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Open source agentic chat marketing platform you can self-host, white-label, and resell. Automate omnichannel conversations across WhatsApp, Messenger…

Free AI assistants and chatbot builders verified October 2026: ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Mistral, Copilot, Perplexity free tiers; Tidio (50 conversations, 10 seats), Botpress (100), Landbot (100), Typebot (200), Crisp (2 seats), ManyChat (25 contacts), Zapier Chatbots (2 bots), Dialogflow ES, Rasa Developer Edition — caps, models, seats, branding, paid steps.

Botsify는 코딩 없이 챗봇을 만들고 웹사이트와 메신저 채널에 연결할 수 있는 노코드 챗봇 플랫폼입니다. 이 글에서는 Botsify의 기본 특징과 장단점을 짚은 뒤, ManyChat, Chatfuel, Tidio, Landbot, Intercom을 대안 5개로 비교합니다. 작성

_Last updated: October 17, 2026. Prices are in USD, taken from each vendor's pricing page or the most recent third-party checks I could find (September and October 2026). These vendors change plans often, so confirm on the live page before you buy._ **Short answer:** The best ManyChat alternative depends on why you are leaving. If you want an AI that answers customer questions on WhatsApp and Instagram, with a shared inbox and a CRM in the same plan, Heyy is the one to try first: it starts at $49 a month and the Hobby plan has a 7-day free trial. If your bill jumps whenever a post goes viral, Chatfuel's unlimited-contact plans are worth a look. Large WhatsApp-first teams should look at Respond.io, and WhatsApp-only shops at Wati. If your main use is comment-to-DM giveaways and simple flows, ManyChat is still very hard to beat, and you may not need to leave at all. ManyChat is the default name in Instagram DM automation, but 2026 has been rough on its free users and its fastest-growing accounts. The free plan was cut sharply in March, billing still follows 'active contacts', and AI only switches on from the Pro plan. If you searched for a ManyChat alternative, you probably hit one of those walls. This guide compares four ManyChat competitors (Heyy, Chatfuel, Respond.io and Wati) against ManyChat itself on the things that change your bill: what you are billed on, where AI starts, and how much each tool marks up WhatsApp's per-message fees. I also say when you should not switch. ## Why people look for ManyChat alternatives in 2026 Five complaints come up again and again. Photo by Markus Spiske / Unsplash **1. The free plan shrank.** Before March 2026, ManyChat's free plan covered 1,000 contacts. It now covers 25. Plenty of review sites still show the old 1,000 figure, so check the live pricing page before you trust a comparison, including this one. **2. You are billed on active contacts, not on messages.** An active contact is any person you exchange a message with during the billing month, whether through an automation, a broadcast, AI or the inbox. One person counts once, however many messages you swap. Even a story reaction that lands in your inbox can count. Go over your allowance and you pay an overage fee per extra contact rather than being cut off. **3. One viral post can wreck a month.** A review roundup from September 2026 worked through a creator on the $14 Essential plan (250 contacts included) whose Reel drives 1,000 people into the DMs. That is 750 contacts over the limit at $0.10 each, so about $89 for the month instead of $14. Upgrading to Pro mid-cycle forgives the overage, which helps, but it is a surprise you only avoid if you have read the fine print. **4. AI and WhatsApp start at Pro.** The Free and Essential plans have no AI features at all, and WhatsApp is also reserved for Pro and above. Pro costs $29 a month on annual billing, and monthly billing runs higher, around $39. **5. The AI answers from a library you paste in yourself.