Addressing The Top 4 Complaints About Manychat’s Pricing Model

Back in April 2026, we announced a change to Manychat pricing, rolling out a wider range of Manychat plan options so creators and brands can pick the features that fit their needs today, with plenty of room to grow.

The biggest change was that cumulative contacts turned into Active Contacts. Pricing is now based on the people you actually engage with each month, not your total stored contact list.

We did this to ease the financial burden Manychat customers face while growing their reach and, in turn, their contact list. Under the old model, someone who interacted with you two years ago could still contribute to your pricing today, even if you hadn’t engaged with them since.

With Active Contacts, a person is only counted toward your contact limit when they interact with you during that billing month. Inactive contacts stay stored in Manychat, but no longer count toward your monthly usage.

Even so, people have complaints. And because we genuinely care about our users, we’re going to address those complaints head-on.

The Top 4 Complaints About Manychat’s Pricing 

We pay attention to what people say about us on the internet: in Reddit threads, Instagram comments, YouTube videos, all of it. And since we rolled out our new pricing model, a few complaints have come up repeatedly. 

Complaint #1: You’re punished for going viral

"Manychat's new pricing is a tax on growth... If a reel goes viral, you might end up with a huge bill at the month's end. That seems completely unfair. You shouldn't be penalized for doing well."

It’s true that if you go viral and are suddenly receiving DMs from a bunch of people, you will be charged for those interactions. But under our old cumulative-contact model, a viral spike could permanently raise the contact price you paid forever.

Under Active Contacts, that spike is a one-month cost event. Active Contacts reset every billing cycle, and anyone who doesn't engage the following month again simply stops counting toward your total. They're still stored; you're just not paying for them.

So why does this complaint still feel true? Because the bill shock is immediate and visible. If one of your posts suddenly drives 20,000 people into an automation, all of those people will become Active Contacts that same month, which may trigger overages or push you into a higher plan.

We're upfront about this on our pricing page and in customer communications. It's exactly why we recommend setting an overage limit before it happens, not after.

So, virality can raise your cost in the month it happens, because you're reaching and engaging with a lot more people. But unlike before, you're not stuck paying for that audience forever.

And if you want to avoid the spike altogether, Manychat allows you to set an overage threshold, so you can decide:

• Whether you want to allow overages at all
• How many additional Active Contacts you’re willing to pay for beyond your plan limit

Complaint #2: You’re charged extra for interacting with contacts beyond your plan limit

"Manychat's pricing has a trap in it. Most people find out too late. Manychat charges $0.10 for every active contact beyond your plan limit."

Calling this a trap is a bit overkill, because charging a per-contact fee when you exceed your plan's limit isn't unique to Manychat; it's standard practice across marketing and automation tools, including platforms like Constant Contact and ActiveCampaign. We’re also very upfront about overage charges on the Manychat pricing page.

In this particular complaint, the $0.10 figure is accurate, but only for users on the Essential plan who pay monthly.

Our overage rates actually decrease as you move up in plan tier:

So $0.10/additional Active Contact is accurate only for one plan, on one billing cycle, at the lowest tier; it’s not a universal rate.

Overages are automatic by default, which can lead to an unwanted surprise if you're not watching your usage, but Manychat will send you notifications at 70%, 90%, and 100% of your plan allowance.

Plus, you can set an overage threshold (including capping new Active Contacts entirely) so nothing gets added to your bill unexpectedly.

Complaint #3: The free plan only allows for 25 Active Contacts

"The free plan now only allows 25 contacts a month. That's basically one conversation a day. Free plan gutted."

That number is accurate: Manychat’s Free plan now includes 25 Active Contacts per month, down from the old 1,000-contact limit.

But the old 1,000-contact limit was cumulative and lifetime. Contacts never dropped off; once your account hit 1,000 total contacts, sending stopped unless you upgraded, even if you deleted contacts to make room.

The new 25-contact limit is monthly and active: only people who actually interact with you during the current billing cycle count, and the count resets every month.

So, a creator with 25 Active Contacts this month could easily have several hundred stored contacts they've built a relationship with over time — they just aren't all engaging right now.

