The Chatfuel Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about Chatfuel in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
Chatfuel
The Insider’s Guide
AI chatbots for WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook with a usage wallet
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among SMS and chat marketing tools, read from Chatfuel’s own pages.
Made by Chatfuel · checked Oct 18, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from Chatfuel’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Chatfuel’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 18, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
2.6
GPA, above 13 of the 14 other SMS and chat marketing tools we grade
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.
To get you started, here are 9 things to know about Chatfuel, taken from its own pages and our grades.
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.
- 1
Best for AI chatbots for WhatsApp and Instagram on a budget
Just watch the wallet: when it runs dry, messages stop unless auto top-up is on.
- 2
Paid plans start at $18 a month
As its pricing page puts it: $18 per month, billed annually ($20 billed monthly).
- 3
You can try it first
7-day free trial with full access and $15 in credits, no credit card required
- 4
It runs on Web
Web.
- 5
AI agent
Replies from your knowledge base and instructions, qualifies and scores leads, follows up and hands a chat to a person when needed.
- 6
Instagram and Facebook automation
Automatic replies to post and Reels comments, story replies and keyword triggers, which lead people into a chat.
- 7
WhatsApp broadcasts
Bulk WhatsApp campaigns to segments, with click-to-chat ads and conversions sent back to Meta Pixel.
- 8
A 2.6 GPA, above 13 of 14
That is against the other SMS and chat marketing tools we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 9
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.
Chatfuel at a glance
- Pricing
- Free trial, from $18 per month, billed annually ($20 billed monthly)
- Free plan
- No
- Free trial
- 7-day free trial with full access and $15 in credits, no credit card required
- Runs on
- Web
- Made by
- Chatfuel, since 2015
- Category
- SMS & Chat Marketing
- Our grade
- 2.6 GPA, good
The report card
Best for AI chatbots for WhatsApp and Instagram on a budget
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.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| 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. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who Chatfuel is for
- Great if you want an AI agent answering Instagram and WhatsApp messages around the clock
- Handy when ad clicks and post comments should turn into chats
- Good for agencies running chatbots for several clients from one wallet
Who it is not for
- Tight if your bot is busy, as credits don't roll over and messages stop when the wallet hits zero
- Skip it if you rely on Zapier, which the help center says isn't supported
- Not for you if you like a long cooling-off period, as monthly plans are refunded only within 3 days
Good to know
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.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
$18
A month to start
Chatfuel is a paid product with a free trial, starting at $18 per month, billed annually ($20 billed monthly).
That's the cheaper quarter of this category.
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.
Trying it first
7-day free trial with full access and $15 in credits, no credit card required
Read from chatfuel.com on Oct 18, 2026.
Ways to pay less
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.
Stated on chatfuel.com
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
1
Place it runs: Web
AI chatbots for WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook with a usage wallet. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: public API, marketing automation, live chat, AI support agent, whatsApp messaging, chatbots.
Runs on the web, with Google Sheets, Stripe, Meta Pixel, a JSON API and an MCP server for AI assistants.
- 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.
Where it runs
- Web
What it works with
- Google Sheets
- Stripe
- Meta Pixel
Chatfuel is made by Chatfuel, and has been around since 2015.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
13/14
Other SMS and chat marketing tools it is graded above
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.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 15 SMS and chat marketing tools we grade, cut by the letter each got. Chatfuel’s own letter is outlined.
- BValue for moneyAbove 10 of 14
- CFree plan and trialAbove 1 of 14
- BFeaturesAbove 9 of 14
- CEase of useAbove 0 of 14
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 1 of 14
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 14 SMS and chat marketing tools. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Chatfuel is the marked dot.
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
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.
What you could not
- The WhatsApp Business API, which Meta opens only through approved partners.
- An AI model answering your customers from your own help articles.
- Email sent in volume that still reaches the inbox.
- A chatbot builder hooked into the messaging apps.
- A chat box on your site that reaches you the moment a customer types.
- It plugs into other products, Google Sheets, Stripe and Meta Pixel among them, and has an API.