** ManyChat's AI Replies draw on a knowledge library of up to 250,000 characters that you maintain by hand, and you preview recommended replies before they go live. That works well for FAQ-style questions from a creator's audience. It is a different thing from an agent that takes actions or hands a conversation to a teammate with context. The reviews split in a telling way. On G2 (4.5 out of 5 from 165 reviews) and Capterra (4.6 from 72), power users love the flow builder. On Trustpilot, where reviews are unsolicited, ManyChat sits at 2.1 out of 5 from 303 reviews, and billing is the recurring theme. The tool does what it promises. The billing model is what surprises people. ## ManyChat competitors at a glance Tool | Starting price | Billed on | AI starts at | WhatsApp fee approach | Free option ---|---|---|---|---|--- ManyChat | Free (25 contacts); Essential $14 and Pro $29 on annual billing | Active contacts, with overage | Pro | Meta's fees go through your Meta wallet | Free plan Heyy | $49 ($41 yearly) | Plan plus credits, unlimited contacts | Every plan | Own rate sheet, higher than Meta's list price | 7-day trial on Hobby, no card Chatfuel | $20 ($18 yearly) with $20 of AI credit | Plan plus prepaid AI wallet, unlimited contacts | Business plan | Meta's rate plus 10% | Free trial Respond.io | $79 yearly ($99 monthly) | Monthly active contacts | Growth ($159 yearly) | Meta's rates, no markup | 7-day trial Wati | Growth from $69 on monthly billing | Plan plus per-message markup | Higher plans, with caps | Marked up | 7-day trial Two cautions on this table. Chatfuel replaced its plans between early September and October 1, 2026, so many pages still quote older prices like $69 or $49. Wati's published prices also vary a lot by source and billing cycle, from $29 to $69 for Growth. I used the most recent checks I found for both. ## 1. Heyy: best for AI conversations with a team inbox Heyy is built around **AI Employees** : assistants with their own role, tone and knowledge base that answer customers on WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger and website live chat. You can run several of them (one for sales, one for support, say), and each can take actions such as booking meetings, opening tickets or calling your own API. A built-in playground lets you test an AI Employee before it talks to real customers, and you can tell it when to hand a conversation to a human. Around the AI, the same plan includes a shared inbox, a mini-CRM, campaigns, a flow builder for classic automations, and full API access. Contacts are unlimited on every plan, so your audience size never triggers an overage. Pricing, as listed on Heyy's page in October 2026: | Hobby | Pro | Ultra ---|---|---|--- Monthly (yearly per month) | $49 ($41) | $149 ($125) | $499 ($416) Credits per month | 1,000 | 6,000 | 20,000 Users | 1 | 5 | 10 AI Employees | 1 | 2 | 3 Channels | 3 | 5 | 10 One credit pays for one AI message or one automation trigger, and extra credits cost $20 per 1,000. Our Heyy pricing breakdown walks through the real cost per AI reply, the add-ons and the WhatsApp fees. **What Heyy does better than ManyChat:** * AI is available on every plan, including the $49 Hobby plan, rather than starting at Pro. * Your bill follows AI usage, not audience size, so a viral post does not create contact overage. * AI Employees can take actions and hand off to a person, instead of only answering from a pasted library. * The inbox, CRM and team seats sit in the same plan, with 5 users on Pro. **Where it falls short:** * On sticker price, ManyChat is cheaper for the same volume (see the cost comparison below). * Credits meter every AI message and every automation trigger, so chatty conversations cost more. * Its WhatsApp rates sit above Meta's list price (see the fee section). * It is a young product. Toolradar shows a 3.9 out of 5 average from a small number of reviews, so use the trial before you commit. * I could not confirm that it offers ManyChat-style comment-to-DM triggers for Instagram. If giveaway funnels are your core use, test that first. **Best for:** small businesses and agencies whose customers ask questions on WhatsApp or Instagram and who want an AI to handle most of them, with humans able to step in. Start the free trial through our link. ## 2. Chatfuel: best flat-rate option for AI DMs Chatfuel is the closest like-for-like ManyChat competitor. Its current Business plan is $20 a month ($18 on yearly billing) and includes $20 of AI credit. Agency S is $100 a month ($90 yearly) with $100 of credit. Both include unlimited contacts and teammates, and channels cover WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and a website widget. The catch is that AI usage draws from a prepaid wallet priced per token (about $2.75 per million input tokens and $16.50 per million output tokens on its rate