ManyChat vs SendPulse vs MobileMonkey for Instagram DM automation
Updated:
MobileMonkey no longer exists under that name. It became Customers.ai in March 2023, and its Instagram product, InstaChamp, now sits on a page last updated in March 2025. Of the two tools still in active development, SendPulse is cheaper at $22 against $39 for 1,000 contacts, and ManyChat documents more Instagram triggers.
Side by side
| Fact |  ManyChatRated 2.1 out of 5305 reviews on Trustpilot (opens in a new tab) |
 SendPulseRated 4.4 out of 52,870 reviews on Trustpilot (opens in a new tab) |
 MobileMonkey (InstaChamp) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
| 1K contacts | $39 | $22 | $19 |
| 10K contacts | $162 | $74 | $199 |
| Billing basis | Plan plus usage | Per contact | Plan plus usage |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Send a DM when someone comments | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Keyword triggers | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Public reply under the comment | Yes | Yes | No |
| Auto-reply to incoming DMs | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Trigger on replies to your stories | Yes | No | Yes |
| Trigger on story mentions | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Trigger on live video comments | Yes | Yes | No |
| Message new followers | Yes | No | No |
| Multi-step flow builder | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Broadcast messages | Yes | Yes | No |
| AI agent that replies on its own | Yes | Yes | No |
| Hand the chat to a person | Yes | Yes | No |
| Shared team inbox | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Meta, CRM and payments | |||
| Meta status | Business Partner | Business Partner | Business Partner |
| Built-in CRM | No | Yes | No |
| Payment inside the chat | Yes | Yes | No |
| Payment providers | Stripe, PayPal | Stripe, PayPal, Klarna, Mercado Pago, Flutterwave, Cryptomus, Whitepay, plata by mono, RozetkaPay, NovaPay, LiqPay, Fondy, WayForPay | None |
| Other | |||
| Channels | Instagram, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Telegram, TikTok, SMS, Email | Instagram, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Telegram, Viber, TikTok, Email, SMS, Website chat, LinkedIn | Instagram, Facebook Messenger, SMS, Email |
What happened to MobileMonkey
MobileMonkey renamed itself Customers.ai in a blog post in March 2023. The post said Messenger automation “wasn’t enough for a sustainable business”. The company now sells identity resolution and email deliverability tools to Shopify and Klaviyo stores.
The Instagram product lives on as InstaChamp, on a page outside the main product menu. Its signup buttons still lead to app.mobilemonkey.com, and the page shows a “this week” promotional price on every visit.
If you still run MobileMonkey, plan a move. Nothing on Customers.ai’s site suggests InstaChamp is being developed further.
Price
At 1,000 contacts InstaChamp’s list price is the lowest of the three, at $19 a month. It adds $10 for every 500 contacts after that, so 10,000 contacts reach $199.
SendPulse costs $22 at 1,000 subscribers and $74 at 10,000. ManyChat bills by active contacts and costs $39 and $162 for the same two sizes.
At 10,000 contacts SendPulse is the cheapest of the three by a wide margin.
Instagram triggers
ManyChat documents every Instagram trigger we track, including live comments and a follow-to-DM beta. SendPulse covers comments, live comments and story mentions, but its help center does not describe replies to your stories or new followers.
InstaChamp covers comments and DM keywords, plus story mentions and story reactions. Conversation paths allow branching replies. Its page describes no AI agent and no hand-over to a person.
Which to pick
Pick SendPulse if you sell through DMs or want the lowest bill at 10,000 contacts. It also includes a CRM and payment buttons in the chat.
Pick ManyChat if your content runs on stories and live video, or if most of your contacts rarely write back.
Leave MobileMonkey. Plan the move now and rebuild your keyword flows in the new tool. The ManyChat alternatives page covers more options.
Questions people ask
Is MobileMonkey still available?
Not under that name. MobileMonkey became Customers.ai in March 2023. Its Instagram tool survives as InstaChamp, on a page last updated in March 2025 and missing from the main product menu.
What replaced MobileMonkey?
Customers.ai replaced it as a company, but it now sells email and identity tools. For Instagram DM automation, most former users move to ManyChat or SendPulse.
Is ManyChat better than MobileMonkey?
For Instagram, yes. ManyChat is actively developed and documents every Instagram trigger we track. InstaChamp is cheaper at 1,000 contacts, but it has not been updated since March 2025.