# ManyChat alternatives for Instagram in 2026 > If what you need is for every comment with a keyword to get a public reply and a DM on Instagram, you don't need a chatbot builder that charges per contact. HeyMark includes that on every plan without spending credits, along with AI replies, scheduling and an inbox, and Metricool Flows does it with fixed texts. ManyChat is still the better pick for complex flows and WhatsApp. By HeyMark · Reviewed by Crescente Martinez, CMO and co-founder of HeyMark · Updated September 25, 2026 If you're looking at ManyChat alternatives, odds are you don't want to replace a chatbot. You want to solve one specific job: someone comments "MENU" or "PRICE" on your Instagram post and expects the link in their DMs. ManyChat does that well, but it charges by your active contacts each month and doesn't schedule posts, so you still need another tool for the calendar. Here we compare three ways to handle that job, with prices checked on September 25, 2026, and we tell you when it makes sense to stay on ManyChat. ## ManyChat pricing in 2026 ManyChat charges by active contacts per month: - **Free:** up to 25 active contacts a month, with 4 active automations and ManyChat branding. 1 user. - **Essential:** from $14 USD a month billed yearly ($168 a year), with 250 contacts. 2 users. - **Pro:** from $29 USD a month, with 2,500 contacts and AI-powered conversations. 3 users. - **Past those numbers**, you pay per contact. It works on Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger and TikTok, and it doesn't schedule posts. What matters about this model is that the price grows with success. A post that takes off brings more comments, every person who enters your flows adds to your contacts, and the plan runs out of room. That's not a flaw; it's how a chatbot builder charges. But if the job is sending a link to whoever comments, you're paying for volume that HeyMark, for one, doesn't charge for. ### Is ManyChat free? Yes, up to 25 active contacts a month. That's enough to test a flow. If 30 different people comment the keyword and get the DM, you already have more contacts than the free plan covers, and it's time for Essential. ## ManyChat, Metricool and HeyMark side by side | Fact | HeyMark | ManyChat | Metricool | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Starting price | $12 USD a month (Creator: 1 brand, 1 person). Company: $30 USD with 3 brands and 5 people | Free up to 25 active contacts a month. Essential from $14 USD a month billed yearly (250 contacts) and Pro with AI from $29 (2,500 contacts); then you pay per contact | Free plan. Starter from $20 USD a month billed yearly ($25 monthly) for 5 brands | | Free plan or trial | No free plan. 14-day free trial on every plan | Yes: 25 active contacts a month, 4 active automations and ManyChat branding | 1 brand, 20 posts a month and 30 days of analytics. No LinkedIn or X | | AI on comments and DMs | Replies to comments and DMs with AI in your brand's voice, with approval and handoff to a person. On every plan | AI-powered conversations on the Pro plan | No documented AI replies in the inbox. Its assistant drafts copy with 5 to 35 credits per brand a month | | Comment-to-DM automation | Included on every plan, no credits spent: keyword public reply and DM on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok; public reply also on LinkedIn and YouTube | Yes, it's its specialty: keyword flows | Flows (since September 2026): keyword replies with up to 3 fixed texts, on Instagram and TikTok. Free for a limited time, then a paid add-on | | Networks | Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube | Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger and TikTok. It doesn't schedule posts | Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, LinkedIn, YouTube, Pinterest, Threads, Bluesky, Twitch, Google Business Profile and X ($10 USD add-on per account) | Checked on each tool's public pages on September 25, 2026. Sources: ManyChat: https://manychat.com/pricing; Metricool: https://metricool.com/pricing/, https://help.metricool.com/main-differences-between-free-and-paid-plans-bl0v9, https://help.metricool.com/inbox-manager-how-to-manage-messages-and-comments-from-metricool-s9zze, https://metricool.com/press-release-metricool-flows/. Metricool is in the table because it has had its own comment automation since September 2026. HeyMark, in the first column, is the tool we make. ## Example: a restaurant that sends its menu by DM A restaurant posts a Reel with the dish of the week and writes in the