# Chatfuel

> AI chatbots for WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook with a usage wallet

Chatfuel is an AI chatbot platform for WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and website chat. Its AI agent answers from a knowledge base, books meetings and qualifies leads, and the platform adds broadcasts, comment auto-replies, a shared inbox and a simple CRM. Each plan is a subscription plus a dollar wallet that pays for AI replies and Meta's WhatsApp charges.

- **Category:** SMS & Chat Marketing
- **Made by:** Chatfuel (since 2015)
- **Website:** https://chatfuel.com
- **Runs on:** Web
- **Facts last checked:** Oct 18, 2026

## Pricing

Chatfuel is a paid product with a free trial, starting at $18 per month, billed annually ($20 billed monthly).

- **Pricing model:** Free trial
- **Free plan:** None.
- **Free trial:** 7-day free trial with full access and $15 in credits, no credit card required.

| Plan | Price | What you get |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 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. |

Read from https://chatfuel.com/pricing on Oct 18, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Chatfuel before buying.

## Ways to pay less

- **Save 10% with yearly billing** (Annual discount): Chatfuel's pricing page takes 10% off for yearly billing: Business is $216 a year, against $20 a month billed monthly. Source: https://chatfuel.com/pricing

## Key features

- **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.

## Good for

- 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

## Worth knowing

- 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.

## ToolGPA grades

**GPA: 2.6 out of 4**, graded Oct 18, 2026. Chatfuel builds AI chatbots for WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and website chat that answer from your own knowledge base, book meetings and take orders. Business is $18 a month billed yearly with unlimited contacts and $20 of credits a month. Just watch the wallet: when it runs dry, messages stop unless auto top-up is on.

- **Value for money: B.** Business 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.
- **Free plan and trial: C.** No 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.
- **Features: B.** The 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.
- **Ease of use: C.** No 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.
- **Platforms and integrations: B.** Runs 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.

These are ToolGPA's own grades. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Chatfuel's own pages on 18 October 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews.

## Where it stands among SMS and chat marketing tools

- Chatfuel's GPA of 2.6 is higher than 13 of the 14 other SMS and chat marketing tools we grade, and level with 1.
- It stands best on value for money (B, above 10 of 14) and worst on ease of use (C, above 0).
- Its paid plans start at $18 a month, against a middle price of $26.59 for the category: 3 of the 13 others that charge start lower.
- On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.7 out of 4. Nothing scores higher for less, though at least one tool matches that score at a lower price.

The category's chart of price against score: https://toolgpa.com/charts/chat-marketing

## Keep it, or make your own?

**Keep it.** To replace Chatfuel you would be making the WhatsApp Business API, which Meta opens only through approved partners. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one. It is one of the better ones too: its GPA of 2.6 is higher than 13 of the 14 other SMS and chat marketing tools we grade. It costs $216 a year.

- You could not: The WhatsApp Business API, which Meta opens only through approved partners.
- You could not: An AI model answering your customers from your own help articles.
- You could not: Email sent in volume that still reaches the inbox.
- You could not: A chatbot builder hooked into the messaging apps.
- You could not: A chat box on your site that reaches you the moment a customer types.
- You could not: It plugs into other products, Google Sheets, Stripe and Meta Pixel among them, and has an API.
- You could not: The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.

A judgement by ToolGPA from this listing, by rules that are the same for every tool. Nothing was built to test it.

## Works with

Google Sheets, Stripe, Meta Pixel

**Tags:** Chatbots, WhatsApp messaging, AI support agent, Live chat, Marketing automation, Public API

## Alternatives

- [Manychat](https://toolgpa.com/tools/manychat): Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger DM automation for creators and shops. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/chatfuel-vs-manychat)
- [Landbot](https://toolgpa.com/tools/landbot): No-code chatbot and AI agent builder for websites and WhatsApp. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/chatfuel-vs-landbot)
- [Wati](https://toolgpa.com/tools/wati): WhatsApp Business API inbox with broadcasts, chatbots and ad flows. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/chatfuel-vs-wati)
- [respond.io](https://toolgpa.com/tools/respond-io): Team inbox for WhatsApp, social chats, email and calls with AI agents. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/chatfuel-vs-respond-io)
- [SleekFlow](https://toolgpa.com/tools/sleekflow): Shared inbox and AI agents for WhatsApp, social chats, SMS and email. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/chatfuel-vs-sleekflow)

## Sources

The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 18, 2026:

- https://chatfuel.com/pricing
- https://chatfuel.com/docs/billing/chatfuel-plans-and-pricing
- https://chatfuel.com/docs/billing/how-your-wallet-and-credits-work
- https://chatfuel.com/docs/whatsapp/whatsapp-pricing-changes-2026
- https://chatfuel.com/docs/integrations
- https://limits.chatfuel.com/en
- https://chatfuel.com/whatsapp
- https://chatfuel.com/about-us

Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/chatfuel
Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).