Chatrace vs Manychat (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Manychat grades higher than Chatrace: 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.
Chatrace
AI chatbot and inbox for Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp
Manychat
Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger DM automation for creators and shops
Which one is for you
Pick Chatrace if
- Fits if you want a chatbot on Instagram and Messenger as well as WhatsApp
- Works for agencies wanting a whitelabel offer
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a free plan, as only a 7-day trial is offered
- Pricey if your list passes 3,000 contacts, as the page gives no further steps
- Watch out: Meta's WhatsApp fees are on top and not listed
- Watch out: whitelabel shows 499 with no billing period
- Skip it if you want a native app, as none is listed
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
| 2.2GPAChatraceFair | 2.4GPAManychatFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C$39 a month for 3,000 contacts, just above the $36 chat-tools middle. | 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 7-day trial with no card, and no free plan. | 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 | CAI agents, flow builder, inbox, comment automation, broadcasts and whitelabel. Anything over 3,000 contacts is by conversation. | 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. You build flows and connect channels. | 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 with Messenger, Instagram and the WhatsApp Business API. No apps are listed. | 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 | chatbots across WhatsApp and Messenger | 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: Chatrace and Manychat. How we grade
Price against what you get
Chatrace starts at $39 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 $24.92 a month lower. Of the other SMS and chat marketing tools on the chart, 4 score higher than Chatrace 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
- Chatrace also covers shared inbox, no-code, AI support agent and sMS marketing.
- Manychat also covers live chat.
At a glance
| Chatrace | Manychat | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | $39 per month for up to 3,000 contacts | $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, no credit card required | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Chatrace LTD | Manychat, Inc. |
| Price read from | chatrace.com | apps.apple.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 9, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Chatrace
- The listed Pro price covers up to 3,000 contacts per account; larger lists need a conversation with the vendor, as the page shows no further steps.
- Pricing is per account (chatbot); one account can have several channels and unlimited accounts can be created.
- The whitelabel offer shows 499 with 50 client accounts and 500,000 contacts, but the page text gives no billing period.
- WhatsApp message fees charged by Meta are not part of the plan price, and the page does not list them.
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
Chatrace
- AI agents
- Agents trained on your files and business data answer support questions, qualify leads and handle sales questions. The vendor says no separate OpenAI account is needed.
- Drag-and-drop flow builder
- Build conversation flows without code and install them as templates in other accounts.
- Omnichannel inbox
- One team inbox for Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp conversations, with human takeover from the bot.
- Comment and story automation
- Reply automatically to Facebook and Instagram comments and to Instagram story mentions.
- WhatsApp broadcasts
- Send campaigns and updates through the official WhatsApp Business API.
- Whitelabel for agencies
- A separate whitelabel offer lets an agency use its own domain, name and logo and set its own prices for clients.
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
Chatrace
Pro$39
per month for up to 3,000 contacts
AI agents, omnichannel inbox with human takeover, CRM and sales pipelines, unlimited team members and all integrations. Price rises with contacts beyond 3,000.
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
Chatrace
No public discounts listed.
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, Chatrace or Manychat?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Manychat is cheaper to start with: $14.08 a month when paid by the year, against $39 a month for Chatrace. Chatrace starts at $39 per month for up to 3,000 contacts, and Manychat starts at $169 per year as an App Store purchase ($17 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, Chatrace or Manychat?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Manychat has a free plan. Chatrace does not, though it has a free trial.
Which platforms do Chatrace 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.