BotPenguin review (2026): is the free plan enough?
No-code chatbot builder for WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger and web
Black Friday: is there a BotPenguin sale?
BotPenguin report card
Fair · out of 4.0 · graded Nov 13, 2026
Best for chatbots for websites and WhatsApp
BotPenguin builds chatbots for websites, WhatsApp and Instagram, with a free plan for 1,000 messages a month. Paid plans start at $29 for 3,000 messages and extras add up quickly.
Who BotPenguin is for
- Fits if you want a chatbot on a small site or shop
- Works for a team trying a bot before paying
Who BotPenguin is not for
- 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
Why BotPenguin gets a 2.2
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- CValue for money$29 a month for 3,000 messages, in the middle band of chat tools.
- CFree plan and trialFree: 1,000 messages a month, 1 chatbot and a unified inbox, which a live site passes quickly. A 7-day trial needs no card.
- CFeaturesMulti-platform bots, knowledge-base training, inbox, WhatsApp bulk and voice agents. WhatsApp flows start at King.
- CEase of useNo store rating on record. You build flows and connect channels.
- BPlatforms and integrationsWeb, iPhone and Android with Shopify, WooCommerce, Zendesk, Zapier, HubSpot and Salesforce.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from BotPenguin's own pages on 13 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
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<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/botpenguin#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/botpenguin.svg" alt="BotPenguin: 2.2 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where BotPenguin stands among SMS and chat marketing tools
BotPenguin's GPA of 2.2 is higher than 47 of the 77 other SMS and chat marketing tools we grade, and level with 20.
It stands best on platforms and integrations (B, above 19 of 77) and worst on features (C, above 3).
Its paid plans start at $29 a month, against a middle price of $36 for the category: 16 of the 50 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.3 out of 4. 3 tools score higher and cost less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 78 SMS and chat marketing tools we grade, cut by the letter each got. BotPenguin’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 15 of 77, level with 50
- CFree plan and trialAbove 41 of 77, level with 36
- CFeaturesAbove 3 of 77, level with 61
- CEase of useAbove 5 of 77, level with 70
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 19 of 77, level with 58
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 51 SMS and chat marketing tools. Further left costs less, and higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Point at a dot to see which tool it is.
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
Keep BotPenguin, or make your own?
Keep it
To replace BotPenguin you would be making the WhatsApp Business API, which Meta opens only through approved partners. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
It costs $348 a year.
What you could not
- The WhatsApp Business API, which Meta opens only through approved partners.
- An AI model answering your customers from your own help articles.
- One mailbox that several people work at once.
- A builder that other people can use without writing code.
- A chatbot builder hooked into the messaging apps.
- A chat box on your site that reaches you the moment a customer types.
- A real app for iOS and Android. Something home-made would be a web page.
- It plugs into other products, Shopify, WooCommerce and Zendesk among them.
- AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself.
What this rests on. BotPenguin’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
What is BotPenguin?
BotPenguin builds chatbots and AI agents that run on WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook Messenger, Telegram and websites. Plans are set by the number of bot messages per month, with a free plan to start. The paid tiers add bulk WhatsApp messaging, appointment booking, integrations and AI voice agents.
Worth knowing
- 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.
Key features
- 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.
BotPenguin pricing
As of Nov 13, 2026, BotPenguin has a free plan, and paid plans start at $29 per month for 3,000 bot messages.
- Starts at
- $29 per month for 3,000 bot messages
- Free plan
- Baby plan: 1,000 bot messages a month, 1 chatbot, unlimited leads, unified inbox, live chat and a basic LLM knowledge base.
- Free trial
- 7-day free trial, no credit card required
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | $29per 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 | $99per 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 | $990per 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. |
Read from botpenguin.com on Nov 13, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with BotPenguin before you buy.
Ways to pay less
- Annual discountTwo months free on yearly billing
The pricing FAQ says a yearly plan costs 10 months instead of 12.
Stated on botpenguin.com - Nonprofit50% off for nonprofits
The pricing page lists a 50% discount for nonprofit organizations and 100% for those working in animal welfare.
Stated on botpenguin.com
Works with
BotPenguin alternatives
- BotPenguin vs Chatfuel
Free trial · from $18/mo
- BotPenguin vs Landbot
Free plan · from $36/mo
- BotPenguin vs Manychat
Free plan · from $169/yr
- BotPenguin vs Botsify
From $149/mo
- BotPenguin vs Chatrace
Free trial · from $39/mo
Common questions
Does BotPenguin have a Windows app?
No Windows app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. BotPenguin is listed for Web, iOS and Android.
Does BotPenguin have a macOS app?
No macOS app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. BotPenguin is listed for Web, iOS and Android.
Is BotPenguin open source?
BotPenguin is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Nov 13, 2026.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 13, 2026.