card), and Chatfuel does not publish a price per AI reply. So you cannot easily predict a monthly AI bill without testing. WhatsApp messages are billed at Meta's rate plus 10%. **Best for:** creators and small brands who want ManyChat-style Instagram and WhatsApp flows without a contact meter, and who are comfortable estimating AI usage. If you are weighing ManyChat vs Chatfuel specifically, see the short comparison below. Get $69 off on chatfuel with the code Ravenstack-> ## 3. Respond.io: best for larger WhatsApp-first teams Respond.io is a premium omnichannel inbox. Starter is $79 a month on yearly billing ($99 monthly) but covers the inbox and AI assistance only. The AI Agents and workflow automation that most people actually want start at Growth: $159 a month yearly ($199 monthly), including 1,000 monthly active contacts. Extra contacts on Growth cost $12 per 100. Advanced starts at $279 yearly. Its WhatsApp policy is the cleanest in this comparison: Meta's fees are passed through with no markup. The trade-off is the contact-based bill, where replies to a successful campaign can push your active contact count, and your invoice, up quickly. **Best for:** teams of several agents who run most of their business on WhatsApp, have budget above $150 a month, and care about zero markup on Meta's fees. ## 4. Wati: best WhatsApp-only alternative Wati focuses entirely on the WhatsApp Business API: team inbox, broadcasts, keyword automations and chatbots. The latest check I found (September 2026) lists Growth at $69, Pro at $149 and Business at $349 a month on monthly billing, with a 7-day trial. Reports also describe a hard cap of three users on Growth, monthly limits on chatbot sessions, and an AI agent that is limited by plan. The big watch-out is WhatsApp markup. In that September check, Wati charged $0.04 per US marketing message on Growth and Pro, versus Meta's list price of about $0.025, and other breakdowns cite a lower markup of around 20%. Rates vary by plan and country, so read the rate card for your own market. **Best for:** businesses that only care about WhatsApp and want a familiar inbox-plus-broadcast tool, and that can live with the markup. ## When ManyChat is still the right choice Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya / Unsplash Stay on ManyChat if most of what you do is Instagram comment-to-DM funnels, giveaways, lead magnets and keyword-triggered flows. That is where it is strongest, and it is also the cheapest way to run them: Pro at $29 a month (annual billing) covers 2,500 active contacts with AI and WhatsApp included. It also makes sense if your audience is steady, so contact overage is not a risk, and if you need the largest library of templates and community help. Switch when what you need is conversations rather than funnels: an AI that handles real customer questions, takes actions, and passes tricky cases to a human. ## What the same workload costs on each tool Here is one realistic workload: 1,000 active contacts a month, with about three AI replies each (3,000 AI messages). WhatsApp's fees are excluded because they depend on country and message type. Tool | Plan that fits | Monthly cost | Notes ---|---|---|--- ManyChat | Pro | $29 yearly (about $39 monthly) | 2,500 contacts included, AI included Heyy | Hobby plus 2 credit top-ups | $81 yearly ($89 monthly) | 3,000 credits, unlimited contacts Heyy | Pro | $125 yearly ($149 monthly) | 6,000 credits, 5 users, 2 AI Employees Chatfuel | Business | $18 to $20, plus AI usage | $20 of AI credit included, usage priced per token Respond.io | Growth | $159 yearly ($199 monthly) | 1,000 active contacts, AI Agents Wati | Growth | From $69 monthly | WhatsApp only, per-message markup on top _Heyy figures assume credit top-ups are available on your plan; check this in your account. These are my own calculations from published prices._ On sticker price, ManyChat wins this workload. The question is what the extra money buys. At Heyy, it buys several AI Employees that can take actions and hand off to people, plus the inbox, the CRM and team seats in one plan. If you only need keyword flows and light AI answers, ManyChat is the better deal. If AI is doing real customer service work, the comparison changes. The other difference is what drives growth in your