Hellotext vs Manychat (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Manychat grades higher than Hellotext: 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.
Hellotext
Online-store messaging on WhatsApp, SMS and Instagram, with AI agents
Manychat
Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger DM automation for creators and shops
Which one is for you
Pick Hellotext if
- Fits if you run an online store and want cart recovery by WhatsApp
- Works for stores that would rather pay a share of sales than a fee
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you have a team: collaborators start on the Small plan
- Pricey if you grow: $269 and $629 a month on yearly billing
- Watch out: Meta's WhatsApp fees are billed to you, and SMS is $0.01 each after the allowance
- Watch out: prices and SMS rates vary by country
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
| 2.2GPAHellotextFair | 2.4GPAManychatFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C$67 a month on yearly billing is above the middle of the category's $36; the free plan takes 5% of sales. | 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 Starter plan with no monthly fee, but it has one user, one WhatsApp line and 2 months of history. | 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 | CPlaybooks, an inbox and AI agents over several channels, with email and push only on Pro. | 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 a store connection and playbooks need setting up. | 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 connecting to store platforms and WhatsApp, SMS and Instagram. | 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 | WhatsApp and SMS playbooks for online stores | 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: Hellotext and Manychat. How we grade
Price against what you get
Hellotext starts at $67 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 $52.92 a month lower. Of the other SMS and chat marketing tools on the chart, 6 score higher than Hellotext 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
- Hellotext also covers shared inbox, sMS marketing and popups.
- Manychat also covers live chat.
At a glance
| Hellotext | Manychat | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $67 per month, billed yearly ($74 billed monthly) | $169 per year as an App Store purchase ($17 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | Starter: no monthly fee, 5% of attributed sales, 1 WhatsApp line, 1 Instagram account, single-user workspace and 2 months of history. | 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 | Hellotext | Manychat, Inc. |
| Price read from | hellotext.com | apps.apple.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 9, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Hellotext
- Starter is limited to a single-user workspace; collaborators start on the Small plan.
- WhatsApp conversation fees are Meta's and are billed to you; SMS is billed at $0.01 each in the US once the included amount is used.
- Messages beyond the plan allowance on WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger and webchat are billed at $2 per 1,000.
- Prices and SMS rates vary by country; the US page was read. Email and push are only on Pro.
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
Hellotext
- Playbooks
- Prebuilt automations for cart saving, price-drop alerts, back-in-stock notices, order tracking and win-back; 38 in total, with the count rising by plan.
- Multiple channels
- Reach shoppers on WhatsApp, Instagram DM, Messenger, webchat and SMS, with email and push on the Pro plan.
- AI agents
- Custom AI agents answer customer questions and recommend products; Grow allows 2, and Pro unlimited with external API access.
- Subscriber capture
- Webchat and WhatsApp widgets, popups, forms and QR codes collect SMS and WhatsApp subscribers.
- Shared inbox
- A team inbox for selling and support, with AI assignment and reporting on Grow and above.
- Attributed-revenue reporting
- Reports show orders credited to Hellotext using stated attribution windows of 7 days from a click and 24 hours from a delivery.
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
Hellotext
Starter$0
No monthly fee; pays 5% of sales Hellotext is credited with. Single-user workspace, 1 WhatsApp line, basic reporting.
Small$67
per month, billed yearly ($74 billed monthly)
Or 4% of attributed sales above $2K. Unlimited collaborators, 8 playbooks, 37K messages, up to 7K US SMS.
Grow$269
per month, billed yearly ($299 billed monthly)
Or 3% of attributed sales above $10K. 25 playbooks, 150K AI messages, 2 custom AI agents, 2 WhatsApp lines.
Pro$629
per month, billed yearly ($699 billed monthly)
Or 2.5% of attributed sales above $30K. All 38 playbooks, 350K AI messages, email and push, unlimited AI agents.
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
Hellotext
- Annual discount
Save 10% when paid yearly
Hellotext's pricing page has a Paid yearly option marked 'Save 10%'.
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, Hellotext or Manychat?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Manychat is cheaper to start with: $14.08 a month when paid by the year, against $67 a month for Hellotext. Hellotext starts at $67 per month, billed yearly ($74 billed monthly), and Manychat starts at $169 per year as an App Store purchase ($17 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, Hellotext or Manychat?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Hellotext and Manychat have a free plan.
Which platforms do Hellotext 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.