Sales Loves Marketing
- Best for
- Brands and creators that get many Instagram comments and DMs and want to turn them into leads or sales automatically
- Starting price
- $14 per month, billed yearly
- Free plan
- ✓ Yes
- Free trial
- ✓ Yes
Manychat is a chat automation platform. It replies to Instagram comments and DMs, and to messages on Facebook Messenger, TikTok, WhatsApp and other channels, with automated conversations you build in a visual editor. Brands use it to send a link, collect an email address or qualify a lead the moment someone engages. There is a free plan, and paid plans are priced by active contacts.
Who is Manychat for?
Manychat suits brands, creators and small marketing teams that get more Instagram comments and DMs than they can answer by hand. A typical use is a post that asks people to comment a keyword, after which each commenter gets a DM with a guide, a discount code or a booking link. The same pattern works for handing out a report or a webinar sign-up link.
What does Manychat do?
Instagram automation
Comment-to-DM sends a private message when someone comments on a post or Reel. You can trigger it on any comment or only on a keyword. Other triggers include replies to your Story, mentions in a Story and DMs that contain a keyword. Manychat says it works through Instagram's official API and follows Meta's rules: a person has to start the conversation, and automated messages generally go out within 24 hours of their last message. For ideas on what to automate, see our guide to Instagram marketing strategies.
Flow Builder and sequences
You build conversations in a visual, no-code editor. Action steps add tags, save answers to custom fields and subscribe contacts to sequences of follow-up messages, the idea behind drip marketing. A Randomizer step splits contacts between versions of a message so you can A/B test offers or wording.
Segments
Tags and fields let you group contacts into segments, such as people who asked about pricing, and send each group the right follow-up.
AI
An AI step writes dynamic replies inside a flow based on what you tell it about your business. A flow assistant can draft a whole automation from a goal you describe.
Channels
Besides Instagram, Manychat supports Facebook Messenger, TikTok, Telegram, WhatsApp, SMS and email. The Free and Essential plans connect up to two channels and exclude WhatsApp, SMS and email.
How much does Manychat cost?
Prices from Manychat's help centre and pricing page, checked on 1 November 2026, in US dollars:
| Plan | Billed yearly | Billed monthly | Active contacts a month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | $0 | 25 |
| Essential | $14 a month | $17 a month | 250 |
| Pro | $29 a month | $39 a month | 2,500 |
| Business | $69 a month | $99 a month | 7,500 |
| Advanced | From $139 a month | Not stated | 25,000 |
Going over your limit does not stop your automations; each extra active contact is billed at a per-contact rate. Essential and Pro have a 14-day free trial, and Business has none.
What do users say about Manychat?
Manychat is rated 4.5 out of 5 on G2 from about 165 reviews. Reviewers most often praise how easy it is to build automations and how much manual messaging it saves.
The most common complaints are features that feel restrictive once you go beyond the basics, cost for small businesses, and slow or hard-to-reach support. A few low ratings describe billing problems, and some reviewers say large flows become hard to maintain.
When should you choose an alternative?
- You only need a link sent on comments. Linktree's free plan includes Instagram auto-replies up to 1,000 DMs a month.
- You need a full support inbox. A help desk or social suite such as Hootsuite or Intercom suits customer service teams better.
- You want email nurturing. An email marketing tool such as ActiveCampaign is built for long sequences and reporting.
Browse more marketing automation tools or read our list of the best Instagram tools.
Key features
- Comment-to-DM. Sends a private message when someone comments on a post or Reel, either on any comment or only on a keyword you choose.
- Story and DM triggers. Starts an automation when someone replies to or mentions you in a Story, or sends a DM with a keyword.
- Flow Builder. A visual, no-code editor for multi-step conversations, with tags, custom fields, sequences and a Randomizer step for A/B tests.
- Audience segments. Group contacts by tags and fields to send follow-ups to the right people.
- AI. An AI step that writes dynamic replies inside a flow, and an assistant that drafts flows from a goal.
- Live chat inbox. Take over a conversation from the automation and reply by hand.
Manychat pricing
| Plan | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 25 active contacts a month, 1 user, up to 2 channels from Instagram, TikTok, Messenger or Telegram; no WhatsApp, SMS or email |
| Essential | $14 per month billed yearly, or $17 billed monthly | 250 active contacts a month, up to 2 channels; 14-day free trial |
| Pro | $29 per month billed yearly, or $39 billed monthly | 2,500 active contacts a month, then a fee per extra contact; 14-day free trial |
| Business | $69 per month billed yearly, or $99 billed monthly | 7,500 active contacts a month, unlimited channels; no free trial |
| Advanced | From $139 per month, billed yearly | 25,000 active contacts a month, unlimited channels |
Manychat FAQ
Is Manychat free?
Yes. The free plan covers 25 active contacts a month and up to two channels from Instagram, TikTok, Facebook Messenger or Telegram. WhatsApp, SMS and email need a paid plan.
How much does Manychat cost?
According to Manychat's help centre on 1 November 2026, Essential costs $14 per month billed yearly or $17 monthly, Pro $29 yearly or $39 monthly, and Business $69 yearly or $99 monthly. Each plan includes a number of active contacts a month, and extra contacts cost a per-contact fee.
Is Instagram DM automation allowed?
Yes, when it runs through Instagram's official messaging API and a person starts the conversation, for example by commenting or sending a DM. Manychat says it works through the official API and follows Meta's rules, which generally allow automated replies within 24 hours of a person's last message. Unsolicited mass messaging is not allowed.