9 best ManyChat alternatives, free and paid

ManyChat made Instagram automation popular: someone comments a keyword under your reel and gets a link or a promo code in their DMs a second later. For many creators and small brands, it was the first chatbot they ever set up.

As the account grows, so do the questions. Customers ask about prices, opening hours and delivery, write on WhatsApp as well as Instagram, and expect a real answer, not a menu of buttons. That's usually when people start comparing ManyChat with other tools.

We compared nine ManyChat alternatives and checked every price on the vendors' own pages in October 2026:

• Chatfuel: an AI Agent for Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger, TikTok and website chat, with comment-to-DM and one shared inbox.
• Spur: Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp automation for online stores.
• SendPulse: chatbots for Instagram, WhatsApp, Telegram and more, with a free plan.
• Wati: a WhatsApp-first inbox that also automates Instagram comments and DMs.
• respond.io: a team inbox for a dozen messaging channels.
• SleekFlow: an omnichannel inbox with AI agents on higher plans.
• Inrō: Instagram-only automation priced by activated contacts.
• CreatorFlow: comment-to-DM for Instagram creators, with a free plan.
• Tidio: website live chat with an AI agent and social channels.

See also: 5 Best Multi-Channel Customer Communication Tools

Why look for a ManyChat alternative

ManyChat is still a solid tool for flow-based Instagram campaigns. Three things push people to look around in 2026.

Pricing by Active Contacts. Since March 2, 2026, ManyChat charges by Active Contacts: the people your account interacts with in a month. Contacts above your plan's allowance are billed extra, so a viral reel with thousands of keyword comments raises that month's bill.

AI and WhatsApp start on Pro. The cheapest paid plan, Essential, has no AI replies and no WhatsApp, SMS or email. Those start on Pro.

Flows to maintain. ManyChat automations are flows you draw in a visual builder, with AI steps on Pro. Every new campaign, keyword or question means another flow to build and keep up to date.

Here is what ManyChat costs, as listed on manychat.com/pricing in October 2026 with monthly billing:

• Free: up to 25 active contacts a month on two of Instagram, TikTok, Messenger and Telegram, with ManyChat branding.
• Essential: $17 a month for 250 active contacts, without AI, WhatsApp, SMS or email.
• Pro: $39 a month for 2,500 active contacts, with AI, WhatsApp, SMS and email.
• Business: $99 a month for 7,500 active contacts.
• Advanced: $199 a month for 25,000 active contacts.

The final price depends on your billing country.

ManyChat alternatives compared

Prices as listed on each vendor's website in October 2026, with monthly billing. Most vendors are cheaper with annual billing.

1. Chatfuel

Chatfuel is an AI agent platform for messaging channels. Instead of drawing a flow for every question, you fill in an AI Knowledge Base once, and an AI Agent answers customers in Instagram DMs and comments, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, TikTok and a chat widget on your website. Your team picks up the chats that need a person in one shared inbox.

What you get:

• Comment-to-DM on Instagram and Facebook. Comment replies work for all posts or for the ones you pick: set keywords, a public reply under the comment and a DM, each written by the AI or as fixed text. On TikTok, Chatfuel replies publicly under comments, because TikTok doesn't allow a DM after a comment. Story replies are covered too.
• An AI Agent instead of button flows. The AI Agent answers in plain text from your AI Knowledge Base: business info, prices or catalog, and FAQ. When a price changes, you change it once in the knowledge base, not in every flow.
• Every channel in one inbox. Chats lists conversations from Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger, TikTok and your website together. With Switch to human agents, the AI Agent passes a chat to your team when it should. Teammates are unlimited and reply from the browser or the Chatfuel mobile app.
• Sales tools built in. The AI Agent collects contact details (Lead Qualification), sends follow-ups to customers who went quiet and books appointments in the Calendar. Every chat becomes a lead on the Kanban board.
• WhatsApp on the official platform. Connect a new number, or keep using the WhatsApp Business app on the same number with Coexistence. Send approved templates to a segment with Broadcasts (WhatsApp only).
• AI Co-pilot. Set up and change everything by chatting, or ask about your chats: what customers ask most, who went silent, how many leads came in this week.