bill. ManyChat's follows how many people message you. Heyy's follows how many AI messages and automation triggers you use. Neither is cheaper in every situation, so pick the one that matches how your business actually grows. ## WhatsApp fees: the markup that gets overlooked Photo by Dima Solomin / Unsplash Every WhatsApp Business tool passes on Meta's per-message fees, but some add a margin. Here is how the tools compare for 10,000 US marketing messages. Meta's list price of about $0.025 is the reference, as quoted by third-party guides. Tool | Approach | Cost per 10,000 messages ---|---|--- ManyChat | Meta's fees billed through your Meta wallet | About $250 Respond.io | Meta's rates, no markup | About $250 Chatfuel | Meta's rate plus 10% | About $275 Heyy | Own rate sheet: $0.03125 per US marketing message | About $313 Wati | $0.04 per US marketing message in the latest check | About $400 I calculated Heyy's markup (about 25%) from its published rate sheet against Meta's list price, so confirm both numbers before you plan a big campaign. One September 2026 review also notes that Meta has restricted marketing templates to US numbers since April 2025, so check what you can actually send in your market. The practical takeaway: if WhatsApp broadcast volume will be your main cost, a zero-markup provider like Respond.io saves real money. If AI conversations are the main job, the markup matters much less. ## Is there a free or cheaper ManyChat alternative? Realistically, not for AI-driven conversations. ManyChat's own free plan (25 contacts) is the most generous option from the tools here, and every alternative above works on a paid plan with a trial: 7 days on Heyy's Hobby plan (no credit card needed), Respond.io and Wati, and a free trial at Chatfuel. Some Instagram-only DM tools advertise free tiers on their own blogs. Treat those claims as vendor marketing and verify them before relying on them. They also lack WhatsApp and a team inbox, which is where a paid tool earns its keep. If budget is the main constraint, the cheapest paths are staying on ManyChat Pro at $29 a month, or starting with Heyy's Hobby plan at $41 a month on yearly billing and adding credits only if you need them. Our Heyy pricing guide shows how to keep that bill small. ## ManyChat vs Chatfuel: the short version If you are comparing these two directly: ManyChat has the bigger community, more templates and the stronger Instagram comment-to-DM tooling, and its AI is bundled from Pro at $29 a month. Chatfuel has no contact meter (unlimited contacts on every plan) but bills AI through a usage wallet that is harder to forecast, and it adds a 10% markup to WhatsApp messages. Pick ManyChat for creator-style funnels and predictable audiences. Pick Chatfuel if the contact meter is what bothers you and you can tolerate usage-based AI costs. If neither fits because you need an AI that handles real support conversations with a team behind it, that is the case for a tool like Heyy. ## Heyy vs ManyChat: head to head | Heyy | ManyChat ---|---|--- Core idea | AI Employees, inbox and CRM | Flow-first marketing automation, AI on Pro and up Billed on | Plan plus credits, unlimited contacts | Active contacts, with overage Starting price | $49 ($41 yearly) | Free (25 contacts); $14 yearly for Essential AI | Every plan, multiple AI Employees with actions | Pro and up ($29 yearly); replies from a pasted library, previewed before sending WhatsApp | Own rate sheet, above Meta's list price | Pro and up; Meta's fees via your Meta wallet Instagram comment-to-DM | Not confirmed; test in the trial | A core strength Inbox and CRM | Shared inbox and mini-CRM included | Live Chat inbox with seat limits Users | 1, 5 or 10 depending on plan | Up to 10 on the top plan Trial | 7 days on Hobby, no card | Free plan; paid-plan trial reported ## How to switch from ManyChat to Heyy in a weekend If you decide to test Heyy, here is a low-risk way to do it. Start with the free trial through our link. 1. **Export your contacts and tags** from ManyChat as a CSV, and only keep contacts who opted in. 2. **Write down your top 20 customer questions** and the 3 to 5 outcomes you want, such as booking a call, checking an order or capturing a lead. 3. **Create one AI Employee** with a clear role, a tone and your knowledge: FAQs, policies, prices. Keep it within the storage limit on your plan (3 MB on Hobby). 