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ManyChat

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Instagram comment-to-DM for creators. The website widget is dead. A plumber is shopping the wrong aisle.

From $17/mo · Crew score 6/10 · Updated Aug 25, 2026

Visit ManyChat

Pros

  • Public Active Contacts grid: Essential $17/mo or $14 annual; Pro $39 / $29; Free plan with 25 contacts
  • Meta Business Partner. Comment-to-DM on Instagram, Messenger, TikTok, WhatsApp
  • Not a three-year listings contract. Self-serve. 14-day trial on Essential and Pro

Cons

  • Website widget died with Meta Customer Chat in May 2024. SMS is Twilio marketing, not missed-call text-back
  • Active Contacts reset monthly. Essential overage $0.10. Organic inbox traffic counts. WhatsApp templates are extra Wallet fees
  • BBB F, two unanswered complaints. Trustpilot about 2.9 from 248. G2 still prints stale $15 / 1,000-contact Free

What it actually does

Manychat, Inc. Still live. Review it as ManyChat. The 2026 homepage is chat marketing for Instagram, WhatsApp, TikTok, and Messenger. That is comment-to-DM, Story replies, broadcasts, and a human Inbox for leftover threads. Manychat AI answers DMs and comments from a knowledge library. It does not answer the phone.

It is not Tidio. Meta Customer Chat, the website widget, was turned off in May 2024. Current “widgets” send the visitor off-site to Messenger, Instagram, or WhatsApp. It is not Podium. SMS is Twilio marketing on Pro and up, not missed-call text-back. No reviews SKU. No GBP. No Jobber, Housecall Pro, Dentrix, Mindbody, or Clio. The native Shopify app is retired.

On March 2, 2026 they replaced stored-contact Pro with Active Contacts that reset every month. New accounts: Free, Essential, Pro, Business, Advanced. WhatsApp, SMS, Email, and AI unlock at Pro. On Pro they eat the three-channel cap. Instagram plus Messenger plus WhatsApp plus TikTok needs Business.

Who should buy it

Buy it

Buy it if you live in Instagram comments and you want those comments to become DMs. Creators, coaches, social-first ecommerce. That is the ICP. Help articles updated August 19, 2026.

Skip it

Do not buy it if you are a plumber, HVAC shop, salon, dentist, or law firm. If you needed a widget on the site, Tidio at $29. If you needed missed-call text-back plus reviews, Podium. If you needed a phone, OpenPhone or Ruby.

The catch

The reason not to buy is the aisle, then the meter. Live pricing August 25, 2026, page default annual, ex-tax: Essential $17 a month or $14 annual (250 Active Contacts, then $0.10 / $0.082). Pro $39 / $29 (2,500, then $0.05). Business $99 / $69. Advanced $199 / $139. Extra Inbox seat $25. WhatsApp is Meta per-conversation on top, first 1,000 free, prepaid Wallet. SMS is your Twilio bill. Annual is prepaid. ToS: 30-day refund is discretionary, no pro-rata, AAA, class waiver, California law. Meta policy can terminate the account. BBB Maria P, June 29, 2026: billed for organic inbox traffic after 250 contacts. Kelby C.: charged for months while locked out. Directories and G2 still print legacy Pro from $15 and Free with 1,000 stored contacts. That is the old monthly-only grid. Stale.