ManyChat or LinkDM: what is the quick verdict?
Both tools send a DM when someone comments a keyword on your Instagram post or reel. The real difference is what they charge for. ManyChat charges by active contacts, the people you interact with in a month. LinkDM charges by DMs sent, with a flat price per plan. That one choice decides which is cheaper for you.
- Pick ManyChat if you run Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp from one place and want branching flows, broadcasts and email in the same builder.
- Pick LinkDM if Instagram is the job, you get a lot of comments, and you want a generous free allowance and a flat price that does not rise with each new commenter.
The free plans show the gap most clearly. LinkDM's free plan includes 1,000 DMs a month, enough to run a small launch. ManyChat's free plan covers 25 active contacts, enough to test an automation on your own account and a few friends, but not to run one on a post with real reach.
All figures below are as of October 2026. ManyChat figures are per manychat.com/pricing, checked 19 October 2026. LinkDM figures are from linkdm.com/pricing on the same date.
How does ManyChat pricing work?
ManyChat counts active contacts: anyone your account interacts with during the month. Someone who messages several times counts once. The free plan covers 25 active contacts and up to 4 automations, with ManyChat branding on messages.
| Tier | Price a month | Active contacts included | Each extra contact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essential | $14 | 250 | $0.10 |
| Pro | $29 | 2,500 | $0.05 |
| Business | $69 | 7,500 | $0.025 |
| Advanced | $139 | 25,000 | $0.004 |
Going over the allowance does not stop your automations. You are billed for each extra contact instead. That is why a reel that brings in thousands of new commenters shows up on a ManyChat bill: every one of them is a new active contact. Our ManyChat pricing guide walks through the tiers in more detail.
How does LinkDM pricing work?
LinkDM sells a flat monthly plan capped by DMs per month and by the number of Instagram accounts. Contacts are not counted.
| Plan | Monthly | Yearly | DMs a month | Instagram accounts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | $0 | 1,000 | 1 |
| Pro | $19 | $182 a year | 25,000 | 3 |
| Platinum+ | $99 | $832 a year | 300,000 | 10 |
On yearly billing, LinkDM states the DM limits "per account / per month". Removing LinkDM branding is a paid feature, so free plan DMs carry it.
What does each cost at 500, 5,000 and 50,000 people a month?
Here is a worked example. Say a month of posts brings in a number of people who comment your keyword, and each gets one DM. On ManyChat, each person is one active contact. On LinkDM, each person is one DM. The table shows the cheapest plan that covers the month on each, with ManyChat overage included where it makes a higher tier cheaper.
| People a month | ManyChat | LinkDM |
|---|---|---|
| 500 | Pro, $29 a month | Free, $0 (with LinkDM branding) |
| 5,000 | Business, $69 a month | Pro, $19 a month |
| 50,000 | Advanced, $239 a month | Platinum+, $99 a month |
Take 5,000 contacts. Staying on Pro means $29 plus 2,500 extra contacts at $0.05, which is $154. Moving up to Business costs $69 because 5,000 fits inside its 7,500 contacts. The worked examples on this page use the cheaper of the two, but you only get that price if you change tier; overage on the lower tier is what you pay if you do not.
At small volumes the gap is the free plan: LinkDM's 1,000 DMs go further than ManyChat's 25 contacts. At high volumes the gap is the billing unit: LinkDM's top plan includes 300,000 DMs for a flat $99, while ManyChat's Advanced tier includes 25,000 contacts and bills $0.004 for each one after that.
To run your own numbers, try the ManyChat pricing calculator or the Instagram DM tool cost calculator.
How do ManyChat and LinkDM compare on features?
| ManyChat | LinkDM | |
|---|---|---|
| Billed by | Active contacts a month | DMs sent a month |
| Free plan | 25 contacts, up to 4 automations, ManyChat branding | 1,000 DMs, 1 Instagram account, LinkDM branding |
| Cheapest paid plan | Essential, $14 for 250 contacts | Pro, $19 for 25,000 DMs, 3 accounts |
| Comment-to-DM on posts and reels | Yes | Yes, every plan |
| Story replies and story mentions | Not confirmed | Yes, every plan |
| Ad comment replies | Not confirmed | Pro and Platinum+ |
| Email capture in the DM | Not confirmed (email is offered as a channel) | Pro and Platinum+ |
| Channels | Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp and more | Instagram and Facebook |
| Building automations | Visual flow builder with branching | Not stated |
For what each feature does in practice, see the guides to story mention replies and ad comment automation.
Who should pick ManyChat, and who should pick LinkDM?
Pick ManyChat if
- You talk to customers on more than Instagram and want one builder for all of it.
- You want branching flows, broadcasts and email marketing in the same tool.
- Your monthly audience is steady and predictable, so per-contact billing stays in range.
Pick LinkDM if
- Instagram is your main channel and comment-to-DM, story replies and story mentions are the core of what you need.
- You want a free plan you can actually run a launch on: 1,000 DMs a month.
- You manage several accounts: Platinum+ covers 10.
- You post content that can go viral and want the bill to stay flat when it does.
Where does ReplyRep fit as a third option?
If what you actually need is Instagram comment-to-DM, story replies, follow-gated DMs and email capture, ReplyRep is a narrower third option than ManyChat and closer in shape to LinkDM. It is Instagram only, built on Meta's official API by a Meta Business Partner, and bills a flat monthly price for a DM allowance rather than per contact.
The free plan includes 2,000 DMs a month for 1 account. Lite is $10 a month for 10,000 DMs and includes Follow-Gated DMs and the Email Collector (both Lite and up). MAX is $100 a month for 400,000 DMs across 5 accounts. At the three volumes above, with one DM each, that is 500 people on Free, 5,000 on Lite at $10 a month, 50,000 on MAX at $100 a month. See pricing for every plan.
It is not the right pick if you need WhatsApp, Messenger or other channels, because ReplyRep does not do them.
Try it on one post
The free plan has 2,000 DMs a month and no card.
How do you switch between ManyChat and LinkDM?
Moving either way is the same job: rebuild, switch off, test. Do it one post at a time rather than all at once. Our guide to setting up comment-to-DM covers the trigger and message in detail.
- 1
List what is live in ManyChat
Write down each automation that is switched on: the post or story, the keyword, the DM text, the link and any follow-up. Start with the post that gets the most comments.
- 2
Rebuild it in LinkDM
Recreate the trigger and the message. Comment-to-DM automations are usually a post, a keyword and a message, so this is quicker than it sounds. Keep the same keyword so old captions still work.
- 3
Switch the ManyChat automation off for that post
Two tools listening to the same post means two DMs for every comment. Turn one off before the other goes live.
- 4
Test from a second account
Comment the keyword on your own post from another account, check the DM lands, and check the link opens. Then move the next post.
- 5
Export your contacts or emails
If you collected emails or built segments in the old tool, export them before you cancel. Contact data does not move between tools by itself.
ManyChat flows with branches will not map one to one onto a simpler keyword-and-DM tool. Rebuild the outcome (the link or code people get) rather than every branch.
Where these figures come from
Prices change and some vendors localise by country. Check each pricing page before you buy. Figures checked 19 October 2026.