BotPenguin vs ChatGen (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, BotPenguin grades higher than ChatGen: 2.2 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
BotPenguin grades higher on the free plan. They get the same grade on value for money, features, 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
ChatGen
Hybrid chatbot and live chat platform for lead capture and support
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 ChatGen if
- Fits if you want a bot that qualifies leads and hands over to a live agent
- Works for teams of 5 to 12 agents on a steady volume of chats
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you grow: conversations stop at 1K, 2K or 5K a month
- Watch out: the trial's length isn't stated on the pricing page
- Pricey if you want unlimited conversations, which means the demo-only Business Elite
- Skip it if freshness matters: the footer reads 2022
How we grade them
| 2.2GPABotPenguinFair | 2.0GPAChatGenFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C$29 a month for 3,000 messages, in the middle band of chat tools. | C$79 a month for 1K conversations and 5 agent seats, $149 for 2K and $199 for 5K. That's the upper part of this category's range, and only one billing view was readable. |
| 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. | DA free trial is offered, but its length and whether it needs a card aren't stated. |
| Features | CMulti-platform bots, knowledge-base training, inbox, WhatsApp bulk and voice agents. WhatsApp flows start at King. | CLead qualification bots, routing, live view and chat, landing pages and analytics. It isn't shown which tier includes WhatsApp or Salesforce. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. You build flows and connect channels. | CNo store rating on record. There are bots to configure and channels to connect. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, iPhone and Android with Shopify, WooCommerce, Zendesk, Zapier, HubSpot and Salesforce. | BWeb, with WhatsApp, Messenger, Slack, Salesforce, HubSpot, Zapier and WordPress listed. |
| Best for | chatbots for websites and WhatsApp | lead capture bots with live chat |
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 ChatGen. 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. ChatGen starts at $79 a month for each person and scores 2.3.
They score the same, and BotPenguin starts $50 a month lower. Of the other SMS and chat marketing tools on the chart, 3 score higher than BotPenguin for less, and 6 score higher than ChatGen 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, no-code and AI support agent.
- ChatGen also covers marketing automation and reports.
At a glance
| BotPenguin | ChatGen | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free trial |
| Starts at | $29 per month for 3,000 bot messages | $79 per month for 1K conversations and 5 agent seats |
| 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 | Free trial offered; its length is not stated on the pricing page. |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Relinns Technologies Pvt. Ltd. | DbyDx Technologies Private Limited |
| Price read from | botpenguin.com | chatgen.ai |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 13, 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.
ChatGen
- Plans cap conversations (1K, 2K or 5K) and agent seats (5, 10 or 12).
- The pricing page has a Monthly and Yearly toggle; only one view was readable, so the other prices are not recorded.
- WhatsApp and Salesforce appear in the plan comparison table, which does not show which tier includes them.
- The page footer reads 2022, so some pages may be older than the 2026 pricing.
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.
ChatGen
- Lead qualification bots
- Bots ask questions around the clock and pass qualified leads to sales representatives.
- Intelligent routing
- Conversations can be routed to chosen reps at any stage of a bot flow; the feature starts on Business.
- Live view and live chat
- See visitors on the site in real time, start a chat with them, or let the bot hand a visitor to an agent.
- Conversational landing pages
- Branded landing pages run a bot conversation, intended for lead-generation campaigns.
- Analytics and reports
- Overall analytics, individual agent reports, meeting reports and conversation analysis are listed.
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.
ChatGen
Starter$79
per month for 1K conversations, billing view not confirmed
5 agent logins, custom branding and Facebook Messenger.
Business$149
per month for 2K conversations, billing view not confirmed
10 agent logins, intelligent routing and Slack integration.
Business Pro$199
per month for 5K conversations, billing view not confirmed
12 agent logins, IP whitelisting and an FAQ bot.
Business EliteCustom
Unlimited conversations, visitor data unmasking and an AI bot builder in beta; sold through a demo.
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.
ChatGen
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, BotPenguin or ChatGen?
As of Nov 13, 2026, BotPenguin starts at $29 per month for 3,000 bot messages, and ChatGen starts at $79 per month for 1K conversations and 5 agent seats. One is priced for each person and the other is not, so which costs less depends on how many of you use it.
Which has a free plan, BotPenguin or ChatGen?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only BotPenguin has a free plan. ChatGen does not, though it has a free trial.
Which platforms do BotPenguin and ChatGen 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.