Botmother vs Manychat (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Manychat grades higher than Botmother: 2.4 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 9, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Manychat grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Botmother
No-code chatbot builder for Telegram, WhatsApp, Instagram and web
Manychat
Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger DM automation for creators and shops
Which one is for you
Pick Botmother if
- Fits if you want to build a bot yourself without code
- Works for people who test first on the free plan
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want the free plan to serve customers: it only answers 5 testers
- Pricey if you run several bots: $159 for 5 and $169 for 10
- Watch out: refunds are within 7 days of first payment, for card payments only
- Watch out: WhatsApp fees from Meta aren't on the pricing page
Pick Manychat if
- Fits if you post on Instagram and want a link sent to everyone who comments a keyword
- Works for creators collecting emails and phone numbers from their followers
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want to know what 1,000 contacts will cost before signing up, as the limits weren't readable on Manychat's pages
- Not for you if your customers expect plain texts, as SMS isn't one of its channels
- Tight if WhatsApp is your main channel, as Meta's per-message charges come on top of the plan
- Too light for broadcasts or linking other tools, as the listing shows no broadcasts and names no integrations
- Watch out: the App Store lists only Essential and Pro, and prices on the web may differ
How we grade them
| 2.2GPABotmotherFair | 2.4GPAManychatFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C$49 a month for one live bot, against $36 in the middle of the category. | BEssential is $169 a year as a US App Store purchase ($17 billed monthly), which sits in the cheaper quarter of this category. The catch: the App Store doesn't say how many contacts that covers, so we can't confirm it stretches to 1,000 customers, and Meta's WhatsApp charges come on top. |
| Free plan and trial | CA free Test plan with no time limit, but bots answer only 5 designated testers. | CThere's a free plan you can start with just a social handle or an email. But its contact and feature limits sit on a pricing page that turned automated readers away, so we can't say how far it gets you, and we won't credit it for more than that. |
| Features | CA visual editor, AI assistants, broadcasts and a website widget, with no team inbox listed. | CComment and story auto-replies, keyword triggers that drop links and codes into DMs, lead capture in the chat and one inbox for Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, WhatsApp and Telegram. But the listing shows no broadcasts and no integrations, so it's the DM slice of this job. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record, and building the bot is the work. | C4.3 from 2,142 App Store ratings, too few ratings for a 4.3 to earn a B. Prebuilt automations exist, but you still hook each one up to the right post, story or keyword. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb service that reaches messengers and a website, with payments and integrations. | BWeb, iPhone and Android, so you can answer DMs from your phone with push alerts. No desktop app, which an A needs, and the listing names no integrations at all. |
| Best for | a no-code chatbot builder for messengers | auto-replies to Instagram comments and DMs |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Botmother and Manychat. How we grade
Price against what you get
Botmother starts at $49 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Manychat starts at $14.08 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.3.
They score the same, and Manychat starts $34.92 a month lower. Of the other SMS and chat marketing tools on the chart, 4 score higher than Botmother for less, and 1 scores higher than Manychat for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Botmother also covers no-code.
At a glance
| Botmother | Manychat | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $49 per month, billed monthly ($490 a year if billed yearly) | $169 per year as an App Store purchase ($17 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | Test plan with no time limit: up to 10 test bots that answer only 5 assigned testers. | You can start free with a social handle or email; the free plan's limits are on Manychat's pricing page, which could not be read. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Botmother | Manychat, Inc. |
| Price read from | botmother.com | apps.apple.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 9, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Botmother
- The free Test plan only works for 5 testers; a bot must be on a paid plan to answer everyone.
- Plans are priced per live bot, so each extra bot beyond the plan's count needs a higher plan.
- Refunds are offered within 7 days of the first payment and only for card payments.
- WhatsApp message fees from Meta are not mentioned on the pricing page.
Manychat
- Manychat's web pricing page and help center turned away automated readers, so plan limits and web prices could not be checked; App Store prices may differ.
- WhatsApp messages carry Meta's per-message charges on top of the plan; Manychat's own figures could not be read.
- The App Store listing names only Essential and Pro as purchases; contact allowances and any larger plans are not shown there.
Key features
Botmother
- Visual bot editor
- Drag-and-drop blocks build bot scenarios with no code and no stated limit on scenario size; ready-made templates give a quick start.
- One bot, many messengers
- A single bot can run on Telegram, WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook Messenger and Viber, plus VK, Odnoklassniki and Max.
- AI assistants
- Connect ChatGPT, YandexGPT or any model with an OpenAI-compatible API to answer in natural language, with escalation to a person.
- Website chat widget
- A chat widget with a bot, a helpdesk system and analytics can be placed on a website.
- Broadcasts and analytics
- Send broadcasts to bot users and track visited bot sections, messages sent and user retention.
- Payments and integrations
- Take payments in a bot and connect Google Sheets, Zapier and Usedesk.
Manychat
- Comment and story auto-replies
- Prebuilt automations that answer post comments, Reels replies, story mentions and DMs, so engagement turns into a conversation.
- One inbox for social DMs
- Messages from Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, WhatsApp and Telegram in one live chat, where replies can be assigned to teammates.
- Lead capture in chat
- Flows that ask for emails, phone numbers or other details inside the conversation and store them on the contact.
- Links, codes and offers
- Automations that drop affiliate links, discount codes and freebies into a DM when someone comments or replies.
- Mobile apps with tracking
- iOS and Android apps for replying on the go, with push notifications, message templates and click, open and conversion stats.
Plans
Botmother
Test$0
Up to 10 test bots with limits on users and messages; bots respond only to 5 designated testers.
Start$49
per month for 1 live bot, billed monthly ($490 a year)
1 live bot with no stated limit on users or messages. New users pay $22 a month for the first 2 months.
Advanced$159
per month for 5 live bots, billed monthly ($1,590 a year)
5 live bots with full platform functionality and no stated limit on users or messages.
Professional$169
per month for 10 live bots, billed monthly ($1,690 a year)
10 live bots with full platform functionality and no stated limit on users or messages.
Manychat
Free$0
Start free with a social handle or email. Its contact and feature limits could not be read on Manychat's own pages.
Essential$169
per year as an App Store purchase ($17 billed monthly)
Price as listed for the in-app purchase in the US App Store. Contact limits are not shown there.
Pro$349
per year as an App Store purchase ($39 billed monthly)
Price as listed for the in-app purchase in the US App Store. Contact limits are not shown there.
Ways to pay less
Botmother
- Annual discount
Yearly billing is 17% cheaper
Botmother's pricing page lists yearly plans as 17% cheaper than paying monthly, for example $490 a year for Start against $49 a month.
- Other savings
First 2 months of Start at $22 a month
An introductory price for new users on the Start plan, applied automatically at checkout.
Manychat
- Annual discount
Yearly plans cost less than 12 monthly payments
In the US App Store, Essential is $169 a year against $17 a month and Pro $349 a year against $39 a month.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Botmother or Manychat?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Manychat is cheaper to start with: $14.08 a month when paid by the year, against $49 a month for Botmother. Botmother starts at $49 per month, billed monthly ($490 a year if billed yearly), and Manychat starts at $169 per year as an App Store purchase ($17 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, Botmother or Manychat?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Botmother and Manychat have a free plan.
Which platforms do Botmother and Manychat run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Manychat lists iOS and Android apps. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.