---
title: "Public bots vs custom bots"
description: "Understand the difference between the shared public FNLB bots and your own custom bots, and when to use each."
canonical: https://fnlb.net/support/getting-started/public-vs-custom-bots
markdown: https://fnlb.net/support/getting-started/public-vs-custom-bots.md
---

# Public bots vs custom bots

Understand the difference between the shared public FNLB bots and your own custom bots, and when to use each.

## Two kinds of bots

FNLB has two ways to play with bot lobbies, and it helps to know the difference before you start:

| | Public bots | Custom bots |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Who owns them | FNLB and the community | You |
| Where to find them | **Public bots** page in the FNLB App | **My Bots** page in the FNLB App |
| Where you send commands | The FNLB App chat | Fortnite party chat |
| Reads Fortnite party chat | No | Yes |
| Custom settings | No | Yes, with categories |

You can use both - many players try a public bot first and then create their own.

## Public bots

Public bots are hosted by FNLB and shared with everyone. Open the **Public bots** page in the FNLB App to see which ones are online, add one as a Fortnite friend and invite it to your party.

> **Note:**
> Public bots are shared, so another player may already be using one. If a bot is busy, pick a different one or create your own.

Because public bots cannot read Fortnite party chat, you send their commands from the chat inside the FNLB App instead of from Fortnite.

## Custom bots

Custom bots are your own private bots. You import a brand new Epic Games account as the bot, so it appears under **My Bots** and only you control it.

Custom bots can read Fortnite party chat, so you usually just type commands there. They also belong to a **category**, which holds settings like permissions, cosmetics and matchmaking behavior. See [Configuring your bot settings](https://fnlb.net/support/bot-setup/customize-bot-settings.md).

To create one, follow [Creating your first FNLB lobby bot](https://fnlb.net/support/getting-started/create-first-lobby-bot.md).

## Which should I use?

- **Just want to try a bot lobby?** Grab a public bot.
- **Want your own bot that reads party chat and keeps your settings?** Create a custom bot.
- **Need several bots, custom permissions or cosmetics defaults?** Use custom bots grouped into categories.

Either way, the rules for a good bot lobby are the same - one bot, a brand new account and a supported mode with No Fill. See [How to get into a Fortnite bot lobby](https://fnlb.net/support/bot-setup/bot-lobbies.md).