Pricing: the Business plan costs $20 a month and includes $20 in credits for AI replies and messages. Agency plans for several client companies start at $100 a month, and yearly billing saves 10%. Every plan includes all channels, unlimited contacts and teammates, and no seat fees: you pay for usage through credits, not per contact. Meta's WhatsApp message fees come out of the same credit wallet. Each plan starts with a 7-day free trial with $15 in credits. See Chatfuel pricing.

Results: the agency GoSky AI built a Messenger bot on Chatfuel for the car mat store 3D Mats. It automated 70% of repetitive inquiries, raised the repurchase rate by 30% and helped reach a 999% return on ad spend.

Best for: small and midsize businesses that get questions in Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger, TikTok or website chat and want AI to answer them, not only to send pre-built flows.

Keep in mind: there's no free plan, only the 7-day trial. Chatfuel works in messaging channels only: no Telegram, SMS or email. The AI Agent replies with text and catalog photos, without buttons or quick replies, so logic that lived in ManyChat button menus moves into the knowledge base and the AI instructions.

2. Spur

Spur is a messaging platform for online stores. It automates Instagram comments and DMs, runs Click-to-DM ads and puts Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp and live chat into one shared inbox, with a Shopify integration on higher plans.

Channels: Instagram, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp and live chat. WhatsApp automation and Click-to-WhatsApp ads start on AI Start.

AI: every plan includes an AI agent with AI credits: 100 on the entry plan, 2,000 on AI Start.

Pricing:

• AI Acquire: $15 a month, 1 user, 3 automation flows on Instagram and Facebook.
• AI Start: $39 a month, 2 users, 25 flows on WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook.
• 14-day free trial without a card.

Best for: D2C brands that sell on Instagram and WhatsApp, especially on Shopify.

Keep in mind: the entry plan has one seat and no WhatsApp automation, and WhatsApp messages are billed on top at Spur's rates.

3. SendPulse

SendPulse is a marketing platform with separate products for email, SMS and chatbots. Its chatbot builder works in six messengers and on your website, and the free plan covers a small audience.

Channels: Instagram, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Telegram, Viber, TikTok and live chat on your website.

AI: an AI assistant inside the chatbot builder.

Pricing:

• Free: up to 500 subscribers, 3 bots and 10,000 messages a month.
• Pro: from $12 a month for 500 subscribers; the price grows with your subscriber count.

Best for: small businesses that want chatbots in several messengers and email campaigns from one vendor.

Keep in mind: like ManyChat, the price follows your audience size, and email and SMS are separate products with their own pricing.

4. Wati

Wati started as a WhatsApp Business API inbox and grew into an omnichannel tool. It runs WhatsApp broadcasts and Click-to-WhatsApp ads, and automates Instagram comments and DMs as well as TikTok and Messenger DMs.

Channels: WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook Messenger, TikTok and a website widget.

AI: the Growth plan includes 250 AI Co-pilot credits a month. Astra AI agents are a separate add-on, and AI lead qualification comes with Pro.

Pricing:

• Growth: $69 a month ($59 a month billed annually), 3 users.
• Pro: $119 a month billed annually, 5 users.
• WhatsApp messages are billed per message on top. 7-day free trial.

Best for: businesses where WhatsApp is the main channel and Instagram comes second.

Keep in mind: AI agents cost extra, and the Growth plan has no extra seats.

5. respond.io

respond.io is a team inbox for sales and support across more than ten messaging channels, built for companies that talk to customers in several countries.

Channels: WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook Messenger, TikTok, Telegram, LINE, Viber, WeChat, SMS, email and web chat.

AI: AI agents, AI Assist and AI summaries run on AI credits that come with the plans that include AI features, starting with Growth.

