists iOS and Android apps. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.