ManyChat pricing in 2026: every plan, and what you will actually pay
As of October 2026, ManyChat has five plans: Free ($0, 25 active contacts a month), Essential ($17 a month, 250), Pro ($39, 2,500), Business ($99, 7,500) and Advanced ($199, 25,000); billed annually, the paid plans drop to $14, $29, $69 and $139 a month. The bill follows active contacts, meaning each person ManyChat messages in a month, and every one over your allowance adds $0.004 to $0.10. A month in which a Reel brings 5,000 people into your DMs costs $99 on Business, or $164 if you stay on Pro.
What are ManyChat's plans and prices in October 2026?
ManyChat sells five plans. Each includes a monthly allowance of active contacts, and every paid plan charges a small fee for each active contact beyond it. Paying annually lowers the monthly price by 18% on Essential, 25% on Pro and 30% on Business and Advanced.
The figures below are the US prices on manychat.com/pricing on 9 October 2026. ManyChat sets the final price by your billing country and adds tax at checkout, so check the page from your own account before you buy.
| Plan | Monthly billing | Annual billing | Active contacts included each month | Each extra active contact | Channels and users |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | $0 | 25 | Not available | 2 channels, 1 user, up to 4 live automations, ManyChat branding |
| Essential | $17/mo | $14/mo ($168 a year) | 250 | $0.10 ($0.082 on annual) | 2 channels, 2 users, unlimited automations |
| Pro | $39/mo | $29/mo ($348 a year) | 2,500 | $0.05 ($0.038 on annual) | 3 channels, 3 users, broadcasting, Manychat AI |
| Business | $99/mo | $69/mo ($828 a year) | 7,500 | $0.025 ($0.018 on annual) | All channels, 5 users, multi-user inbox, priority support |
| Advanced | $199/mo | $139/mo ($1,668 a year) | 25,000 | $0.004 ($0.0028 on annual) | All channels, 10 users, multi-user inbox, priority support |
Essential and Pro come with a 14-day free trial. Extra inbox seats cost $25 each on Pro and above.
What is an active contact, and why does it decide your bill?
ManyChat defines an active contact as a real person you interact with during a monthly billing period, through automations, AI, broadcasts or the inbox. One person counts once a month however many messages you exchange, and the count starts again the next month. On annual plans the allowance is still counted monthly, and any overage is billed monthly.
So the bill follows how many people you talk to in a month, not how many followers you have or how many automations you run. A comment-to-DM automation on a Reel that 3,000 people comment on creates 3,000 active contacts that month. A quiet month with 200 conversations creates 200. Most Instagram accounts have spiky months, so choose a plan for a busy month rather than an average one.
Going over the allowance does not switch your automations off; ManyChat charges the overage instead. You can set an overage threshold to cap what you will pay, and ManyChat says that if you upgrade to a higher plan within the same billing cycle, the overage already incurred is forgiven. Older articles that quote a $15 Pro plan priced on your total contact list describe an earlier model; the current pricing page bills on monthly active contacts.
How much does ManyChat cost at your audience size?
The table works out the cheapest ManyChat plan for a given number of active contacts in a month, using the overage fees above. It compares price only: the Free plan's four live automations, Essential's two channels and Pro's AI features may push you to a bigger plan anyway.
| People messaged in a month | ManyChat, monthly billing | ManyChat, annual billing (per month) | DMPilot |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25 or fewer | Free: $0 | Free: $0 | $9 |
| 250 | Essential: $17 | Essential: $14 | $9 |
| 500 | Pro: $39 (Essential plus 250 extra would be $42) | Pro: $29 | $9 |
| 2,500 | Pro: $39 | Pro: $29 | $9 |
| 5,000 | Business: $99 (Pro plus 2,500 extra would be $164) | Business: $69 | $9 |
| 10,000 | Business plus 2,500 extra: $161.50 | Business plus 2,500 extra: $114 | $9 |
| 25,000 | Advanced: $199 | Advanced: $139 | $9 |
DMPilot is $9 a month or $81 a year, flat, and covers Instagram only. It does not count contacts. See DMPilot pricing.
A small shop messaging about 300 people a month
A boutique running PRICE and SHOP keywords on a few posts, plus story replies, might talk to 300 people in a normal month. That is 50 over Essential's 250, so Essential costs $17 plus 50 × $0.10, which is $22 a month on monthly billing, or about $18 billed annually. Pro, at $39, only makes sense if the shop also wants broadcasts or a third channel.
