ManyChat Pricing 2026: Every Plan, Active Contacts and Real Cost

ManyChat costs $0 to $199 a month in 2026. The Free plan covers 25 active contacts, Essential is $17 for 250, Pro is $39 for 2,500, Business is $99 for 7,500 and Advanced is $199 for 25,000. Every contact above your plan's allowance is billed as overage, from $0.10 each on Essential down to $0.025 on Business. Annual billing cuts the price by 18 to 30 percent, and Essential and Pro come with a 14-day free trial.

ManyChat moved to this model on March 2, 2026. Older guides that quote $15 a month for 500 contacts describe the retired plan. This post covers the current plans, what an active contact is, and what you actually pay once a post takes off.

ManyChat Plans and Prices (2026)

• Free: $0. 25 active contacts a month, up to 4 active automations, 2 channels, 1 user, basic inbox, and ManyChat branding on your messages.
• Essential: $17/mo ($14/mo billed yearly, $168/yr). 250 active contacts, 2 channels, unlimited custom automations, 2 users, no AI, no ManyChat branding. Overage $0.10 per contact.
• Pro: $39/mo ($29/mo billed yearly, $348/yr). 2,500 active contacts, 3 channels including WhatsApp, broadcasts, Manychat AI, 3 users, custom inbox labels and rules. Overage $0.05 per contact.
• Business: $99/mo ($69/mo billed yearly, $828/yr). 7,500 active contacts, unlimited channels, 5 users, shared team inbox with assignments, priority support. Overage $0.025 per contact.
• Advanced: $199/mo ($139/mo billed yearly, $1,668/yr). 25,000 active contacts, unlimited channels, 10 users, shared team inbox, priority support.

Prices are ManyChat's published US rates, checked on its pricing page in September 2026. WhatsApp, SMS and email usage are billed separately on top of the plan.

What Counts as an Active Contact

An active contact is anyone who sends or receives a message through ManyChat in a billing month: a keyword comment that triggers a DM, a Story reply, a broadcast recipient, an AI reply or an Inbox conversation. The same person counts once per month no matter how many messages you exchange.

This replaced the old model, where you paid for every contact ever stored. The upside is that quiet months cost less. The catch is that a single viral Reel with a comment-to-DM automation can create thousands of active contacts in one month, and each one above your allowance is billed.

What You Really Pay at Scale

Monthly billing, cheapest plan for each audience size, overage included:

• 1,000 active contacts: $39 on Pro. Essential would be $17 + 750 × $0.10 = $92.
• 2,500 active contacts: $39 on Pro.
• 5,000 active contacts: $99 on Business. Pro would be $39 + 2,500 × $0.05 = $164.
• 10,000 active contacts: $161.50 on Business ($99 + 2,500 × $0.025). Pro would be $414.
• 25,000 active contacts: $199 on Advanced. Business would be $536.50.

The expensive mistake is staying on Pro through a growth month. At 10,000 active contacts Pro costs about 2.5 times what Business does, and ManyChat bills the overage rather than moving you up a plan.

What the Free Plan Cannot Do

• 25 active contacts is roughly one post's worth of keyword comments. It is a test plan, not a working one.
• ManyChat branding appears on your automated messages.
• No broadcasts and no WhatsApp. Those start on Pro.
• A cap of 4 active automations across 2 channels, with 1 user.

Is ManyChat Worth It?

For a business where an Instagram lead is worth $50 or more, yes. A $99 Business plan is covered by two or three closed deals.

For creators running comment-to-DM to send people to a link or grow an email list, the maths is tighter. Your bill rises with reach, not revenue, and one post that outperforms can cost more than the month it replaced. That is where a plan without per-contact caps on comment-to-DM wins.

ManyChat vs Elev8or Engage

• Comment-to-DM contacts: ManyChat counts every one against your plan. Elev8or Engage quick automations have no contact cap on any plan.
• Entry price: ManyChat Essential $17/mo for 250 contacts. Engage Starter is free forever with unlimited contacts and unlimited quick automations.
• Workflows: Engage Pro is $14.99/mo (₹499 in India) with 2,000 active workflow contacts. Elite is $29/mo with 10,000 plus AI. Business is $99/mo with 50,000.
• India pricing: Engage bills in rupees. ManyChat bills in US dollars.

See every plan on the Engage pricing page, or compare the wider field in our ManyChat alternatives guide.

Before You Pick a Plan

1. Take the comment count on your best post from the last 90 days. That is roughly the active contacts one strong automated post creates.
2. Multiply by the posts you will automate in a month. That is your monthly active contacts.
3. Price that number on each plan, overage included. The cheapest plan on paper is often not the cheapest bill.
4. Compare the result with a tool that does not meter comment-to-DM contacts.