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ManyChat’s free plan is 25 contacts now. What creators use instead

ManyChat’s free plan dropped from 1,000 contacts to 25. What that means for creators who only send links, the options that cost less, and when staying on ManyChat is the right call.

By the DMChat teamUpdated Oct 23, 20266 min read

On this page
  1. What changed
  2. Who this hits hardest
  3. Your options
  4. How to switch without losing a day
Key takeaways
  • ManyChat’s free plan went from 1,000 contacts to 25 in March 2026.
  • Its paid plans bill per active contact, so a viral post raises the bill.
  • If you only send links from comments, stories and DMs, flat-priced tools cost less.
  • If you use branching flows, WhatsApp or integrations, ManyChat is still the right tool.

What changed

In March 2026 ManyChat cut its free plan from 1,000 contacts to 25. Its paid plans still bill by active contacts: the entry Essential plan was $14 a month for 250 active contacts when we checked in September 2026, with overage charged per contact after that.

For a business with a steady customer list, that model is predictable. For a creator, it isn’t. The month a reel takes off is the month thousands of new people comment, and each one is a new contact.

Who this hits hardest

  • Creators whose whole setup is “comment a word, get a link”.
  • Accounts that go viral now and then, which is when per-contact billing spikes.
  • Anyone who was on the free plan and is now over 25 contacts.

Your options

Stay on ManyChat

Worth it if you use what it’s best at: visual flows with branching, WhatsApp and Messenger alongside Instagram, and hundreds of integrations. If your flows are built and working and the bill doesn’t bother you, switching has a cost too.

Move to a flat-priced Instagram tool

Tools like DMChat, LinkDM and CreatorFlow charge a flat monthly price instead of per contact. DMChat is free for 1,000 DMs a month, then Influencer at $10 a month with no DM cap. LinkDM and CreatorFlow publish monthly DM limits on their paid plans.

What to compare

  • How you’re billed: per contact, per DM, or flat.
  • What the free plan really includes, and whether it adds branding to your DMs.
  • Whether email capture happens inside the DM or on an outside page.
  • Whether “followers only” actually checks the follow.

How to switch without losing a day

  1. Write down each ManyChat keyword, message and link you actually use.
  2. Set up the same automations in the new tool before turning anything off.
  3. Turn the ManyChat automation off, then the new one on, so nobody gets two DMs.
  4. Comment on your own post from a second account to check it works.

Your contact list doesn’t transfer between tools. It builds up again as people comment on new posts.

Questions

Is ManyChat still free?

There is still a free plan, but since March 2026 it covers 25 contacts. Most creators who get regular comments outgrow it quickly.

Is it safe to switch Instagram automation tools?

Yes, if both use Meta’s official API. Turn the old automation off first so nobody gets duplicate DMs.

Can I run ManyChat and another tool at the same time?

Yes, as long as they don’t use the same keyword on the same post.

The DMChat team

We build DMChat, an Instagram DM automation tool on Meta’s official API. This guide is based on how creators set up automations in the app. Read more about comment to dm.