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5 Best ManyChat Alternatives in 2026: Pricing and Features Compared

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Bildad Oyugi
Head of Content
5 Best ManyChat Alternatives in 2026: Pricing and Features Compared

Many businesses today rely heavily on chatbot platforms like ManyChat to automate customer communication, generate leads, and enhance marketing strategies across multiple channels such as Facebook Messenger and Instagram automation.

However, as companies grow and their needs become more complex, many users start seeking ManyChat alternatives that offer deeper customization, advanced AI features, and more comprehensive chatbot functionality.

Whether it’s due to ManyChat’s steeper learning curve, limitations in handling complex queries, or the desire for multi-channel bots beyond social support, exploring other options can help businesses find a solution better tailored to their unique requirements.

In this article, we will explore the 5 best ManyChat alternatives in 2026, comparing their pricing, key features, pros, cons, and ideal use cases.

This guide will help you discover which chatbot platform suits your business, whether you are a small team looking for basic features or a growing business needing advanced AI agents and deep integrations.

Let's get started!

Alternative #1: Helply; The Best ManyChat Alternative

Helply is the best ManyChat alternative for businesses seeking an AI-powered support agent that combines chatbot automation with live chat capabilities.

A screenshot of the Helply AI agent, the best ManyChat alternative, showing its conversations dashboard and AI-powered responses integrated with a knowledge base.

Unlike ManyChat, Helply focuses heavily on customer support automation by integrating deeply with your own data sources, such as knowledge bases, help desks, and CRM solutions.

This allows Helply’s AI agent to provide accurate AI responses, automate tasks, and resolve over 70% of Tier-1 customer support inquiries instantly, 24/7.

Pricing

Helply offers flexible paid plans tailored to different business sizes and needs:

PlanFeatures
Starter – $40/mo500 AI answers per month; 1 Knowledge Gap Finder Runs per month; up to 5 AI actions per agent; 1 agent; basic analytics; 1-1 VIP Program
Growth – $250/mo12,000 message credits/mo; 3 seats; 2 Gap Finder runs/mo; 10 Actions
Scale – $500/mo40,000 message credits/mo; 5+ seats; 3 Gap Finder runs/mo; 15 Actions
EnterpriseUnlimited AI Answers/mo; Unlimited Gap Finder/mo; Unlimited Actions; Unlimited Agents; Unlimited Seats; SLAs and Custom Pricing; Success Manager; Advanced+ Analytics

Features

Helply stands out with its rich set of features designed to empower support teams and sales teams alike:

  • Multi-channel bots: Deploy AI agents across web chat, Facebook Messenger, and other messaging channels to ensure seamless communication.
  • Knowledge base integration: The AI agent continuously learns from your own data, including knowledge base articles, support tickets, custom Q&A pairs, and documents from integrations like Zendesk or Google Docs.
  • AI-powered automation: Automate conversations, qualify leads, and execute product-specific workflows through AI actions such as triggering emails or calling APIs, making the bot interactive and transactional.
  • Deep customization: Tailor the bot’s persona, response style, look and feel, and fallback behavior to align with your brand voice and customer expectations.
  • Conversations dashboard: Monitor past customer conversations for insights, training, and quality checks to improve chatbot flows.
  • Gap Finder: Identify knowledge gaps by analyzing support tickets and train the bot to handle complex queries it couldn’t answer before.
  • User personalization: Provide user-specific data like plan or permissions so the bot can tailor answers accordingly.
  • Seamless deployment: Easily embed the AI agent on your website or help center with a simple embed code, enabling users to chat anywhere you deploy it.

Pros

  • Combines live chat and AI automation for a comprehensive customer support experience.
  • User-friendly interface with continuous learning capabilities.
  • Supports deep integrations with other business tools and CRM solutions.
  • Scales well from small teams to growing businesses.
  • Offers a free plan with basic features to get started.

Cons

  • Paid plans start at $79/month, which might be higher than some standalone chatbot tools.
  • Some advanced AI features require a learning curve to fully utilize.

Who It's Best For

Helply is ideal for small to medium-sized businesses and growing support teams looking for an all-in-one platform that combines chatbot automation with live chat, deep knowledge base integration, and AI-powered customer support.

Alternative #2: Intercom (Fin)

Intercom is a popular customer communication platform that combines live chat, chatbot automation, and marketing automation tools in a single platform.

The Intercom platform, a ManyChat alternative, featuring its AI agent 'Fin' engaging in a live chat for lead qualification.

Its AI agent, Fin, offers intelligent lead qualification and automated messaging, making it a strong ManyChat alternative for businesses focused on sales automation and customer support.

Pricing

PlanFeatures
Essential – $49 / seat + $0.99 per resolutionFin AI agent; Messenger; shared inbox; ticketing; pre-built reports; basic automations

Features

Intercom offers key features such as:

  • Multi-channel bots supporting Facebook Messenger, web chat, and more.
  • AI-powered lead qualification and automated conversations.
  • Deep integrations with CRM solutions and email marketing platforms.
  • Analytics dashboard providing customer insights and chatbot performance metrics.
  • Pre-built templates and chatbot flows to speed up deployment.

Pros

  • Combines live chat and chatbot automation effectively.
  • Strong sales automation and marketing automation features.
  • Suitable for sales teams and support teams alike.
  • User-friendly interface with extensive product tours and onboarding.

Cons

  • Pricing can be expensive for smaller teams due to per-seat costs.
  • Some users report a steeper learning curve to master all features.

Who It's Best For

Intercom is best suited for businesses with dedicated sales teams and support teams that require advanced marketing automation tools and multi-channel communication channels within a single platform.

