ManyChat Pricing in 2026: Plans, Active Contacts, and Real Cost

ManyChat’s current public pricing has five plans: Free, Essential, Pro, Business, and Advanced. The new model counts people you interact with during each billing month as Active Contacts. Paid plans include an allowance and charge for additional active contacts when overages are enabled. These are US list prices checked on September 27, 2026; ManyChat says plan availability can vary by region and by when an account was created.

ManyChat plans at a glance

Plan	Monthly billing	Annual billing, monthly equivalent	Active Contacts included each month	Additional active contact on monthly billing
Free	$0	$0	25	No paid overage
Essential	$17/month	$14/month	250	$0.10
Pro	$39/month	$29/month	2,500	$0.05
Business	$99/month	$69/month	7,500	$0.025
Advanced	$199/month	$139/month	25,000	$0.004

Annual prices above are monthly equivalents billed for the year upfront. Allowances still reset monthly, and any overages are billed monthly. Check the live ManyChat pricing and comparison table before buying; its checkout may show a different currency or plan availability for your account.

What counts as an Active Contact?

ManyChat counts a person as active when you exchange messages with them during the billing month through an automation, AI, broadcast, or inbox. Multiple messages with that person in the same month still count as one Active Contact. A stored contact who does not interact that month does not count toward that month’s active allowance. This differs from the older cumulative-contact model. ManyChat’s pricing explanation describes the current definition and overage controls.

Example: On monthly Pro, 3,200 Active Contacts would exceed the included 2,500 by 700. At the published $0.05 monthly overage rate, the estimate is $39 + $35 = $74 for that month, before tax or other separately billed services. The same 3,200 contacts would fit within Business’s 7,500-contact allowance at its $99 monthly base price. For this example, Pro with overage costs less; a different feature or team-seat requirement may change the decision.

You can set an overage threshold in ManyChat. It also describes notifications as you approach the allowance. Confirm the behavior you want if a campaign exceeds the threshold before a high-volume post goes live.

What changes between plans?

Free is useful for testing a small flow: ManyChat lists up to four active automations, two eligible channels, one user, and 25 Active Contacts. Essential raises the allowance to 250 and adds unlimited custom automations and contact collection. Pro raises it to 2,500 and lists AI-powered conversations and broader channel access. Business and Advanced expand contact allowances, channels, and team inbox seats. The exact features and eligibility are in ManyChat’s current plan table.

ManyChat’s visual builder, multi-channel support, and team features can justify the price if your business uses them. It is inaccurate to describe its current AI offering as only keyword matching: its Pro and higher plan descriptions explicitly include AI-powered responses. Evaluate that feature in your own workflow rather than assuming it is equivalent to a rules-based reply.

Compare the cost with SocialGrow

SocialGrow’s public plan is $14.99/month or $149/year in USD, and ₹499/month or ₹4,990/year in India, with a seven-day trial that does not require a card. Its pricing is a fixed subscription rather than a monthly Active Contact allowance. See the live SocialGrow pricing page for billing-location and plan details.

If your work is mainly Instagram comment, incoming DM, and Story-reply workflows connected to lead capture and follow-up, compare the same workflow in both tools. If you depend on ManyChat’s broader channel mix, visual branching, or existing integrations, staying with ManyChat may be worth more than the subscription difference. The SocialGrow vs ManyChat comparison shows that decision side by side; the ManyChat alternatives guide covers a wider shortlist.

Before changing plans or switching tools

1. Estimate monthly active people, not total stored contacts or message count.
2. Record the channels, inbox seats, AI features, and integrations the workflow actually needs.
3. Price the month when a campaign performs unusually well, including overages and any other channel fees.
4. Confirm the plan shown to your account. ManyChat says the newer plans are being rolled out to older accounts by region.
5. If you switch, document and test one flow before turning off the existing automation. The migration checklist covers the handoff.

Source and update note: Plan prices, allowances, and feature descriptions were checked against ManyChat’s pricing page and subscription guide on September 27, 2026. Recheck them before relying on a quote; pricing and eligibility can change.