ManyChat vs SendPulse for Instagram DM automation

SendPulse is the cheaper of the two at both contact counts we priced: $22 against $39 a month for 1,000 contacts, and $74 against $162 for 10,000. It also includes a CRM at no extra cost. ManyChat documents more Instagram triggers and bills only for people who message you, which makes it the better pick for large accounts where few followers write in.

Side by side

Price

The two vendors count contacts differently, and that decides which one is cheaper for you.

SendPulse bills by the total number of subscribers in your bots, in tiers of 500, 2,000, 5,000, 10,000 and 20,000. There is no 1,000 tier, so 1,000 subscribers means the 2,000 tier at $22.

ManyChat bills by active contacts, meaning people who interacted with your account that month. Each plan includes a set number and charges overage above it. For 10,000 active contacts the cheapest route is Business plus overage, at $162 a month.

The billing basis can flip the result. Take an account with 10,000 subscribers of whom 2,000 message it in a typical month. ManyChat Pro covers 2,500 active contacts for $39, which is less than the $74 SendPulse charges for 10,000 stored subscribers.

Instagram triggers

Both tools send a DM when someone comments a keyword, reply publicly under the comment, answer incoming DMs and react to story mentions and live comments. Both also include a flow builder and a shared inbox, and both offer an AI agent that replies on its own.

ManyChat documents two triggers that SendPulse’s help center does not describe: replies to your own stories, and a message to new followers. The follower trigger is still a beta that Meta enables per account. If your content runs on stories, that gap matters more than the price.

Selling inside the DM

Both can take a payment without sending the buyer to a separate site.

ManyChat does it with a Buy Button connected to Stripe or PayPal. SendPulse supports 13 providers, including Stripe, PayPal, Mercado Pago, Klarna and Flutterwave, which matters for sellers in Latin America and Africa. Payments on SendPulse need a paid plan.

SendPulse also keeps every buyer in a built-in CRM with deal stages, free for up to five team members. ManyChat’s pages do not describe a CRM of its own.

Free plans

SendPulse’s free plan includes Instagram for up to 500 subscribers. It also allows three bots and 10,000 messages a month, which is enough to run a real giveaway.

ManyChat’s free plan covers 25 active contacts and four live automations, with ManyChat branding on messages. It works for testing a flow, not for running one.

Which to pick

Pick SendPulse if you sell through DMs or want the lower bill at up to 10,000 subscribers. It also suits teams that want email and SMS in the same account.

Pick ManyChat if your audience is large but only a small share messages you each month. It is also the safer choice when your content depends on story replies.

If neither fits, our ManyChat alternatives cover six more options, including free ones.

Questions people ask

Is SendPulse cheaper than ManyChat?

At 1,000 and 10,000 contacts, yes: $22 against $39, and $74 against $162. It stops being cheaper when most of your contacts are inactive, because ManyChat only bills for active ones.

Do both use the official Instagram API?

Yes. Both say they are Meta Business Partners using the official API. We could not confirm either listing in Meta’s partner directory, because the directory requires a Facebook login.