Free ManyChat Alternatives (2026): 7 Tools With a Free Plan

Short answer: the best free ManyChat alternatives are ReplyRush (1,500 DMs per month free), LinkDM (1,000 DMs free, as reported by third parties), Inrō (100 contacts, 3 automations and 50 AI credits free) and Botpress (100 conversations free). Free plans are limited by design, so check what each one withholds, such as comment automation, branding removal or channels. If you need an AI agent and WhatsApp, a low-cost paid plan like BossReply Starter at $14 per month may be a better test than a free tier.

Last updated: October 17, 2026. Written by the BossReply Team. BossReply has no free plan and is a paid ManyChat alternative, so we list only tools with a free tier here and label what we could not verify.

Key takeaways

• Free plans exist to let you test. They cap contacts, DMs, automations or conversations, and they often hide the feature you actually want.

• Free tools measure usage differently: ReplyRush and LinkDM by DMs sent, Inrō by activated contacts, Botpress by conversations, ManyChat by active contacts.

• Check three things on every free plan: comment-to-DM, branding on your messages and the channels allowed.

• BossReply does not offer a free plan. It starts at $14 per month.

What does ManyChat's free plan include?

A third-party guide edited on September 28, 2026 reports that ManyChat's free plan covers 25 active contacts, 2 channels and 4 automations, with "Powered by Manychat" branding on your first message. Older guides list a higher free limit of 1,000 contacts. ManyChat's own pricing page was not reachable by our tools, so confirm the current limit on manychat.com. Our ManyChat pricing explained guide covers the paid tiers.

Free ManyChat alternatives at a glance

1. ReplyRush: best free plan for DM volume

ReplyRush's free plan allows 1,500 DMs per month for one Instagram and one Facebook Page account, with 5 triggers. It does not include comment auto-reply, SendBack or follow-up messages, which are the features most people want. Paid plans start at $10 per month for 7,500 DMs. Its homepage and pricing page disagree on the top-end volume, so verify before you plan around it.

2. LinkDM: best for a large free DM allowance

Third-party sources report that LinkDM's free plan gives 1,000 DMs per month on one account, with paid plans at $19 for 25,000 DMs and $99 for 300,000. Public comment replies are reported as unavailable on the free tier. We could not reach LinkDM's own site, and a similarly named product on Capterra is different, so confirm you are on the right website.

3. Inrō: best free plan for Instagram with AI

Inrō works through Meta's official API and includes comment triggers on every plan, including the free one. The free plan gives 100 activated contacts per month, 3 automations, 3 campaigns and 50 AI Agent credits for one user. Pro starts at €12.99 per month after a 14-day trial. Inrō covers Instagram only, so it will not help with WhatsApp.

4. Botpress: best free plan for developers

Botpress is free for 100 conversations with 3 seats and 3 AI agents, and it never charges overages on the free plan. WhatsApp requires the $150 per month Plus plan, and its Instagram channel handles DMs only, not comment-to-DM. It is a good place to learn agent building and a poor match for comment funnels.

5. Tidio, Landbot and Freshchat: free for website chat

Tidio's free plan has 50 billable conversations and only a lifetime trial of its Lyro AI. Landbot's free plan covers 100 web chats without AI. Freshchat is free for up to 10 agents, and its AI agent includes 500 free sessions once per account on paid plans. These suit website support more than Instagram comment funnels.

What are the hidden limits of free chatbot plans?

• Branding: a free message may carry the vendor's name, as reported for ManyChat's free plan.

• Missing comment automation: ReplyRush and LinkDM both withhold public comment features on free tiers.

• Counting rules: a flow that sends three messages uses three DMs on a per-DM plan.

• Channel limits: free tiers often exclude WhatsApp.

• Upgrade pressure: a campaign that works can push you past the cap within a week.

How do free plans count usage?

The unit of measurement changes what "free" means, so convert every limit into your own numbers before you compare.

