ManyChat Pricing 2026: Plans, Active Contacts, Real Costs
ManyChat pricing for 2026: Free, then $17, $39, $99 and $199 plans billed by active contacts. What you'll really pay, with overage and WhatsApp fees.
TL;DR: ManyChat has five plans: Free ($0), Essential ($17/month), Pro ($39/month), Business ($99/month) and Advanced ($199/month), with lower prices on yearly billing. Since March 2, 2026, ManyChat bills by active contacts — the people who interact with your account through ManyChat in a month. Essential covers 250 active contacts, Pro 2,500 and Business 7,500, and each extra contact costs $0.10, $0.05 or $0.025 on monthly billing. WhatsApp, SMS and email start on Pro, and WhatsApp message charges are paid on top through ManyChat's Wallet. Small accounts with a few hundred people engaging fit Essential or Pro; the bill climbs when a post goes viral or you message a big list.
Last checked: October 26, 2026
Every price on this page was read from ManyChat's own help center plan articles and its WhatsApp pricing guide. ManyChat's new plans apply to accounts created on or after March 2, 2026; older paid accounts are moved over country by country, so the plans you see in your account may differ.
ManyChat Plans at a Glance
| Plan | Monthly | Billed yearly | Active contacts / month | Each extra contact (monthly / yearly billing) | Users · inbox seats | Channels you can connect |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | — | 25 | — | 1 · 1 | Up to 2 (Instagram, TikTok, Messenger, Telegram) |
| Essential | $17 | $14/month | 250 | $0.10 / $0.08 | 2 · 1 | Up to 2 (no WhatsApp, SMS or email) |
| Pro | $39 | $29/month | 2,500 | $0.05 / $0.038 | 3 · 2 (up to 3) | Up to 3, including WhatsApp, SMS and email |
| Business | $99 | $69/month | 7,500 | $0.025 / $0.018 | 5 · 3 (up to 5) | Unlimited |
| Advanced | $199 | $139/month | 25,000 | $0.004 / $0.0028 or less, lower at higher usage* | 10 · 5 (up to 10) | Unlimited |
Source: ManyChat Help Center — Free, Essential, Pro, Business, Advanced, choosing a plan. Checked October 26, 2026. *ManyChat's Active Contacts article lists Advanced overage as custom pricing.
What each paid plan adds, in plain terms:
- Free is for trying ManyChat out: up to 4 live automations, and a "Powered by Manychat" message is sent the first time you message a contact.
- Essential removes the automation limit and adds lead capture (email and phone), tags, follower checks and Google Sheets sync. It does not include WhatsApp, SMS or email. 14-day free trial.
- Pro adds WhatsApp, SMS and email channels, AI-powered automation for longer conversations and FAQs, inbox labels and rules, integrations, and API access. Extra inbox seats are $25 each. 14-day free trial.
- Business adds unlimited channels, more seats, and lead routing and assignment in the inbox. No free trial.
- Advanced includes up to 25,000 active contacts a month, 10 users and 5 inbox seats (up to 10), for teams that outgrow Business's 7,500. Its per-contact overage drops as usage grows. No free trial.
What Changed in 2026: Active Contacts
Before March 2, 2026, ManyChat priced its paid plan by the size of your contact list, and many pricing guides still quote that older model. The current model is different in three ways:
- You pay for people who interact that month, not your whole list. An active contact is anyone who interacts with your business through ManyChat during the billing month — they send a DM, comment on a post, reply to a story, or engage with an automation in another way (ManyChat: Active Contacts).
- Messages you send can count too. ManyChat's help center says imported contacts count as active when they "send or receive messages through Manychat Automation, Manychat AI, Broadcasts, Live Chat". Budget on the basis that a broadcast to 6,000 people can make 6,000 people active that month, and check the Active Contacts count in Insights after your first big send.
- Overage is automatic on paid plans. Go past your plan's limit and your automations keep running; the extra contacts are added to your next bill at your plan's overage rate. If an account keeps growing well beyond its plan's cap without upgrading, ManyChat says automations may eventually pause.
A few details that change the count:
- The same person messaging you ten times in a month counts once.
- Someone who contacts you on two platforms may count twice, unless ManyChat can match them by the same phone number or email.
- Contacts you import from a CSV only count in months they actually send or receive messages.