Pricing:

• Starter: $99 a month ($79 a month billed yearly), 5 users.
• Growth: $199 a month ($159 a month billed yearly), with AI agents.
• Contacts above the plan's monthly active contact limit are billed on demand. 7-day free trial.

Best for: sales and support teams that work in many channels and markets at once.

Keep in mind: there's no free plan, and AI agents start at $199 a month.

6. SleekFlow

SleekFlow is an omnichannel inbox for sales and support teams. It combines broadcasts, a shared inbox and AI agents, and connects messengers that few other tools support, such as LINE and WeChat.

Channels: WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook Messenger, TikTok, Telegram, LINE, WeChat, Viber, SMS and email (Gmail, Outlook).

AI: AI agents start on Pro.

Pricing:

• Essential: $69 a month ($49 a month billed yearly), 3 seats.
• Pro: $139 a month ($109 a month billed yearly), with AI agents.
• Extra seats and monthly active contacts cost extra. 7-day free trial of Pro.

Best for: teams that need LINE, WeChat or Viber next to WhatsApp and Instagram.

Keep in mind: AI agents aren't on the entry plan, and plans roll out by country, so prices may differ where you are.

7. Inrō

Inrō is an Instagram-only automation tool. It covers comments, DMs and mentions, keeps contacts in a simple CRM, and charges only for the contacts your automations actually activate.

Channels: Instagram.

AI: an AI agent that answers in DMs and comments; the free plan includes 50 AI credits.

Pricing:

• Free: up to 100 activated contacts a month.
• Pro: from €12.99 a month for up to 500 activated contacts; the price follows how many contacts you activate.
• 14-day Pro trial.

Best for: creators and brands that sell only on Instagram and want ManyChat-style campaigns with an AI agent.

Keep in mind: there's no WhatsApp or Messenger, and like ManyChat, a viral post raises that month's bill.

8. CreatorFlow

CreatorFlow is a lightweight comment-to-DM tool for Instagram creators: comment a keyword, get a link in DMs.

Channels: Instagram.

AI: none listed on the pricing page.

Pricing:

• Free: 1 account and 500 DMs a month.
• Pro: $15 a month ($12 a month billed yearly), 2 accounts and 5,000 DMs a month.
• 14-day free trial on paid plans.

Best for: creators who mostly send links and lead magnets from reels.

Keep in mind: no AI agent and no other channels, so it's a replacement for ManyChat's comment campaigns, not for its inbox.

9. Tidio

Tidio is a live chat for websites with an AI agent called Lyro. It also connects Messenger, Instagram, WhatsApp and email to the same inbox.

Channels: website chat, Facebook Messenger, Instagram, WhatsApp and email.

AI: Lyro AI agent answers from your knowledge base; plans include 50 Lyro conversations once, then Lyro is paid by the number of AI conversations.

Pricing:

• Free: 50 billable conversations a month.
• Starter: $29 a month ($24.17 a month billed annually), 100 billable conversations.
• 7-day free trial.

Best for: online stores whose customers mostly write on the website.

Keep in mind: Tidio is built around website chat, and its AI is billed separately from the help desk plan.

See also: How Much Does a Chatbot Cost? Build vs. Buy

How to move from ManyChat to Chatfuel

You don't need to rebuild your ManyChat flows one by one. The AI Agent answers from your knowledge base, so most of the work is copying what your flows say.

1. Start the trial. Sign up and pick a plan. The 7-day trial includes every channel and $15 in credits.
2. Connect your channels. In Settings → Platforms, connect Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, TikTok and your website. A WhatsApp number can be connected to only one provider at a time, so release it from ManyChat first. A number that runs on the WhatsApp Business app can be connected and keep the app.
3. Avoid double replies. Turn off ManyChat automations on the accounts you move, so two tools don't answer the same comment or message.
4. Fill in the AI Knowledge Base. Add what your business does, your prices or catalog, and your FAQ. That's where the answers from your flows go.
5. Recreate your comment campaigns. In AI Agent → Automations, open Instagram → Posts and Reels and click Add new rule. Pick the post or reel, add the keyword, then set Public comment replies and Reply in DMs: written by the AI or fixed text, for example a promo code. New rules start switched off, so turn the rule on.
6. Set up handoff and lead capture. Switch to human agents decides when a chat goes to your team, and Lead Qualification collects the contact details you need.
7. Test before you go live. Test automation opens a preview where you type a comment or a message and see what the AI Agent replies.