4. **Add the actions you really need** , such as meeting booking or ticket creation. Hobby allows 3, so heavier setups may need Pro. 5. **Connect one channel first** , WhatsApp or Instagram, not both at once. 6. **Test your 20 questions in the playground** , then set the rules for when the AI hands over to a human. 7. **Run it alongside ManyChat for a week** and check how many credits a typical day burns before choosing a plan or top-up. 8. **Move your WhatsApp number last.** A number generally runs with one provider at a time, so plan a short migration window and check the migration steps with both vendors. ## Which ManyChat alternative should you choose? If your reason for leaving is… | Pick | Why ---|---|--- I want AI that answers customers, takes actions and hands off to a team | Heyy | AI on every plan, AI Employees, inbox and CRM included My bill jumps with audience size | Chatfuel or Heyy | Unlimited contacts on both; costs follow AI usage instead Big WhatsApp team, and I care about zero markup | Respond.io | Meta's fees passed through; contact-based pricing WhatsApp only, simple inbox and broadcasts | Wati | Focused WhatsApp tool, but check the markup Comment-to-DM giveaways on a tight budget | Stay on ManyChat | Strongest tooling and the lowest price for that job I need something free | ManyChat Free | 25 contacts; the others offer trials, not free plans ## FAQ **What is the best ManyChat alternative?** It depends on your reason for leaving. For AI customer conversations with an inbox and CRM, Heyy. For flat-contact pricing, Chatfuel. For a zero-markup WhatsApp team inbox, Respond.io. For WhatsApp only, Wati. **Is there a free ManyChat alternative?** Not for AI-driven conversations. ManyChat's own free plan (25 contacts) is the largest free option among these tools. Heyy, Respond.io and Wati offer 7-day trials, and Chatfuel offers a free trial. **What is a cheaper alternative to ManyChat?** ManyChat Pro at $29 a month (annual billing) is hard to undercut for flows with AI. Among the alternatives here, Chatfuel's Business plan ($18 to $20) and Heyy's Hobby plan ($41 yearly) are the cheapest entry points, with AI usage billed on top. **Is ManyChat free in 2026?** There is a free plan, but since March 2026 it covers only 25 active contacts, not the 1,000 older reviews mention. AI and WhatsApp are not included on Free. **Is ManyChat worth it?** Yes, for creators and marketers who run Instagram flows and have a steady audience, because it is cheap and its tooling is strong. It is less attractive if your audience grows in bursts, or if you need AI that works as a real support agent. **ManyChat vs Chatfuel: which is better?** ManyChat has the larger community and stronger Instagram funnels. Chatfuel has no contact meter but bills AI by usage and adds a 10% WhatsApp markup. Choose based on whether contact billing or AI cost predictability bothers you more. **What is the best ManyChat alternative for WhatsApp?** Respond.io for large teams that want no markup on Meta's fees, Heyy for AI-first support on a smaller budget, and Wati for a simple WhatsApp-only inbox. **What is the best ManyChat alternative for Instagram?** For comment-to-DM funnels, ManyChat itself is still the strongest. For an AI that answers Instagram DMs and hands off to your team, Heyy or Chatfuel. **Does Heyy replace ManyChat?** For AI-driven customer conversations, yes. For comment-to-DM giveaway flows, I could not confirm equivalent triggers, so test that during the trial. ## Bottom line ManyChat remains excellent at what it was built for: cheap, flow-based Instagram marketing automation. But if you left because of the contact meter, the shrunken free plan, or AI that only answers from a pasted library, the better question is which kind of tool you actually need. For AI that handles real customer conversations with a team inbox behind it, Heyy is the alternative I would test first, and the 7-day trial lets you try it on your own questions. Start your Heyy trial here. _Disclosure: The Raven Stack may earn a commission if you sign up through links on this page, at no extra cost to you._ ## Read more * Heyy Pricing Explained: What Credits, WhatsApp Fees and Add-Ons Really Cost (2026) * * *