Terasi is an Indonesian shrimp paste that is traditionally fermented and is widely consumed by Indonesian people. Terasi is produced by utilizing endogenous bacteria from raw materials as starters. Due to the variation in endogenous bacteria during production, terasi of varying quality is produced. The objectives of this study were to investigate the effects of starters on the physicochemical and sensory properties of terasi. The effects of individual or combination inoculation of Lactobacillus plantarum SB7 and Bacillus amyloliquefaciens BC9 were compared to those of noninoculation during a two-week period of terasi production. The starters darkened the color of the terasi. The terasi produced with the starters had higher protein contents (62.93–64.80 %) than those of the noninoculated terasi (63.66–65.80 %). Although proteolysis was weakly affected by the starters, the starters reduced the terasi fermentation period. The combination starter inoculation resulted in a high glutamic acid level (44284.8 ± 231.22 mg/kg). Volatile alcohols were more abundant in the starter-inoculated terasi than in the noninoculated terasi. Assessments of the sensory parameters by panelists suggested a preference for inoculated terasi. In conclusion, the addition of starters (L. plantarum SB7 and B. amyloliquefaciens BC9) in terasi production improved the physicochemical and sensory properties of the terasi.