BotStar review (2026): is the free plan enough?
Visual chatbot builder with live chat and a Facebook chat plugin
Black Friday: is there a BotStar sale?
BotStar report card
Fair · out of 4.0 · graded Nov 13, 2026
Best for a visual chatbot builder with live chat
BotStar is a visual chatbot builder with human handover and a Facebook chat plugin. But the free plan is 1 bot and 100 sessions a month, Pro covers one bot, and the public pages look dated.
Who BotStar is for
- Fits if you want one small bot with a handover to a person
- Works for a Facebook page that wants a chat plugin
Who BotStar is not for
- 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
Why BotStar gets a 2.0
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 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.
- CFree plan and trialBasic is free with 1 active bot, 100 sessions a month and a single seat. You'll hit that fast.
- CFeaturesA visual flow editor, a code editor, human handover, broadcasts and a Facebook chat plugin. The listing doesn't say what counts as a session.
- CEase of useNo store rating on record. Building a bot flow takes some learning.
- CPlatforms and integrationsWeb only, with no integrations listed on the pricing or plugin pages.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from BotStar'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/botstar#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/botstar.svg" alt="BotStar: 2.0 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where BotStar stands among SMS and chat marketing tools
BotStar's GPA of 2.0 is higher than 27 of the 77 other SMS and chat marketing tools we grade, and level with 19.
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 2.0 out of 4. 13 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. BotStar’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
- CPlatforms and integrationsAbove 0 of 77, level with 18
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 BotStar, or make your own?
Keep it
To replace BotStar you would be making a builder that other people can use without writing code. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
It costs $348 a year.
What you could not
- A builder that other people can use without writing code.
- Email sent in volume that still reaches the inbox.
- A chatbot builder hooked into the messaging apps.
- A chat box on your site that reaches you the moment a customer types.
- An API that other software can build on.
What this rests on. BotStar’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 BotStar?
BotStar is a chatbot platform with a visual flow editor, a built-in content manager and a code editor for inline scripting. Bots answer questions and collect lead details for sending to other systems, and a Facebook chat plugin carries website chats into Messenger. Plans are priced by active bots and monthly sessions.
Worth knowing
- 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.
Key features
- 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.
BotStar pricing
As of Nov 13, 2026, BotStar has a free plan, and paid plans start at $29 per month for 1 active bot and 1,000 sessions.
- Starts at
- $29 per month for 1 active bot and 1,000 sessions
- Free plan
- Basic plan: 1 active bot, 100 monthly sessions, a single seat, dynamic CMS, keywords and training, and human handover.
- Free trial
- None listed
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | $0 | 1 active bot, 100 monthly sessions, single seat, human handover. |
| Pro | $29per month for 1 active bot and 1,000 sessions | Unlimited member seats, live chat customization, broadcast and drip campaigns, API and integrations. |
| Agency | $299per month for 3 active bots and 5,000 sessions | Unlimited seats, custom permissions, custom app branding, template exports and cloning. |
Read from botstar.com on Nov 13, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with BotStar before you buy.
BotStar alternatives
- BotStar vs Chatfuel
Free trial · from $18/mo
- BotStar vs Landbot
Free plan · from $36/mo
- BotStar vs BotPenguin
Free plan · from $29/mo
- BotStar vs Botsify
From $149/mo
- BotStar vs Manychat
Free plan · from $169/yr
Common questions
Does BotStar have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. BotStar is listed for Web.
Does BotStar have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. BotStar is listed for Web.
Is BotStar open source?
BotStar is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Nov 13, 2026.
Does BotStar have an API?
Yes. BotStar offers a public API, according to its own site.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 13, 2026.