BotStar vs Manychat (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Manychat grades higher than BotStar: 2.4 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 9, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Manychat grades higher on value for money and platforms. They get the same grade on the free plan, features and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
BotStar
Visual chatbot builder with live chat and a Facebook chat plugin
Manychat
Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger DM automation for creators and shops
Which one is for you
Pick BotStar if
- Fits if you want one small bot with a handover to a person
- Works for a Facebook page that wants a chat plugin
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you get traffic: 100 sessions a month is the free limit
- Watch out: Pro covers 1 active bot and Agency 3
- Not for you if you want a yearly option, as none is shown
- Skip it if freshness matters: the footer says 2024 and a plugin promotion ended in 2021
Pick Manychat if
- Fits if you post on Instagram and want a link sent to everyone who comments a keyword
- Works for creators collecting emails and phone numbers from their followers
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want to know what 1,000 contacts will cost before signing up, as the limits weren't readable on Manychat's pages
- Not for you if your customers expect plain texts, as SMS isn't one of its channels
- Tight if WhatsApp is your main channel, as Meta's per-message charges come on top of the plan
- Too light for broadcasts or linking other tools, as the listing shows no broadcasts and names no integrations
- Watch out: the App Store lists only Essential and Pro, and prices on the web may differ
How we grade them
| 2.0GPABotStarFair | 2.4GPAManychatFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C$29 a month for 1 active bot and 1,000 sessions on Pro, and $299 for 3 bots on Agency. It's in the middle band, but the bot and session caps are tight. | BEssential is $169 a year as a US App Store purchase ($17 billed monthly), which sits in the cheaper quarter of this category. The catch: the App Store doesn't say how many contacts that covers, so we can't confirm it stretches to 1,000 customers, and Meta's WhatsApp charges come on top. |
| Free plan and trial | CBasic is free with 1 active bot, 100 sessions a month and a single seat. You'll hit that fast. | CThere's a free plan you can start with just a social handle or an email. But its contact and feature limits sit on a pricing page that turned automated readers away, so we can't say how far it gets you, and we won't credit it for more than that. |
| Features | CA visual flow editor, a code editor, human handover, broadcasts and a Facebook chat plugin. The listing doesn't say what counts as a session. | CComment and story auto-replies, keyword triggers that drop links and codes into DMs, lead capture in the chat and one inbox for Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, WhatsApp and Telegram. But the listing shows no broadcasts and no integrations, so it's the DM slice of this job. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. Building a bot flow takes some learning. | C4.3 from 2,142 App Store ratings, too few ratings for a 4.3 to earn a B. Prebuilt automations exist, but you still hook each one up to the right post, story or keyword. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWeb only, with no integrations listed on the pricing or plugin pages. | BWeb, iPhone and Android, so you can answer DMs from your phone with push alerts. No desktop app, which an A needs, and the listing names no integrations at all. |
| Best for | a visual chatbot builder with live chat | auto-replies to Instagram comments and DMs |
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: BotStar and Manychat. How we grade
Price against what you get
BotStar starts at $29 a month and scores 2.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Manychat starts at $14.08 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.3.
Manychat scores higher and starts $14.92 a month lower. Of the other SMS and chat marketing tools on the chart, 13 score higher than BotStar for less, and 1 scores higher than Manychat 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
- BotStar also covers no-code.
- Manychat also covers whatsApp messaging.
At a glance
| BotStar | Manychat | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $29 per month for 1 active bot and 1,000 sessions | $169 per year as an App Store purchase ($17 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | Basic plan: 1 active bot, 100 monthly sessions, a single seat, dynamic CMS, keywords and training, and human handover. | You can start free with a social handle or email; the free plan's limits are on Manychat's pricing page, which could not be read. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | WiseBit Pte. Ltd. | Manychat, Inc. |
| Price read from | botstar.com | apps.apple.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 9, 2026 |
Worth knowing
BotStar
- Plans are capped by monthly sessions: 100 on Basic, 1,000 on Pro and 5,000 on Agency.
- Pro and Agency each cover limited active bots: 1 on Pro and 3 on Agency.
- The pricing section does not show a yearly option or say what counts as a session.
- The public pages read as dated: the footer says 2024 and a promotion on the plugin page ended in 2021.
Manychat
- Manychat's web pricing page and help center turned away automated readers, so plan limits and web prices could not be checked; App Store prices may differ.
- WhatsApp messages carry Meta's per-message charges on top of the plan; Manychat's own figures could not be read.
- The App Store listing names only Essential and Pro as purchases; contact allowances and any larger plans are not shown there.
Key features
BotStar
- Visual flow editor
- Build chat flows without code, with a built-in content management system for media-rich replies.
- Developer code editor
- Inline scripting lets developers run code and API calls inside a chat flow.
- Human handover
- Conversations can be passed to a person; the Basic plan includes it.
- Broadcasts and drip campaigns
- Listed on the Pro plan, along with API access and integrations.
- Facebook chat plugin
- Website chats can continue over Messenger from one inbox after the visitor leaves the site.
Manychat
- Comment and story auto-replies
- Prebuilt automations that answer post comments, Reels replies, story mentions and DMs, so engagement turns into a conversation.
- One inbox for social DMs
- Messages from Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, WhatsApp and Telegram in one live chat, where replies can be assigned to teammates.
- Lead capture in chat
- Flows that ask for emails, phone numbers or other details inside the conversation and store them on the contact.
- Links, codes and offers
- Automations that drop affiliate links, discount codes and freebies into a DM when someone comments or replies.
- Mobile apps with tracking
- iOS and Android apps for replying on the go, with push notifications, message templates and click, open and conversion stats.
Plans
BotStar
Basic$0
1 active bot, 100 monthly sessions, single seat, human handover.
Pro$29
per month for 1 active bot and 1,000 sessions
Unlimited member seats, live chat customization, broadcast and drip campaigns, API and integrations.
Agency$299
per month for 3 active bots and 5,000 sessions
Unlimited seats, custom permissions, custom app branding, template exports and cloning.
Manychat
Free$0
Start free with a social handle or email. Its contact and feature limits could not be read on Manychat's own pages.
Essential$169
per year as an App Store purchase ($17 billed monthly)
Price as listed for the in-app purchase in the US App Store. Contact limits are not shown there.
Pro$349
per year as an App Store purchase ($39 billed monthly)
Price as listed for the in-app purchase in the US App Store. Contact limits are not shown there.
Ways to pay less
BotStar
No public discounts listed.
Manychat
- Annual discount
Yearly plans cost less than 12 monthly payments
In the US App Store, Essential is $169 a year against $17 a month and Pro $349 a year against $39 a month.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, BotStar or Manychat?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Manychat is cheaper to start with: $14.08 a month when paid by the year, against $29 a month for BotStar. BotStar starts at $29 per month for 1 active bot and 1,000 sessions, and Manychat starts at $169 per year as an App Store purchase ($17 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, BotStar or Manychat?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both BotStar and Manychat have a free plan.
Which platforms do BotStar and Manychat run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Manychat 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.