caption: "Comment MENU and I'll send you the menu." Here's how you'd set that up in HeyMark: ### Create a comment rule On that Reel, or for the whole brand, with the keywords "menu" and "menus". Each rule takes up to 20, so there's room for common typos too. ### Write the public reply and the DM In public: "Sent you the menu by DM." In the DM: the menu link and a line about booking a table. ### Include the comments that were already there If the Reel had comments before you turned the rule on, HeyMark can process those too, once you approve. ### Let AI carry the conversation If someone answers the DM with a question, the AI DM automation replies in the restaurant's voice. If the conversation needs a person, like a booking for 20 or a complaint, it gets handed off to your team. You can also ask Mark for it inside HeyMark, or ask Claude or ChatGPT with HeyMark connected. Change what's in brackets: #### Build the menu automation ```text Create an automation for my latest Instagram Reel. When someone comments MENU or MENUS, reply publicly: "Sent you the menu by DM." In the DM, send: "Hi, here's this week's menu: [menu link]. If you'd like to book a table, just reply here." Show me how it looks before turning it on. ``` Over MCP, HeyMark asks you to confirm with a preview before it creates or changes an automation. **What this job costs on each tool:** - **HeyMark:** the keyword rule uses no credits and isn't billed per contact. Each AI reply in the DMs that follow uses 1 credit, and Creator includes 500 credits a month for $12 USD. - **ManyChat:** every person who gets the menu adds to your active contacts. Past 25 a month you need Essential (250 contacts, from $14 USD a month billed yearly), and AI conversations are on Pro, from $29. - **Metricool Flows:** you can set up the reply with up to 3 fixed texts on Instagram, with a linked Facebook Page and one automation per post. Any questions that come in afterward you answer yourself from the inbox, since Metricool doesn't document AI replies. ## The ManyChat alternatives, one by one If you're after a ManyChat alternative for Instagram, these are the three options that handle the comment-to-DM job. ### HeyMark: the comment, the DM and the rest of your social media in one subscription HeyMark is a social media management tool with an AI agent, Mark. For what ManyChat does on Instagram, it brings: - **Comment rule:** a public reply and a DM when someone comments a keyword, on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. On LinkedIn and YouTube, the public reply. - **DM rule:** an automatic reply when someone sends a keyword by direct message, on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. - **AI DMs:** generative replies, not a fixed decision tree, set up per brand. - **All of it on every plan.** Keyword rules use no credits; each AI reply uses 1. On top of that, it schedules and publishes to Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube, pulls comments and DMs into a [unified inbox](https://heymark.ai/en/solutions/unified-social-inbox/), moderates comments and tracks results. Creator costs $12 USD a month and Company $30 (3 brands, 5 people, 3,000 credits). There's a 14-day free trial and no free plan. It doesn't work with WhatsApp. The step-by-step is in [Instagram DM automation](https://heymark.ai/en/solutions/instagram-dm-automation/). Here's what went through HeyMark's inbox and automations in their first 58 days: - **96,058** comments and direct messages handled in the inbox in its first 58 days (Case study published by Zernio, HeyMark's integrations provider, https://zernio.com/customers/heymark). - **8,599** leads generated by comment and message automations in those same 58 days (Case study published by Zernio, HeyMark's integrations provider, https://zernio.com/customers/heymark). ### Metricool Flows: if you already pay for Metricool Metricool launched Flows on September 1, 2026. When someone comments a keyword, it replies with up to 3 fixed texts you write yourself, with no AI, on Instagram and TikTok. It allows one automation per post and, on Instagram, requires a linked Facebook Page. It's free for a limited time and will become a paid add-on. If you already schedule with Metricool and your case is simple, it's the path with the least friction. If you need someone to keep the conversation going after the first message, Metricool doesn't document AI replies in its inbox. We compare Metricool with other options in [Metricool alternatives](https://heymark.ai/en/compare/metricool-alternatives/). ### Instagram's own