Manychat vs Wati
We give Manychat and Wati the same GPA: 2.4 out of 4.0. Manychat grades higher on value for money. Wati grades higher on features. They get the same grade on 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.
Manychat
Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger DM automation for creators and shops
Wati
WhatsApp Business API inbox with broadcasts, chatbots and ad flows
How we grade them
| 2.4GPAManychatFair | 2.4GPAWatiFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | 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. | CGrowth is $59 a month billed yearly ($69 monthly) for 3 users and 15,000 broadcasts a month, plenty for 1,000 customers. Against its WhatsApp rivals, the fairer test here, that's mid-pack. Meta's per-message charges come on top, and the US rates sit in Wati's rate card, not on the listing. |
| Free plan and trial | 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. | CNo free plan, only a 7-day free trial. That's short for something you have to hook up to the WhatsApp Business API before it does anything. |
| Features | 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. | BThe whole WhatsApp marketing job: broadcasts, no-code chatbots, click-to-WhatsApp ads, Shopify catalog and cart messages, AI copilot credits and a team inbox that takes Instagram, Messenger and TikTok too. The Shopify tools need a $4.99 a month add-on. |
| Ease of use | 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. | CNo App Store rating on record. There's a WhatsApp Business API number to set up, templates to write, chatbots to build and an automation trigger allowance to keep an eye on. |
| Platforms 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. | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with Shopify, HubSpot, Salesforce, Zoho CRM, WooCommerce, Klaviyo, Zapier and Make. No desktop app, which an A needs. |
| Best for | auto-replies to Instagram comments and DMs | shops selling and answering customers on WhatsApp |
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: Manychat and Wati. How we grade
Price against what you get
Manychat starts at $14.08 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Wati starts at $59 a month and scores 2.7.
Wati scores higher, and starts $44.92 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, 1 scores higher than Manychat for less, and none scores higher than Wati 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
- Manychat starts at $169 per year as an App Store purchase ($17 billed monthly). Wati starts at $59 per month for up to 3 users, billed annually ($69 billed monthly).
- Manychat has a free plan. Wati does not, though it has a free trial.
- Manychat also covers live chat.
- Wati also covers shared inbox.
At a glance
| Manychat | Wati | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free trial |
| Starts at | $169 per year as an App Store purchase ($17 billed monthly) | $59 per month for up to 3 users, billed annually ($69 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | 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. | None |
| Free trial | None listed | 7-day free trial |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Manychat, Inc. | Clare.ai Limited |
| Price read from | apps.apple.com | wati.io |
| Checked | Oct 18, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 |
Who each one suits
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
Wati
- Online shops that sell and send order updates over WhatsApp
- Teams running click-to-WhatsApp ads on Facebook and Instagram
- Support and sales teams sharing one WhatsApp number
Worth knowing
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.
Wati
- WhatsApp messages are charged per message on top of the plan, by recipient country and template type; Wati's US rates are in its rate card and account wallet.
- Extra users cost $39 a month on Pro and $89 on Business; Growth is capped at 3 users.
- Extra automation triggers cost $40 per 1,000 and extra AI Co-pilot credits $30 per 1,000; past the trigger allowance, replies must be sent by hand.
- The pricing FAQ says payments for a subscription or credits are not refunded after you cancel.
Key features
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.
Wati
- Team inbox for several channels
- WhatsApp messages and WhatsApp Business calls sit beside Instagram, Messenger, TikTok and website widget chats, with assignment, tags, follow-ups and reports.
- Broadcast campaigns
- Template messages to segments of contacts: 15,000 a month on Growth and unlimited from Pro, with click tracking and engagement reports on Pro.
- No-code chatbots
- Flows that answer questions, collect details and send reminders. Each run counts as an automation trigger, with a monthly allowance per plan.
- Click-to-WhatsApp ads
- Ads on Meta that open a WhatsApp chat, with lead capture on every plan and source tags and conversion tracking on Pro and Business.
- Shopify tools
- WhatsApp catalog, abandoned-cart and order-update templates, and campaigns built on buyer data, through a $4.99 a month Shopify add-on.
- AI copilot and agents
- Every plan gets monthly AI Co-pilot credits (250 to 1,500). Astra AI agents for web, WhatsApp and voice are a separately priced add-on from Pro.
Plans
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.
Wati
Growth$59
per month for up to 3 users, billed annually ($69 billed monthly)
1 channel, 3 users with no extra seats, 15,000 broadcasts a month, 1,000 automation triggers, 2 commerce or CRM integrations and email support.
Pro$119
per month for up to 5 users, billed annually ($149 billed monthly)
Unlimited broadcasts, advanced chatbots, teams and auto-routing, 2,000 automation triggers, 5 integrations including HubSpot, and 24x7 chat support.
Business$279
per month for up to 5 users, billed annually ($349 billed monthly)
Multiple WhatsApp numbers, number masking, IP whitelisting, 5,000 automation triggers, Salesforce and other integrations, and a success manager.
Ways to pay less
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.
Wati
- Annual discount
Save up to 25% with yearly billing
Wati's pricing page says annual plans save up to about 25% and include free dedicated onboarding. Growth is $59 a month billed yearly against $69 monthly; Pro $119 against $149.
