Is ManyChat or tawk.to better?

Neither clearly leads. ManyChat starts at Free and tawk.to at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, ManyChat or tawk.to?

ManyChat starts at Free and tawk.to at Free.

Does ManyChat or tawk.to run on more platforms?

ManyChat runs on web, ios, android. tawk.to runs on Web, Ios, Android, Windows, Mac.

Can I use ManyChat for free?

Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.

What is ManyChat best used for?

ManyChat is most often used for automating instagram dm and comment replies, lead generation via chat funnels, whatsapp order updates and broadcasts, e-commerce cart recovery via chat. Of those, automating instagram dm and comment replies and lead generation via chat funnels are not what tawk.to is typically brought in for.

What can ManyChat do that tawk.to cannot?

ManyChat covers Visual Flow Builder, Instagram Automation, WhatsApp Automation, SMS Marketing. tawk.to covers Live chat, Ticketing, Knowledge base, CRM.

Live Chat · head to head

ManyChat vs tawk.to

ManyChat

Live Chat

Chatbot and automation platform for Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp, and SMS

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

tawk.to

Live Chat

100% free live chat software

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

The short version

Each has a real cost: ManyChat pro plan pricing scales quickly with contact count, becoming expensive for large audiences.; tawk.to removing the Powered by tawk.to branding costs an extra $29/month even on the free plan
They diverge on capability: ManyChat covers Visual Flow Builder, tawk.to covers Live chat.
Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which ManyChat and tawk.to actually diverge.

Attributes where ManyChat and tawk.to differ
Attribute	ManyChat	tawk.to
Platforms	web, ios, android	Web, Ios, Android, Windows, Mac
Founded	Unknown	2013

Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (freemium), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Live Chat).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in ManyChat

Visual Flow Builder
Instagram Automation
WhatsApp Automation
SMS Marketing
Broadcast Campaigns
E-commerce Integrations

Only in tawk.to

Live chat
Ticketing
Knowledge base
CRM
Video chat
Screen sharing
WordPress
Shopify

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

ManyChat

Automating Instagram DM and comment repliesnot tawk.to
Lead generation via chat funnelsnot tawk.to
WhatsApp order updates and broadcastsnot tawk.to
E-commerce cart recovery via chatnot tawk.to

tawk.to

Website live chat and visitor engagementnot ManyChat
Customer support automationnot ManyChat

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

ManyChat

Pro plan pricing scales quickly with contact count, becoming expensive for large audiences.
WhatsApp automation requires a connected WhatsApp Business API number with separate messaging costs.
The free plan has restrictive contact and feature limits compared to paid competitors.
Advanced flow logic can become difficult to manage for very complex automation sequences.

tawk.to

Removing the Powered by tawk.to branding costs an extra $29/month even on the free plan
Enhanced AI Assist chatbot is a paid add-on starting at $29/month rather than included free
Human staffed chat agents are billed at $1/hour as a separate add-on

Pricing, plan by plan

ManyChat

Free

Free$undefined/month
- Limited contacts
- Core automation features
- Basic channels
Pro$15/month
- Higher contact limits
- All channels
- Broadcast messaging

tawk.to

Free

Free Core SoftwareFree
- Live chat software with no feature limitations
- Chat pages
- Knowledge base (hosted help center)
Branding Removal$29/month
- Remove Powered by tawk.to widget branding
AI Assist Premium$29/month
- AI-powered chatbot automation
Hired Chat Agents$1/hour
- Professional trained agents 24/7/365

Which should you pick?

Choose ManyChat if

You need visual flow builder.
You want to start without paying.
You work on web, ios, android.
You also want instagram automation.

ManyChat review

Choose tawk.to if

You need live chat.
You want to start without paying.
You work on Web, Ios, Android, Windows, Mac.
You also want ticketing.

tawk.to review

Questions people ask

Is ManyChat or tawk.to better?: Neither clearly leads. ManyChat starts at Free and tawk.to at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, ManyChat or tawk.to?: ManyChat starts at Free and tawk.to at Free.
Does ManyChat or tawk.to run on more platforms?: ManyChat runs on web, ios, android. tawk.to runs on Web, Ios, Android, Windows, Mac.
Can I use ManyChat for free?: Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is ManyChat best used for?: ManyChat is most often used for automating instagram dm and comment replies, lead generation via chat funnels, whatsapp order updates and broadcasts, e-commerce cart recovery via chat. Of those, automating instagram dm and comment replies and lead generation via chat funnels are not what tawk.to is typically brought in for.
What can ManyChat do that tawk.to cannot?: ManyChat covers Visual Flow Builder, Instagram Automation, WhatsApp Automation, SMS Marketing. tawk.to covers Live chat, Ticketing, Knowledge base, CRM.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

ManyChat: How much does Manychat cost?

Manychat offers a free plan at $0/month and Pro plan starting at $15/month. Pro plan pricing scales with number of contacts. Elite tier offers custom pricing. Free plan allows automation for up to 1,000 contacts.

Source

tawk.to: How much does tawk.to cost?

tawk.to is free for core live chat, knowledge base, ticketing, and CRM. Premium add-ons start at $29/month for branding removal or AI Assist, and $1/hour for hired chat agents.

Source

ManyChat: What channels does Manychat support?

Free plan supports Instagram Direct Messages and Facebook Messenger. Pro and Elite plans add WhatsApp, SMS text messaging, and email. All channels allow unlimited custom automation flows once contacts are engaged.

Source

tawk.to: Is tawk.to free forever?

Yes, tawk.to's core software including live chat, knowledge base, ticketing, and contacts is free forever with no feature limitations.

Source

ManyChat: How does Manychat AI pricing work?

Manychat AI features including Intention Recognition, AI Steps, Text Improver, and Flow Builder Assistant are available in Pro and Elite plans at no extra cost. Pro plan includes monthly Chaos AI credits for AI-powered features.

Source

tawk.to: How are tawk.to's hired chat agents priced?

Hired chat agents are billed at $1 per hour with professional trained staff providing 24/7/365 support.

Source

ManyChat: Can I cancel my Manychat subscription anytime?

Yes, Manychat allows cancellation of payment plans at any time. No long-term contract is required. Standard payment methods including credit cards are accepted.

Source

ManyChat vs tawk.to

ManyChat

tawk.to

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in ManyChat

Only in tawk.to

What people use each for

ManyChat

tawk.to

Where each one falls short

ManyChat

tawk.to

Pricing, plan by plan

ManyChat

tawk.to

Which should you pick?

Choose ManyChat if

Choose tawk.to if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on ManyChat

More on tawk.to

Keep looking

Other head to heads