• Per DM sent (ReplyRush, LinkDM): a flow with a welcome message, a link and a follow-up uses three DMs per person. 1,500 DMs then serves about 500 people.

• Per activated or active contact (Inrō, ManyChat): each person counts once however many messages they receive, so longer flows cost no more. 100 contacts means 100 people.

• Per conversation (Botpress, Tidio, Landbot): a conversation is a session with one visitor, and each vendor defines it differently. Botpress counts a conversation once the person has sent at least two messages in the month.

A creator who expects 300 commenters a month and a three-step flow needs about 900 DMs on a per-DM plan and 300 contacts on a per-contact plan. That is why the same free tier can be generous for one workflow and too small for another.

Which free plan fits which creator?

• You post often and want simple link delivery: ReplyRush or LinkDM, as long as you do not need the withheld comment features.

• You want comment triggers plus an AI helper at no cost: Inrō, for Instagram only.

• You are technical and want to build custom agents: Botpress.

• You mainly answer website visitors: Tidio or Landbot.

• You need WhatsApp: skip the free tiers and compare low-cost paid plans on the official API, using our best WhatsApp chatbots guide.

When is a paid plan the smarter test?

If you already have an audience and need WhatsApp, an AI agent or a shared inbox, a free tier may waste your time. A $14 plan can show you the real product on a real workflow. BossReply Starter gives you one workspace, three inbox integrations, one chat agent and 500 bot-driven conversations per month, and it supports both WhatsApp QR and the official Business API plus Instagram comment-to-DM. Yearly billing saves up to 17%. Read the BossReply vs ManyChat comparison or the full ManyChat alternatives roundup.

How do you test a free plan properly?

1. Pick one real workflow, for example "comment GUIDE, receive the guide link".

2. Build it on the free plan and note anything you cannot do.

3. Run it on a real post for a week and count DMs or contacts used.

4. Estimate your cost at ten times the volume.

5. Decide whether the first paid plan fits your budget.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best free ManyChat alternative?

For DM volume, ReplyRush and LinkDM. For Instagram with AI credits, Inrō. For developers, Botpress.

Does ManyChat have a free plan?

Yes, reported at 25 active contacts by a recent third-party guide. Older guides list more. Check the live page.

Is there a free ManyChat alternative for WhatsApp?

Few tools offer WhatsApp on a free plan. Botpress requires its paid Plus plan for WhatsApp, and the free tiers listed here are mostly Instagram or web chat.

Does BossReply have a free plan?

No. BossReply starts at $14 per month on Starter.

Can a free chatbot do Instagram comment-to-DM?

Inrō includes comment triggers on its free plan. ReplyRush and LinkDM reportedly withhold public comment features on theirs.

Are free chatbots safe for my account?

Tools using Meta's official API follow Meta's rules, including the 7-day private reply window. Avoid unofficial tools on your main account.

Will I lose my data if I upgrade or leave?

Check each vendor's export options before you build many flows.

Do the limits change?

Yes. Free plans change often, so confirm on the vendor's website.

Sources and method

We listed tools with a free plan or free tier and compared limits, withheld features and channels. Official pages: replyrush.com/pricing, inro.social/pricing, botpress.com/pricing, tidio.com/pricing, landbot.io/pricing and the Freshworks Freshchat pricing page. ManyChat and LinkDM figures come from third-party guides (eesel.ai, setsmart.io, getkanal.com and blotato.com). Meta's rules come from developers.facebook.com documentation. Limits were read on October 16 and 17, 2026.

Mistakes to avoid with free chatbot plans

• Building every automation on a free tier before checking whether the feature you need is locked.

• Forgetting that a successful campaign can use the whole monthly allowance in a few days.

• Ignoring export options, which makes switching later harder.

• Trusting one review site for limits that the vendor changes every few months.

Conclusion

Free plans are a good way to learn, but they rarely include the feature that makes money. Test one real workflow on a free tier, then compare the first paid plan on price and fit. Start with BossReply if you want an AI agent and WhatsApp from day one.