AI Co-pilot can do most of these steps for you: ask it in plain words to fill in the knowledge base, set up comment replies for a post or add a handoff rule. Only connecting a channel needs you to finish the login yourself.

See also: Instagram auto reply to comments: Easy step-by-step

How to choose a ManyChat alternative

Start with how your customers reach you and what you want automation to do, then compare prices.

Where your customers write

If everything happens on Instagram, an Instagram-only tool like Inrō or CreatorFlow is enough. If customers also write on WhatsApp, Messenger, TikTok or your website, pick a tool that brings those channels into one inbox. Check which channels each plan includes: several tools add WhatsApp only on higher tiers.

AI answers or button flows

Flow builders send what you scripted. An AI agent answers questions you didn't script, from the information you give it. If most of your DMs are questions about prices, availability or orders, an AI agent saves more time than another flow.

How the price grows

ManyChat, SendPulse and Inrō charge by contacts, so a viral post can raise the bill. respond.io and SleekFlow charge per plan with a set number of seats and a monthly contact limit, and Wati adds WhatsApp fees per message. Chatfuel charges a flat plan with credits for AI replies and WhatsApp messages, with unlimited contacts and teammates. Estimate a busy month, not an average one.

Comment-to-DM

If keyword campaigns under reels are your main growth tool, check that the tool sends a DM after a comment on Instagram and Facebook, lets you choose posts and keywords, and can write the reply with AI or as fixed text.

Team inbox and handoff

Once a few people answer chats, you need assignment, a clear handoff from the AI to a person and a mobile app for replies on the go.

See also: Manychat Alternatives for Developers (2026)

Summary

• Chatfuel fits when customers ask questions on Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger, TikTok or website chat and you want an AI Agent to answer, with comment-to-DM and a team inbox in one plan.
• Spur fits online stores that sell on Instagram and WhatsApp.
• SendPulse fits small businesses that want a free start in several messengers plus email.
• Wati fits WhatsApp-first businesses.
• respond.io and SleekFlow fit teams that work in many channels and markets.
• Inrō and CreatorFlow fit Instagram-only creators and brands.
• Tidio fits stores whose customers write on the website.

FAQs

Which is better, Chatfuel or ManyChat?

It depends on how you want to automate. ManyChat fits flow-based Instagram campaigns and also covers Telegram, SMS and email. Chatfuel fits when you want an AI Agent to answer questions from your knowledge base on Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger, TikTok and website chat, with one plan from $20 a month that includes unlimited contacts and teammates.

Is there a free ManyChat alternative?

Yes. SendPulse is free for up to 500 subscribers, Inrō for up to 100 activated contacts a month, CreatorFlow for 500 DMs a month and Tidio for 50 conversations a month. Chatfuel has no free plan but starts with a 7-day trial with $15 in credits.

Why is ManyChat getting more expensive?

Since March 2026, ManyChat charges by Active Contacts, the people your account interacts with each month. Contacts above your plan's allowance are billed extra, and AI replies and WhatsApp start on the $39 Pro plan.

Can I move my WhatsApp number from ManyChat to Chatfuel?

Yes. A WhatsApp number can be connected to only one provider at a time, so release it from ManyChat first and check that it no longer shows under your WhatsApp Business Account in Meta Business Settings. Then connect it in Chatfuel. If the number runs on the WhatsApp Business app, you can connect it and keep using the app.

Which ManyChat alternative is best for Instagram comment-to-DM?

For comment-to-DM campaigns only, Inrō and CreatorFlow are the closest replacements and have free plans. If you also want an AI agent to answer the DMs that follow and to cover WhatsApp and other channels, look at Chatfuel or Spur.