BotPenguin vs Chatrace (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, BotPenguin and Chatrace share a 2.2 GPA, and only BotPenguin has a free plan.
Checked Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
They get the same grade on all five counts.
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
Chatrace
AI chatbot and inbox for Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp
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 Chatrace if
- Fits if you want a chatbot on Instagram and Messenger as well as WhatsApp
- Works for agencies wanting a whitelabel offer
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a free plan, as only a 7-day trial is offered
- Pricey if your list passes 3,000 contacts, as the page gives no further steps
- Watch out: Meta's WhatsApp fees are on top and not listed
- Watch out: whitelabel shows 499 with no billing period
- Skip it if you want a native app, as none is listed
How we grade them
| 2.2GPABotPenguinFair | 2.2GPAChatraceFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C$29 a month for 3,000 messages, in the middle band of chat tools. | C$39 a month for 3,000 contacts, just above the $36 chat-tools middle. |
| 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. | CA 7-day trial with no card, and no free plan. |
| Features | CMulti-platform bots, knowledge-base training, inbox, WhatsApp bulk and voice agents. WhatsApp flows start at King. | CAI agents, flow builder, inbox, comment automation, broadcasts and whitelabel. Anything over 3,000 contacts is by conversation. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. You build flows and connect channels. | CNo store rating on record. You build flows and connect channels. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, iPhone and Android with Shopify, WooCommerce, Zendesk, Zapier, HubSpot and Salesforce. | BWeb with Messenger, Instagram and the WhatsApp Business API. No apps are listed. |
| Best for | chatbots for websites and WhatsApp | chatbots across WhatsApp and Messenger |
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 Chatrace. 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. Chatrace starts at $39 a month and scores 2.3.
They score the same, and BotPenguin starts $10 a month lower. Of the other SMS and chat marketing tools on the chart, 3 score higher than BotPenguin for less, and 4 score higher than Chatrace 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 live chat.
- Chatrace also covers marketing automation and sMS marketing.
At a glance
| BotPenguin | Chatrace | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free trial |
| Starts at | $29 per month for 3,000 bot messages | $39 per month for up to 3,000 contacts |
| 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, no credit card required |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Relinns Technologies Pvt. Ltd. | Chatrace LTD |
| Price read from | botpenguin.com | chatrace.com |
| 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.
Chatrace
- The listed Pro price covers up to 3,000 contacts per account; larger lists need a conversation with the vendor, as the page shows no further steps.
- Pricing is per account (chatbot); one account can have several channels and unlimited accounts can be created.
- The whitelabel offer shows 499 with 50 client accounts and 500,000 contacts, but the page text gives no billing period.
- WhatsApp message fees charged by Meta are not part of the plan price, and the page does not list them.
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.
Chatrace
- AI agents
- Agents trained on your files and business data answer support questions, qualify leads and handle sales questions. The vendor says no separate OpenAI account is needed.
- Drag-and-drop flow builder
- Build conversation flows without code and install them as templates in other accounts.
- Omnichannel inbox
- One team inbox for Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp conversations, with human takeover from the bot.
- Comment and story automation
- Reply automatically to Facebook and Instagram comments and to Instagram story mentions.
- WhatsApp broadcasts
- Send campaigns and updates through the official WhatsApp Business API.
- Whitelabel for agencies
- A separate whitelabel offer lets an agency use its own domain, name and logo and set its own prices for clients.
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.
Chatrace
Pro$39
per month for up to 3,000 contacts
AI agents, omnichannel inbox with human takeover, CRM and sales pipelines, unlimited team members and all integrations. Price rises with contacts beyond 3,000.
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.
Chatrace
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, BotPenguin or Chatrace?
As of Nov 13, 2026, BotPenguin is cheaper to start with: $29 a month, against $39 a month for Chatrace. BotPenguin starts at $29 per month for 3,000 bot messages, and Chatrace starts at $39 per month for up to 3,000 contacts.
Which has a free plan, BotPenguin or Chatrace?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only BotPenguin has a free plan. Chatrace does not, though it has a free trial.
Which platforms do BotPenguin and Chatrace 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.