Short answer: ManyChat has five plans in 2026. Free is $0 for 25 Active Contacts a month. Paid plans are Essential at $17, Pro at $39, Business at $99 and Advanced at $199 a month on monthly billing, or $14, $29, $69 and $139 a month billed annually. Each plan includes a monthly Active Contact allowance; every extra contact is billed at the plan's overage rate. Prices exclude tax and ManyChat says the final price depends on your billing country.
Verified on manychat.com/pricing on 15 October 2026. Allowances and seat counts are from the same page and the ManyChat Help Center.
ManyChat pricing plans at a glance (2026)
ManyChat moved to a new model on 2 March 2026 for accounts created on or after that date, and is moving older accounts country by country. You pay a base plan, plus overage for Active Contacts above the allowance.
| Plan | Monthly billing | Annual billing (per month) | Active Contacts / month | Each extra Active Contact | What the plan adds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | $0 | 25 | Not available | 1 user, 1 Inbox seat, any 2 channels, up to 4 active automations, ManyChat branding |
| Essential | $17 | $14 ($168/yr) | 250 | $0.10 (annual $0.082) | 2 users, 1 Inbox seat, 2 channels, unlimited automations, no branding |
| Pro | $39 | $29 ($348/yr) | 2,500 | $0.05 (annual $0.038) | 3 users, 2 Inbox seats, 3 channels incl. WhatsApp/SMS/Email, Broadcasts, AI |
| Business | $99 | $69 ($828/yr) | 7,500 | $0.025 (annual $0.018) | 5 users, 3 Inbox seats, all channels, shared Inbox and assignments, priority support |
| Advanced | $199 | $139 ($1,668/yr) | 25,000 | $0.004 (annual $0.0028) | 10 users, 5 Inbox seats, all channels, priority support |
Source: ManyChat pricing page, checked 15 October 2026. Annual savings shown by ManyChat: 18% (Essential), 25% (Pro), 30% (Business and Advanced).
What counts as an Active Contact
An Active Contact is one person you exchange messages with in a monthly billing period, through automations, AI, Broadcasts or the Inbox. The number of messages does not matter: one person is one Active Contact for the month. Stored contacts who do not interact are not counted. On annual plans the allowance still resets monthly and overage is billed monthly.
- You can set an overage threshold so the bill cannot grow past a limit you choose.
- If you upgrade inside the same billing cycle, ManyChat forgives that cycle's overage fees.
- Essential and Pro have a 14-day free trial; the Free plan needs no card.
Real monthly cost: worked examples and break-even points
Overage changes which plan is cheapest. Using the monthly-billing prices and overage rates above (our arithmetic, before tax):
| Monthly Active Contacts | Essential | Pro | Business | Cheapest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 250 | $17 | $39 | $99 | Essential |
| 500 | $17 + 250 × $0.10 = $42 | $39 | $99 | Pro |
| 3,000 | $17 + 2,750 × $0.10 = $292 | $39 + 500 × $0.05 = $64 | $99 | Pro |
| 5,000 | $492 | $39 + 2,500 × $0.05 = $164 | $99 | Business |
| 12,000 | n/a | $514 | $99 + 4,500 × $0.025 = $211.50 | Advanced ($199) |
Break-even points (monthly billing): Pro becomes cheaper than Essential above 470 Active Contacts; Business becomes cheaper than Pro above 3,700; Advanced becomes cheaper than Business above 11,500. If your feature needs (WhatsApp, Broadcasts, AI) already push you to Pro, the contact count only matters for the Pro to Business jump.
ManyChat WhatsApp pricing: what the plan does not include
WhatsApp is not available on Free or Essential. It arrives on Pro (as one of three channels) and on Business and Advanced (all channels). The ManyChat plan price does not include the per-message fees that Meta charges for WhatsApp Business Platform template messages, so budget those on top. Since 1 October 2026, Meta also charges for service messages after 1,000 free a month per number; we explain the change in WhatsApp service message pricing from 1 October 2026. To estimate the message side, use the WhatsApp API pricing calculator.
Which ManyChat plan fits you
- Free: testing comment-to-DM and welcome flows. 25 contacts a month runs out fast.
- Essential: a solo creator on Instagram or Messenger with under about 470 engaged people a month and no need for WhatsApp, Broadcasts or AI.
- Pro: the first plan with WhatsApp, Broadcasts and AI replies. Best value up to about 3,700 Active Contacts.
- Business: teams that need assignments in a shared Inbox, all channels and priority support.
- Advanced: more than about 11,500 Active Contacts a month, or 10 users.
ManyChat vs Mark360: pricing model compared
ManyChat bills on people engaged per month. Mark360 bills on plan limits (triggers, seats, bots) and is built around the official WhatsApp Business API and Instagram together, with a shared WhatsApp team inbox and an Instagram DM bot.
| ManyChat | Mark360 | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | $0, 25 Active Contacts/month | $0 Free plan |
| Entry paid plan | Essential $17/month (no WhatsApp) | Scale $19/month billed quarterly |
| WhatsApp from | Pro, $39/month | Scale |
| Billing unit | Monthly Active Contacts + overage | Plan limits; add-on triggers and seats |
| Higher tier | Business $99, Advanced $199 | Scale+ $99/month; Enterprise custom |
Mark360 prices from mark360.ai/pricing, checked 15 October 2026. For a feature-by-feature view see Mark360 vs ManyChat and our list of the best ManyChat alternatives in 2026.
Try Mark360 as a ManyChat alternative
If your audience is on Instagram and WhatsApp and your contact count keeps pushing you into overage, Mark360 runs both channels on the official Meta platforms from one inbox, with AI agents and broadcasts.
Start free on Mark360 (no credit card) or book a demo and we will price your exact volume with you. Plans are on mark360.ai/pricing.
FAQs
How much does ManyChat cost per month in 2026?
On monthly billing: Free $0, Essential $17, Pro $39, Business $99 and Advanced $199. Billed annually the monthly equivalents are $14, $29, $69 and $139 (from manychat.com/pricing, checked 15 October 2026). Tax is extra.
Is ManyChat still free?
Yes. The Free plan costs $0 and includes 25 Active Contacts a month, 1 user, 2 channels and up to 4 active automations. No credit card is needed.
What is the ManyChat Pro price?
Pro is $39 a month on monthly billing or $29 a month billed annually ($348 a year). It includes 2,500 Active Contacts a month, then $0.05 per extra contact on monthly billing.
What happens if I go over my Active Contacts?
Automations keep running and ManyChat charges overage per extra Active Contact: $0.10 on Essential, $0.05 on Pro, $0.025 on Business and $0.004 on Advanced (monthly billing). You can set a cap.
Does ManyChat pricing include WhatsApp messages?
No. WhatsApp needs Pro or higher, and Meta's per-message WhatsApp fees are charged on top of the ManyChat plan.
Is there a ManyChat free trial?
Yes, Essential and Pro have a 14-day free trial. ManyChat also offers a refund if you cancel within 30 days of your first purchase.
What is a cheaper ManyChat alternative for WhatsApp and Instagram?
Mark360 has a free plan and a Scale plan at $19 a month billed quarterly, covering WhatsApp Business API and Instagram automation in one inbox.
Prices change. All competitor prices above were checked on their official pricing pages on 15 October 2026; confirm on the vendor site before you buy.