- The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. Chatfuel’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
Manychat, Landbot, Wati, respond.io and SleekFlow
The 5 tools Chatfuel is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 2.4GPA
Manychat
Free plan · from $169/yr
Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger DM automation for creators and shops.
- 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.
- 2.0GPA
Landbot
Free plan · from $36/mo
No-code chatbot and AI agent builder for websites and WhatsApp.
- Landbot has a free plan. Chatfuel does not, though it has a free trial.
- Chatfuel also covers marketing automation.
- Landbot also covers no-code.
- 2.4GPA
Wati
Free trial · from $59/mo
WhatsApp Business API inbox with broadcasts, chatbots and ad flows.
- Only Wati lists iOS and Android apps.
- Chatfuel also covers live chat and AI support agent.
- Wati also covers shared inbox.
- 2.6GPA
respond.io
Free trial · from $79/mo
Team inbox for WhatsApp, social chats, email and calls with AI agents.
- Only respond.io lists iOS and Android apps.
- Chatfuel also covers marketing automation, whatsApp messaging and chatbots.
- respond.io also covers shared inbox and workflow automation.
- 2.2GPA
SleekFlow
Free trial · from $49/mo
Shared inbox and AI agents for WhatsApp, social chats, SMS and email.
- Only SleekFlow lists iOS and Android apps.
- Chatfuel also covers live chat and chatbots.
- SleekFlow also covers shared inbox.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
14
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is Chatfuel free?
No, Chatfuel is a paid product, but you can try it first. 7-day free trial with full access and $15 in credits, no credit card required.
How much does Chatfuel cost?
Chatfuel lists 2 plans. Business: $18 per month, billed annually ($20 billed monthly).
What platforms does Chatfuel work on?
Chatfuel is available on Web.
Does Chatfuel offer any discounts?
Chatfuel publicly lists the following: Save 10% with yearly billing.
Does Chatfuel have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 18, 2026. Chatfuel is listed for Web.
Does Chatfuel have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 18, 2026. Chatfuel is listed for Web.
Is Chatfuel open source?
Chatfuel is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 18, 2026.
Does Chatfuel have an API?
Yes. Chatfuel offers a public API, according to its own site.
What does Chatfuel integrate with?
Chatfuel's listing names Google Sheets, Stripe and Meta Pixel. A listing names up to eight integrations, so it may connect to more.
Who makes Chatfuel?
Chatfuel is made by Chatfuel. It dates from 2015.
What are the alternatives to Chatfuel?
The closest alternatives to Chatfuel in our directory are Manychat, Landbot, Wati, respond.io and SleekFlow.
How does Chatfuel compare with other 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.
Is Chatfuel good value for money?
ToolGPA grades Chatfuel B for value for money. 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.
Could I make my own version of Chatfuel?
To replace Chatfuel you would be making the WhatsApp Business API, which Meta opens only through approved partners.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Chatfuel’s own pages on Oct 18, 2026, and the grades were given on Oct 18, 2026. 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.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Chatfuel. Prices change, so check chatfuel.com before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
2,281
Tools graded, in 73 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
ToolGPA is free to read. It may earn a commission from affiliate links and it works with sponsors, but anything paid for is labelled and no one can pay for a grade. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
2,281
tools graded
73
categories
426
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- Chatfuel, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/chatfuel
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "Chatfuel: The Insider's Guide", checked Oct 18, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/chatfuel
Know someone choosing between SMS and chat marketing tools?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/chatfuel/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded SMS and chat marketing tools after Chatfuel, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- SMS & Chat Marketing Insider's GuideEvery one of the 15 SMS and chat marketing tools we grade, compared
- Interakt Insider's GuideWhatsApp and Instagram marketing, inbox and chatbots for Indian brands2.6 GPA
- AiSensy Insider's GuideWhatsApp API for broadcasts, retargeting and click-to-WhatsApp ads2.4 GPA
- Manychat Insider's GuideInstagram, WhatsApp and Messenger DM automation for creators and shops2.4 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what Chatfuel’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. ToolGPA uses affiliate links and may earn a commission from them, and it works with sponsors; anything paid for is labelled, and no one can pay for a grade. Chatfuel is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Chatfuel. Prices and plans change: check chatfuel.com before you buy.