Comparison · updated September 2026
ManyChat charges $29 for Pro and another $29 for the AI add-on, which is only sold on Pro and Business. LiliFlow charges $8.97 for unlimited comment-to-DM automation plus 8,000 AI credits, about 800 generated replies a month. The point where ManyChat becomes cheaper sits near 5,000 AI replies a month.
ManyChat: $29 + $29 AI add-on · LiliFlow: $8.97 Starter, $18.97 Pro · converted at $1 = R$ 5.50 and €1 = $1.08
The pricing shift
On March 2, 2026 ManyChat moved to active-contact billing and cut the free plan from 1,000 contacts to 25. Every new follower who opens a conversation now carries a price.
Comparison
| AI replies per month | LiliFlow | ManyChat with AI | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 - keyword automation only | $0 Free, 1,000 automations | $0 Free, 25 active contacts | LiliFlow free plan holds 40x more |
| 300 typical | $8.97 Starter | $58 Pro + AI add-on | 6x cheaper on LiliFlow |
| 800 | $8.97 Starter, at the credit cap | $58 Pro + AI add-on | Same $8.97 up to 8,000 credits |
| 2,500 | $18.97 Pro | $58 Pro + AI add-on | 3x cheaper on LiliFlow |
| 4,900 | $58.97 Pro plus 8 top-ups | $58 Pro + AI add-on | Break-even, one dollar apart |
| 5,200 and above | $63.97 Pro plus 9 top-ups | $58 Pro + AI add-on | ManyChat is cheaper past this line |
588
dollars a year is what a creator running 300 AI replies a month keeps by paying $8.97 for LiliFlow Starter instead of $58 for ManyChat Pro plus the AI add-on.
The decision
ManyChat prices the audience: every active contact counts against the tier and extra contacts run $0.02 to $0.05 each. LiliFlow prices the work, at 10 credits per generated reply and zero for keyword rules, DMs and public replies. An account that grows from 2,000 to 8,000 conversations without using more AI pays LiliFlow the same $8.97.
The ManyChat AI Step is closest to keyword matching over answers someone wrote in advance. It does not carry context through a conversation and cannot be trained on the creator's own content. LiliFlow generates each reply against that content, so a follower who asks the same question three different ways gets three answers that fit.
LiliFlow answers with an audio message in the creator's own voice at 200 credits per 30-second block, five a month on Starter and unlocked on Pro. ManyChat has no equivalent at any tier, with or without the AI add-on.
A LiliFlow top-up is $5 for 3,000 credits and the balance carries forward with no monthly reset, so a quiet month funds a launch month. The ManyChat AI add-on is $29 every month whether the AI runs a thousand times or zero.
How LiliFlow charges
Meta charges nothing for Instagram DMs, so neither does LiliFlow. Keyword automation is unlimited on every paid plan. Credit exists only for actions with real processing cost.
Starter includes 8,000 credits per month and Pro includes 25,000. Need more and a top-up costs $5 for 3,000 credits — and purchased credit never expires while the subscription is active.
Being fair
ManyChat is the bigger and older product, and it is not close. It runs Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, SMS and email alongside Instagram, and carries a template library, an agency ecosystem and years of production history. LiliFlow covers Instagram and nothing else. Any workflow that moves a follower from Instagram into WhatsApp or an email sequence is a ManyChat job.
The price argument also has a ceiling. Above roughly 5,000 AI replies a month, LiliFlow top-ups pass the flat $58 ManyChat charges. LiliFlow is also new: its Instagram app has not been published yet, so it carries no Meta partner badge, no public review history and no multi-year uptime record. ManyChat has all three.
FAQ
Only AI actions. Replying to a comment with a keyword, sending the DM, replying publicly and delivering a link consume no credit on any paid plan. Credit is spent on two things: an AI-generated reply at 10 credits, and cloned-voice audio at 200 credits per 30-second block. That is the complete table.
No. Basic automation keeps running because it does not depend on credit. Only the AI layer pauses, and you are notified on the first refusal by email and inside the app. You can also set a monthly spending cap so the bill never surprises you.
No. Credits included with a plan renew monthly and do not roll over, but top-up credits bought separately accumulate indefinitely while the subscription is active. If you cancel, they are held and become valid again on reactivation.
Yes, no card and no time limit. It includes 1,000 automations per month and one Instagram account, with a discreet LiliFlow signature on DMs. On activation you also receive 2,000 AI credits valid for 7 days.
LiliFlow has three plans: Free, with 1,000 automations per month and no AI; Starter at $8.97 per month with unlimited automations and 8,000 AI credits; and Pro at $18.97 per month with unlimited automations, 25,000 AI credits and cloned-voice audio unlocked. A top-up costs $5 for 3,000 credits and never expires.
Yes. LiliFlow runs exclusively on Meta's official API, with official login and no password sharing. There is no scraping, no browser automation and no messages sent to people who never interacted with the account, which is exactly the behaviour that gets accounts restricted.
Get started
Free forever, no card. $8.97 when you want the AI on all month.