- The count resets every billing month, even on yearly billing.
What You'll Actually Pay: Four Examples
These are illustrative examples worked out from ManyChat's published prices (monthly billing, October 2026), not quotes.
| Business | Active contacts / month | Channels needed | Plan | Monthly cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yoga studio answering Instagram DMs | ~180 | Essential | $17 | |
| Salon on Instagram and WhatsApp | ~600 | Instagram, WhatsApp | Pro (WhatsApp needs Pro) | $39 + WhatsApp message charges |
| Shop whose reel goes viral | ~4,000 | Pro + 1,500 extra contacts × $0.05 | $114 — Business ($99) would be cheaper | |
| Store that messages its whole list monthly | ~6,000 | Instagram, Messenger | Pro + 3,500 × $0.05 = $214, or Business | $99 on Business |
Two break-even points are worth knowing (monthly billing):
- Essential vs Pro: Essential plus overage passes Pro's $39 at about 470 active contacts a month ($17 + 220 × $0.10). If you also need WhatsApp, you need Pro anyway.
- Pro vs Business: Pro plus overage passes Business's $99 at about 3,700 active contacts a month ($39 + 1,200 × $0.05). On yearly billing the crossover is about 3,550.
Set a contact limit before a campaign
ManyChat lets you cap overage under Settings → Billing → Subscription → Set your contact limit. Once you reach it, automations keep running only for contacts already active that month. ManyChat also notifies you at 70%, 90% and 100% of your plan's limit.
Costs on Top of the Plan
The subscription is not the whole bill. Check these before you budget:
- WhatsApp messages. Once you connect your WhatsApp Business Account and share its credit line with ManyChat, WhatsApp charges are paid from your ManyChat Wallet. Each template message is charged per delivery, by category and the recipient's country. Since October 1, 2026, service messages (replies inside the customer service window) are also charged after the first 1,000 per WhatsApp number each month. Messages customers send you are free, and messages inside Meta's free entry point window (after a click-to-WhatsApp ad) aren't charged (ManyChat: WhatsApp pricing guide; Meta: WhatsApp pricing).
- Marketing templates to US numbers. ManyChat's WhatsApp pricing guide notes that Meta paused marketing template messages to users in the United States starting April 1, 2025. That applies to the recipient's number: if your customers have US numbers, WhatsApp marketing broadcasts to them aren't available, whichever provider you use. Our WhatsApp automation tools comparison covers how other platforms bill these messages.
- SMS. SMS starts on Pro and runs through your own Twilio account, so Twilio bills you for each message, not ManyChat. A long message (ManyChat allows up to 480 characters) is split and billed as several SMS (ManyChat: SMS).
- Extra inbox seats. $25 each on Pro (up to 3 seats), Business (up to 5) and Advanced (up to 10).
- More than one account. Each ManyChat account is billed separately, with its own plan and contact limit. Agencies running several clients pay per account.
- Yearly billing. Yearly plans are charged upfront for the year, and you can't switch back to monthly until the term ends.
Is ManyChat Worth It?
ManyChat is genuinely good value when your goal is social marketing automation: Instagram comment-to-DM flows, story replies, giveaways, lead capture, and WhatsApp broadcasts on Pro and up. Essential at $17 covers a small creator or local business that mostly runs automated replies on one or two social channels.
It's a weaker fit when:
- Your customers ask open questions that don't fit a flow — prices for their specific case, availability, policies. Pro adds AI-powered automation for deeper conversations and more complex FAQs; on Free and Essential, replies come from the automations you build. (Our guide to answering Instagram DMs with AI shows the difference.)
- You message a large list. Recipients can count as active contacts that month, so a big send can mean overage.
- You need website chat. A website chat widget is not in the channel lists on ManyChat's plan pages, which name Instagram, TikTok, Messenger, WhatsApp, Telegram, SMS and email.
For a deeper look at the options, see our ManyChat alternatives guide, the Instagram DM automation roundup, Chatfuel alternatives, and our guide to multi-channel chatbots. If you only need simple answers inside Meta's own apps, compare Meta's free Business Agent too.
