Chatfuel vs Manychat
We give Chatfuel a 2.6 GPA and Manychat a 2.4, out of 4.0. Chatfuel grades higher on features. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Chatfuel
AI chatbots for WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook with a usage wallet
Manychat
Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger DM automation for creators and shops
How we grade them
| 2.6GPAChatfuelGood | 2.4GPAManychatFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BBusiness is $18 a month billed yearly ($20 monthly), with unlimited contacts and teammates and $20 of credits a month for AI replies and WhatsApp messages. That's the cheaper quarter of this category. Meta's WhatsApp charges come out of the wallet at its own rates, and no US figure is given. | 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 | CNo free plan, but a 7-day trial with full access, $15 in credits and no credit card. Enough to set up the AI agent and watch it answer. | 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 | BThe whole chat-marketing job: an AI agent that answers and qualifies leads, Instagram and Facebook comment auto-replies, WhatsApp broadcasts, bookings and payments in the chat, a shared inbox and a simple CRM. Business gives you 1 bot. | 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 App Store rating on record. You'll connect each channel, feed the AI agent your knowledge base and keep an eye on the wallet, since heavy AI use can pause the bot. | C4.3 from 2,142 App Store ratings, which is fine but not great. The prebuilt automations help, though you still have to hook each one up to the right post, story or keyword. |
| Platforms and integrations | BRuns on the web, with Google Sheets, Stripe, Meta Pixel, a JSON API and an MCP server for AI assistants. Thin on ready-made integrations, though: the help center says Zapier isn't supported. No apps. | 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 | AI chatbots for WhatsApp and Instagram on a budget | 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: Chatfuel and Manychat. How we grade
Price against what you get
Chatfuel starts at $18 a month and scores 2.7 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.
Chatfuel scores higher, and starts $3.92 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other SMS and chat marketing tools on the chart, none scores higher than Chatfuel 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
- Chatfuel starts at $18 per month, billed annually ($20 billed monthly). Manychat starts at $169 per year as an App Store purchase ($17 billed monthly).
- Manychat has a free plan. Chatfuel does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Manychat lists iOS and Android apps.
- Chatfuel also covers AI support agent.
At a glance
| Chatfuel | Manychat | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | $18 per month, billed annually ($20 billed monthly) | $169 per year as an App Store purchase ($17 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | None | 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 | 7-day free trial with full access and $15 in credits, no credit card required | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Chatfuel | Manychat, Inc. |
| Price read from | chatfuel.com | apps.apple.com |
| Checked | Oct 18, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Chatfuel
- Small businesses answering Instagram and WhatsApp messages around the clock
- Agencies running chatbots for several clients from one wallet
- Shops turning ad clicks and comments into chats
Manychat
- Creators who send links or freebies when followers comment a keyword
- Small shops answering Instagram and WhatsApp DMs from one inbox
- Marketers collecting emails and phone numbers from social traffic
Worth knowing
Chatfuel
- Meta's WhatsApp charges, including service replies since 1 October 2026, come out of the wallet at Meta's rates by country; no US figure is given.
- Plan credits do not roll over, and messages stop when the wallet reaches zero unless auto top-up is on; heavy AI use can pause the bot until the limit resets.
- Refunds are given only if you cancel within 3 days on monthly billing or 30 days on annual billing.
- The pricing page names Zapier among integrations, but the help center says Zapier is not supported; other tools connect through the JSON API.
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
Chatfuel
- AI agent
- Replies from your knowledge base and instructions, qualifies and scores leads, follows up and hands a chat to a person when needed.
- Instagram and Facebook automation
- Automatic replies to post and Reels comments, story replies and keyword triggers, which lead people into a chat.
- WhatsApp broadcasts
- Bulk WhatsApp campaigns to segments, with click-to-chat ads and conversions sent back to Meta Pixel.
- Bookings and sales in chat
- Books meetings inside WhatsApp, shows a product catalog, takes orders and collects payments in the conversation.
- Shared inbox and CRM
- Teammates take over live conversations, and leads are tracked in a built-in CRM with unlimited contacts.
- JSON API and MCP
- A JSON API plugin connects bots to outside systems, and an MCP server lets AI assistants such as Claude run your bots.
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
Chatfuel
Business$18
per month, billed annually ($20 billed monthly)
1 bot, every channel, unlimited contacts and teammates, and $20 of credits a month for AI replies and WhatsApp messages.
Agency S$90
per month for up to 3 companies, billed annually ($100 monthly)
$100 of credits a month, an agency dashboard and an account manager. Larger agency tiers in the help center run up to $2,050 a month.
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
Chatfuel
- Annual discount
Save 10% with yearly billing
Chatfuel's pricing page takes 10% off for yearly billing: Business is $216 a year, against $20 a month billed monthly.
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.