automatic replies Instagram has its own automatic replies, according to its Help Center. Before paying for any tool, check there what they cover today. ## When to stay on ManyChat ManyChat is a good chatbot builder, and there are cases where it's the best choice: - Your flows have lots of branches, conditions and steps, closer to a chatbot than to a reply to a comment. - WhatsApp is an important channel for your business. HeyMark doesn't work with WhatsApp. - You need bulk sends to your contact list, or to connect the chat to other tools your business runs on. - Your volume fits in 25 contacts a month: at that point, ManyChat's free plan costs less than any paid plan. And if your problem isn't the automatic DM but [AI comment replies](https://heymark.ai/en/solutions/ai-comment-replies/) across all your posts, that's a different comparison. ## How to get started with HeyMark ### Create your account Every plan starts with a 14-day free trial. ### Connect Instagram If you also use Facebook and TikTok, connect them: comment-to-DM works on all three. ### Create your first rule On the post itself, or by asking Mark with the prompt above. ### Test it Comment the keyword from another account and check that both the public reply and the DM arrive. ## Frequently asked questions ### What's the best ManyChat alternative for Instagram? It depends on what you use it for. If the job is replying to keyword comments and sending a DM, HeyMark includes that on every plan along with scheduling and an inbox. If you already pay for Metricool, try Flows; if you need WhatsApp or complex flows, stay on ManyChat. ### Is ManyChat free? Yes, up to 25 active contacts a month, with 4 active automations and ManyChat branding. Past that, Essential costs from $14 USD a month billed yearly. ### How much does ManyChat cost per month? As of September 2026, Essential starts at $14 USD a month billed yearly with 250 contacts, and Pro, with AI, starts at $29 with 2,500 contacts. Beyond that, you pay per contact. ### Does HeyMark charge per contact like ManyChat? No. You pay for the plan (Creator is $12 USD a month, Company $30), and keyword automations don't use credits. AI replies use 1 credit each. ### Is there something like ManyChat that also schedules posts? Yes. HeyMark schedules to Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube and includes comment and DM automations. Metricool also schedules and adds Flows, with fixed texts on Instagram and TikTok. ### Does HeyMark work with WhatsApp? No. HeyMark works with Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube. If WhatsApp is your main channel, ManyChat is the better option. ## See it on your own accounts. Connect Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, LinkedIn or YouTube and use HeyMark free for 14 days. Mark answers in your voice, and you approve what goes out. [Start free](https://app.heymark.ai) · [See pricing](https://heymark.ai/en/#pricing) ## Keep reading - [Instagram DM automation: auto DM everyone who comments your keyword](https://heymark.ai/en/solutions/instagram-dm-automation/): Instagram DM automation for comments: anyone who comments your keyword gets a public reply and a DM with your link. On every HeyMark plan, no credits spent. - [Instagram comment auto reply, written by AI in your brand's voice](https://heymark.ai/en/solutions/ai-comment-replies/): Set up Instagram comment auto replies with AI that writes in your brand's voice, with approval and handoff to a person. When to use keywords, AI or neither. - [Metricool Alternatives in 2026: Pick One Based on Why You're Leaving](https://heymark.ai/en/compare/metricool-alternatives/): Metricool alternatives sorted by what you're missing: AI replies to comments and DMs, a free plan, team seats without Advanced, comment-to-DM, or listening. - [Unified social media inbox: every comment and DM, answered in your voice](https://heymark.ai/en/solutions/unified-social-inbox/): A unified social media inbox for the comments and DMs on your accounts, with AI replies in your voice, handoff to people and access from Claude or ChatGPT. ## Developer and agent resources - [HeyMark MCP documentation](https://heymark.ai/en/mcp/) - [llms.txt](https://heymark.ai/llms.txt) - [Full site content for language models](https://heymark.ai/llms-full.txt) - MCP protocol endpoint: `POST https://mcp.heymark.ai` - OAuth protected-resource metadata: [/.well-known/oauth-protected-resource](https://mcp.heymark.ai/.well-known/oauth-protected-resource) - MCP server card: [/server-card](https://mcp.heymark.ai/server-card)