That said, there's a real point buried in this complaint: 25 Active Contacts is a small allowance, and we're not going to pretend otherwise.

We built the new Free plan to test and get comfortable with automation, not as a tier intended to support ongoing business use. It comes with four live automations, two channels, one user, and Manychat branding. It's a trial tier, and we think being upfront about that is more useful than arguing that 25 Active Contacts is generous.

Complaint #4: The $29 AI add-on myth

“Manychat requires a separate $29/month add-on fee just to access basic AI automated responses.”

This one is just straight-up out-of-date information. With our current pricing, AI-powered automation is bundled into the Pro plan, not sold as a separate add-on.

Pro costs $29/month when billed annually (or $39/month billed monthly), and that price already includes AI Replies. 

Some legacy documentation in the Manychat help center may still reference the older subscription model where Manychat AI existed as a separate add-on alongside Pro. That is not how it currently works, but it’s an understandable source of confusion if you’re scrolling through outdated docs.

No Tricks, Just Transparency

We didn't move to Active Contacts to make growth more expensive for you. We did it so you're not paying indefinitely for people who stopped engaging years ago.

That tradeoff means cost is now tied to what's actually happening in your account each month, which is more visible than under the old model, and sometimes that visibility can make your eyes pop when you get your bill.

If you want to avoid bill surprises, set your overage threshold and keep an eye on your usage notifications. And if something about your plan doesn't make sense, our team is a message away: Learn how to get support from Manychat. 

Ready? Sign up for Manychat

Frequently asked questions

1. How much does Manychat cost?

Manychat has plans for different stages of growth, from trying automation for the first time to managing high-volume customer conversations across multiple channels.

The Free plan costs $0. Paid plans start with Essential, followed by Pro, Business, and Advanced. Pricing depends on the plan you choose, whether you pay monthly or annually, and how many Active Contacts you engage with each month. For example, Pro is currently $39/month, or $29/month when billed annually, and includes up to 2,500 Active Contacts per month.

Because plan availability can vary by region and account, the Manychat pricing page is the best place to see the options available to you.

2. What is an Active Contact?

An Active Contact is a person who interacts with you through Manychat during your current billing month.

For example, if someone responds to an automation or messages you through Manychat this month, they count as one Active Contact. If that same person interacts with you several more times during the month, they still count only once.

Contacts who don’t interact with you that month can remain in your Contacts list, but they don’t count toward your monthly Active Contact total. Your Active Contact count resets at the beginning of each billing cycle.

That means your pricing is based on the people you’re actively engaging with, rather than on everyone who has ever been on your contact list.

3. Is Manychat free? What’s included in the Free plan?

Yes. Manychat has a Free plan for people who want to try automation before upgrading to a paid plan.

The Free plan includes up to 25 Active Contacts per month, one user and one Inbox seat, up to two connected channels, and up to four live automations at a time. You can use it to test things like comment-to-DM automations, welcome messages, Story replies, link delivery, and simple FAQ responses.

The Free plan is designed primarily for learning and experimenting with Manychat. Features for higher-volume or more advanced use — such as AI-powered automation, WhatsApp, additional channels, and larger Active Contact allowances — are available on paid plans.

4. What happens if I go over my Active Contact limit? Are there overage fees?

On paid plans, if you exceed the number of Active Contacts included in your plan, your automations don’t immediately stop. Additional Active Contacts are charged at your plan’s overage rate.

The rate depends on your plan. For monthly subscriptions, the current rates are $0.10 per additional Active Contact on Essential, $0.05 on Pro, and $0.025 on Business. Advanced uses lower, usage-based rates. Annual subscriptions have lower overage rates.

You’ll receive notifications when you reach 70%, 90%, and 100% of your allowance. You can also set an overage limit in your billing settings to control how far beyond your included allowance you’re willing to go — a useful safeguard if, say, a post suddenly goes viral.

And importantly, Active Contacts are calculated month by month. A spike in engagement may increase your costs that month, but inactive contacts won’t continue counting toward your allowance in future months simply because they interacted with you in the past.