Alternative #3: Freshdesk

Freshdesk is a comprehensive help desk software known for its robust customer support capabilities and AI-powered automation tools.

A screenshot of the Freshdesk help desk, a ManyChat alternative, showing its 'Freddy AI Copilot' assisting a customer support agent.

It offers a solid alternative to ManyChat for businesses looking to combine ticketing, chat support, and AI features in one platform.

Pricing

PlanFeatures
Growth – $15 / agentTicketing; customer portal; shared inbox; multilingual helpdesk; basic reports
Pro – $49 / agentCustom portals; custom objects; advanced ticketing & reporting; routing; 500 AI sessions
Pro + AI Copilot – $78 / agentIncludes Freddy AI Copilot (add-on) + AI Insights (beta)
Enterprise – $79 / agentAudit logs; approvals; skills-based assignments; extra security; optional AI add-ons

Features

Freshdesk provides:

  • AI-powered chat support with Freddy AI Copilot.
  • Multi-channel communication including web chat and social support.
  • Knowledge base management and customer self-service.
  • Analytics tools to monitor customer conversations and agent performance.
  • Integration with Google Sheets, CRM solutions, and other business tools.

Pros

  • Affordable entry-level pricing for small teams.
  • Strong AI features for customer support automation.
  • Easy to use with a user-friendly analytics dashboard.
  • Good multi-channel support including social media.

Cons

  • AI features come as add-ons, increasing total cost.
  • Some limitations in deep customization compared to standalone chatbot platforms.

Who It's Best For

Freshdesk is ideal for small to medium-sized support teams looking for an integrated help desk solution with AI-powered chat support and knowledge base optimization.

Alternative #4: LiveAgent

LiveAgent is a versatile customer support platform that combines ticketing, live chat, and chatbot automation.

The LiveAgent dashboard, a ManyChat alternative, demonstrating its multi-channel support capabilities including live chat and social media integrations.

It is recognized for its multi-channel support and user-friendly chatbot features, making it a strong contender among ManyChat alternatives.

Pricing

PlanFeatures
Small – $15 / agentTicketing; chat; knowledge base; portal; automation; AI assistant; multi-language support
Medium – $29 / agentAdds call center + IVR; reports; proactive chat; agent ratings; SLAs
Large – $49 / agentAdds SSO; custom roles; audit logs; social channels (Facebook, Instagram, X, Viber, WhatsApp)
Enterprise – $69 / agentAdds account manager; priority support; custom billing; brand removal; release management

Features

LiveAgent offers:

  • AI assistant for automated conversations and chat support.
  • Support for multiple communication channels including Facebook Messenger and Instagram automation.
  • Knowledge base and customer portal for self-service support.
  • Analytics tools and reports to track customer interactions.
  • Integration with various business tools and CRM solutions.

Pros

  • Competitive pricing with robust features.
  • Combines live chat and chatbot automation effectively.
  • Strong multi-channel capabilities including social support.
  • User-friendly platform suitable for smaller teams.

Cons

  • Some advanced features are only available on higher-tier plans.
  • Limited deep customization compared to specialized chatbot platforms.

Who It's Best For

LiveAgent is best for small businesses and support teams seeking an affordable, user-friendly solution that combines chat support, automated messaging, and multi-channel communication.

Alternative #5: Drift AI (Salesloft)

Drift AI, part of the Salesloft family, is a chatbot platform focused on sales automation and conversational marketing.

A screenshot of the Drift AI sales chatbot, a ManyChat alternative, automatically qualifying a lead and scheduling a meeting on a website.

It offers AI-powered chatbots combined with live chat and meeting scheduling, making it a solid ManyChat alternative for sales teams.

Pricing

PlanFeatures
Premium – QuoteCustom chatbots; live chat; meeting scheduler; Drift Intel; notifications; routing; SSO
Advanced – QuoteAdds Fastlane; A/B testing; Audiences; custom webhooks; flex routing; RBAC
Enterprise – QuoteAdds AI chatbots; GPT topic generation; intent groups; conversational insights
Startup – QuoteChatbots; live chat; meetings; reporting; 1 language
Essentials – QuotePermissions; chat & playbooks; routing; reporting; integrations (HubSpot, Slack, Salesforce, Zoom)

Features

Drift AI includes:

  • AI chatbots with GPT-powered topic generation.
  • Combines live chat with automated conversations.
  • Sales automation tools including lead qualification and follow-up sequences.
  • Deep integrations with CRM solutions and marketing automation tools.
  • Analytics dashboard with conversational insights.

Pros

  • Focused on sales teams with powerful sales automation features.
  • Advanced AI features for lead qualification and customer conversations.
  • Integrates well with popular business tools.
  • Supports multi-channel bots and messaging channels.

Cons

  • Pricing is quote-based and can be high for smaller teams.
  • Steeper learning curve due to complex feature set.

Who It's Best For

Drift AI is best suited for growing businesses and sales teams looking for an AI-powered chatbot platform that excels in sales automation and lead generation.

Choose Helply; The Best ManyChat Alternative in 2026

Among the many ManyChat alternatives available, Helply stands out as the best ManyChat alternative in 2026.

It combines the power of artificial intelligence with deep integrations into your own data and business tools, enabling support teams and sales teams to automate tasks, handle complex queries, and deliver personalized AI responses across multiple communication channels.

With its user-friendly interface, continuous learning capabilities, and scalable paid plans, Helply offers an all-in-one platform that reduces support costs, improves customer satisfaction, and streamlines customer support operations.

If you’re ready to upgrade your chatbot platform and explore how Helply can transform your customer support and sales automation, start your FREE trial today and experience the future of AI-powered customer communication.

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