A creator whose Reel takes off: 5,000 people in one month
A creator on Pro who normally talks to 1,000 people a month pays $39. In the month a Reel brings 5,000 commenters into their DMs, Pro costs $39 plus 2,500 × $0.05, which is $164. Upgrading to Business within that billing cycle forgives the overage, so the spike costs about $99 instead, and a downgrade back to Pro on monthly billing takes effect from the next period.
A coach with a steady 2,000 people a month
Pro covers 2,500 active contacts, so a coach who talks to 2,000 people every month pays a predictable $39, or $29 billed annually. The risk only appears when a launch or a viral post pushes a month past 2,500; from about 3,700 people a month, Business at $99 is cheaper than Pro plus overage.
Which ManyChat plan do you need?
Choose on two things: the number of people you will message in your busiest month, and the features you cannot do without. The crossover points below come from the overage fees on monthly billing.
- Free: testing only. 25 active contacts and four live automations run out on the first post that works.
- Essential: a small account on one or two channels that talks to up to about 250 people a month, or a little more with overage.
- Pro: most growing creators and businesses. 2,500 active contacts, three channels, broadcasting, Manychat AI and integrations such as Zapier and Make.
- Business: teams that need a multi-user inbox, or any account that regularly messages more than about 3,700 people a month, where Pro's overage costs more than the step up.
- Advanced: high-volume accounts. Above about 11,500 active contacts a month it is cheaper than Business plus overage.
When is a flat $9 tool cheaper than ManyChat?
If all you need is Instagram comment-to-DM, story replies and keyword DMs, a flat-priced tool costs less than any paid ManyChat plan at any audience size. ManyChat's cheapest paid plan is $14 a month billed annually, and DMPilot is $9 a month whether you message 50 people or 50,000. The gap widens as you grow, because ManyChat's bill follows your active contacts and a flat price does not.
ManyChat is the better choice when you need more than Instagram DMs. On price alone it rarely wins at small sizes: its Free plan covers 25 active contacts a month, and DMPilot's free plan covers up to 100 people a month. If you need what ManyChat sells beyond Instagram DMs, such as a visual flow builder with branching, WhatsApp, Messenger, TikTok, SMS or email, broadcasts, AI or team seats, the comparison is not like for like: DMPilot is Instagram only, with no visual flow builder, no WhatsApp or Messenger, no multi-account agency workspaces and no product carousels.
For the feature-by-feature version, read DMPilot vs ManyChat. For other flat-priced and free options, see ManyChat alternatives and the best Instagram DM automation tools. DMPilot has a free plan with no card for up to 100 people a month.
How do you keep a ManyChat bill down?
The levers are all on the active-contact side, because the plan prices themselves are fixed.
- Pick the plan for your busiest month, not your average one.
- Set an overage threshold so a viral post cannot run up an open-ended charge.
- If a month is heading far over, upgrade within the billing cycle: ManyChat forgives the overage so far.
- Move to annual billing only once your volume is steady, because an annual plan cannot be downgraded until its term ends.
- Trigger on a keyword rather than every comment, so only people who asked for something become active contacts.
Frequently asked questions
How much does ManyChat cost per month?
As of October 2026, ManyChat costs $0 (Free), $17 (Essential), $39 (Pro), $99 (Business) or $199 (Advanced) a month on monthly billing, or $14, $29, $69 and $139 a month billed annually. Going over your plan's active contacts adds a fee per extra contact.
Is ManyChat free?
There is a Free plan with 25 active contacts a month, two channels, up to four live automations and ManyChat branding. It is enough to test an automation, not to run a post that gets real engagement.
How much is ManyChat Pro?
$39 a month, or $29 a month billed annually ($348 a year). It includes 2,500 active contacts a month, and each extra one costs $0.05, or $0.038 on annual billing.
What is an active contact in ManyChat?
A person ManyChat sends messages to or receives messages from during the monthly billing period, through automations, AI, broadcasts or the inbox. Each person counts once per month.
Does ManyChat charge more after a viral post?
Yes, if the post pushes the month past your plan's active contacts: each extra person costs $0.004 to $0.10 depending on the plan. Upgrading within the same billing cycle forgives the overage, and an overage threshold caps it.
Does ManyChat have a free trial?
Essential and Pro have a 14-day free trial. ManyChat's pricing page also says you can cancel within 30 days of buying a plan and ask for a refund.
Do ManyChat prices vary by country?
Yes. ManyChat sets the price by your billing country and adds tax at checkout. The figures on this page are the US prices shown on 9 October 2026.
What is a cheaper alternative to ManyChat for Instagram?
For Instagram-only comment-to-DM, story replies and keyword DMs, a flat-priced tool costs less. DMPilot is free for up to 100 people a month, then $9 a month or $81 a year with no per-contact pricing, but it has no flow builder and no other channels.
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