ManyChat vs Hyperleap AI: How the Bills Differ
Hyperleap AI is an AI front desk for small businesses: it answers customer questions from your own website and documents across website chat, WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook Messenger, captures leads, and books meetings in the chat with Calendly or Cal.com on Pro and Max (on Plus it shares your booking link; in-chat Calendly booking needs Calendly Standard or higher). It bills by AI reply, not by contact.
| ManyChat | Hyperleap AI | |
|---|---|---|
| What you pay for | Active contacts each month (which can include broadcast recipients) | AI responses (one reply = one response) |
| Entry paid plan | Essential, $17/month for 250 active contacts | Plus, $40/month for 3,000 AI responses |
| Mid plan | Pro, $39/month for 2,500 active contacts | Pro, $100/month for 12,000 AI responses |
| Over the limit | Automatic overage per extra contact | Credit packs, $12 per 1,000 credits |
| Website chat | Not in the plan pages' channel lists | Included |
| Pro and up | All plans | |
| TikTok, Telegram, SMS | Yes (SMS from Pro) | TikTok not supported; Telegram and SMS on the roadmap |
| Broadcasts and flow builder | Yes | Not a broadcast or flow-building tool |
| Free entry | Free plan (25 active contacts) | 7-day free trial (card required) |
The honest read: if most of your work is broadcasting and comment automation on social channels, ManyChat is built for that and often costs less. If most of your work is answering the same customer questions all day, across your website and messaging channels, a reply-based AI front desk usually fits better, and you can run both side by side. The units differ, so estimate both from last month: one person who asks three questions is one ManyChat active contact but about three Hyperleap responses. Our full Hyperleap AI vs ManyChat comparison covers features, channels and team scale; see current Hyperleap pricing for plan details. WhatsApp message charges from Meta apply on any platform that uses the WhatsApp Business API.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is ManyChat free?
Yes, there is a Free plan at $0 that covers 25 active contacts a month, 1 user, up to 2 channels (Instagram, TikTok, Messenger or Telegram) and up to 4 live automations. WhatsApp, SMS and email are not included, and a "Powered by Manychat" message is sent the first time you message a contact.
How much is ManyChat Pro in 2026?
ManyChat Pro is $39 a month, or $29 a month billed yearly. It includes 2,500 active contacts a month, 3 users, 2 inbox seats (up to 3), up to 3 channels including WhatsApp, SMS and email, AI-powered automation and API access. Each extra active contact costs $0.05 on monthly billing.
What is an active contact in ManyChat?
An active contact is anyone who interacts with your business through ManyChat in the current billing month — a DM, a comment, a story reply, or engaging with an automation. For imported contacts, ManyChat also counts people who receive messages through automations, ManyChat AI, broadcasts or live chat, so plan large sends as if every recipient counts. Each person counts once a month, and the count resets every billing month.
What happens if I go over my ManyChat contact limit?
On paid plans, your automations keep running and the extra contacts are billed at your plan's overage rate: $0.10 on Essential, $0.05 on Pro, $0.025 on Business and $0.004 or less on Advanced (monthly billing; ManyChat's Active Contacts article lists Advanced overage as custom). You can set a contact limit under Settings → Billing → Subscription to cap overage.
Does ManyChat charge for WhatsApp messages?
Yes. WhatsApp charges are on top of your plan and paid from your ManyChat Wallet. Template messages are charged per delivery by category and country, and since October 1, 2026 service messages are charged after the first 1,000 per WhatsApp number each month. WhatsApp needs the Pro plan or higher.
Do ManyChat broadcasts count toward active contacts?
They can. ManyChat's help center counts contacts who send or receive messages through automations, ManyChat AI, broadcasts or live chat as active (it says this for imported contacts), so plan a big send as if every recipient counts. Set a contact limit before large broadcasts, or move to Business if you message thousands of people every month.
How much do you save with ManyChat yearly billing?
Yearly billing brings Essential to $14/month (18% off), Pro to $29/month (25% off), Business to $69/month (30% off) and Advanced to $139/month (30% off $199). The full year is charged upfront, and overage still applies monthly.
Answer Customer Questions on Every Channel
Hyperleap AI answers from your own website and documents across website chat, WhatsApp, Instagram, and Messenger. Plans from $40/month for 3,000 AI responses.
Start for freeComparing more tools before you decide? See the 2026 chatbot pricing comparison, our guide to chatbot pricing models, or contact our team for a cost estimate based on your real message volume.
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