# Manychat vs LinkDM (2026): Contacts vs DM Caps > Manychat vs LinkDM: active-contact billing vs DM caps on every tier, free plans, AI and refunds — plus Reachlee, the flat $9/mo option with unlimited DMs. Comparison # Manychat vs LinkDM: contacts vs DM caps Manychat bills by the people who engage with you. LinkDM bills by the DMs you send, with a ceiling on every tier. Both are official-API tools; both get more expensive when a post works. Here is how they differ, and the flat-priced third option that removes the meter entirely. Updated September 2026 · Human-verified [Try Reachlee free ](/app/?src=seo&page=compare%2Fmanychat-vs-linkdm) Reachlee Pro: 3 Instagram accounts, unlimited DMs, $9/mo · official Instagram API ## Manychat or LinkDM? The short answer As of September 2026, the Manychat vs LinkDM decision comes down to what you want metered. Manychat bills by active contacts — roughly $15/mo at 500 contacts, $45 at 2,500, $65 at 5,000 — and folds AI into a Pro plan from $39/mo. LinkDM is flat per tier but caps DMs: Free 1,000, Pro $19/mo 25,000, Platinum+ $99/mo 300,000\. Reachlee is the flat third option: Pro $9/mo, 3 accounts, unlimited DMs. 1Manychat meters active contacts (since March 2026) across six channels; LinkDM meters DMs across Instagram and Facebook with a cap on every tier 2Free plans: Manychat covers about 25 active contacts a month; LinkDM covers 1 account and 1,000 DMs but holds back comment auto-reply and email capture 3AI: Manychat folds AI into Pro from $39/mo (as of September 2026); LinkDM publishes no AI replies; Reachlee AI is on Growth at $14/mo 4Refunds: LinkDM honours a 7-day window; Manychat's stated policy does not prorate unused time 5Reachlee Pro gives LinkDM Pro's 3 accounts for $9/mo with no DM cap, and a viral month costs the same as a quiet one ## Manychat vs LinkDM vs Reachlee | | Manychat | LinkDM | Reachlee | | ------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------- | | Pricing model | Active contacts per month, per-contact overage | Flat tiers with a DM cap on every tier | Flat monthly; unlimited DMs on Pro and up | | Free plan | About 25 active contacts/mo | 1 account, 1,000 DMs/mo; no comment auto-reply or email capture | 1 account, 1,000 DMs/mo, 10 leads, 30-day analytics | | First paid tier | ≈$15/mo at 500 active contacts (as of Sep 2026) | Pro $19/mo or $182/yr (as of Sep 2026) | Pro $9/mo | | Cost as you grow | ≈$45 at 2,500 contacts, ≈$65 at 5,000, plus ≈$0.05–0.10 per extra contact | $19 up to 25,000 DMs, then Platinum+ $99/mo for 300,000 | $9 at any DM or contact volume | | Instagram accounts | Not the billing unit; per-plan limits vary — verify on manychat.com | 1 on Free · 3 on Pro · 10 on Platinum+ | 1 on Free · 3 on Pro · 10 on Business | | Channels | Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp, SMS, Email, Telegram | Instagram + Facebook | Instagram only | | Follow gate | Verify per plan on manychat.com | Follower growth tool on Pro and up | Growth Gate on Pro and up | | AI replies | Folded into Pro from $39/mo for 2,500 contacts (as of Sep 2026) | Not published | Reachlee AI on Growth, $14/mo, 1,000 credits | | Integrations | Large template and channel ecosystem | Kit and Flodesk | Google Sheets lead piping on Business; Meta Ads audience export | | Refund / cancel | No proration of unused time; access to period end | 7-day refund window; self-serve cancel to period end | One-click cancel in Settings; access to period end | | Official API | Yes | Yes — Meta Business Partner badge | Yes — Instagram Business Login, Meta-compliant | Manychat and LinkDM figures are from their pricing pages and public documentation as of September 2026; Manychat bands are approximate because the price depends on your active-contact count. 'Not published' means the fact was not on the vendor's pricing page when we checked — confirm before buying. Head to head ## Where each tool earns its price 01 ### Manychat — breadth and depth The most mature flow builder in the category, a large template library, and six channels under one roof. If you run branching campaigns across Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger with a team, nothing on this page matches it. The cost is that the metered resource is engagement — the thing you are using the tool to grow. 02 ### LinkDM — simple tiers, hard ceilings A price you can read in ten seconds, a Meta Business Partner badge since 2021, and a 7-day refund window that is better than most in the category. The trade-off is the cap: a Free user who crosses 1,000 DMs needs Pro, and a Pro user who needs a fourth account jumps to $99 whether or not their volume justifies it. 03 ### The viral-month test One Reel pulls 3,000 keyword comments. On Manychat that is 3,000 active contacts — a jump of a band or two plus overage. On LinkDM Free it is a stall at 1,000 DMs; on Pro it is fine until 25,000\. On Reachlee Pro it is $9, same as last month. 04 ### AI is priced very differently Manychat's AI used to be a $29/mo add-on; its 2026 pricing folds AI into a Pro plan from $39/mo. LinkDM lists no AI replies at all. Reachlee AI answers DMs and comments from your own knowledge on Growth at $14/mo with 1,000 credits — a credit is only spent when a reply is actually sent. The verdict Pick Manychat if you genuinely run more than one channel, want the deepest flow builder available, and can budget for a bill that tracks engagement. Pick LinkDM if you want a readable flat price, a refund window, and your monthly DM volume sits comfortably inside a tier — it is a fair, honest product for steady accounts. Pick Reachlee if Instagram is the whole job and you never want to think about a meter again: Pro is $9/mo for 3 accounts with unlimited DMs, contacts and leads, Growth adds AI replies at $14/mo, and the free plan runs real automations indefinitely. Pricing ## The flat-priced third column Reachlee starts free — 1 Instagram account, 1,000 DMs/month, 10 leads. Pro is $9/mo: 3 accounts, unlimited DMs, contacts and leads, Growth Gate, scheduled DMs, any-post triggers. Growth is $14/mo with Reachlee AI. Business is $29/mo with 10 accounts, 5 team seats and Google Sheets lead piping. Cancel in one click; access runs to period end. [Start free ](/app/?src=seo&page=compare%2Fmanychat-vs-linkdm) FAQ ## Manychat vs LinkDM — FAQ Which is cheaper, Manychat or LinkDM? At low volume LinkDM: its Free plan covers 1,000 DMs and Pro is a fixed $19/mo, while Manychat runs roughly $15/mo at 500 active contacts and climbs to about $45 at 2,500 and $65 at 5,000, as of September 2026\. At very high DM volume on a small contact list, Manychat can be cheaper than LinkDM's $99 Platinum+ tier. Reachlee Pro is $9/mo at any volume. Does LinkDM have a free plan like Manychat? Yes, and it is more generous on volume: 1 Instagram account and 1,000 DMs a month versus Manychat's roughly 25 active contacts since the March 2026 restructure. The catch is features — LinkDM holds comment auto-reply, email capture and the follower growth tool for Pro. Reachlee's free plan includes comment-to-DM and lead capture on 1,000 DMs a month. Which has better AI, Manychat or LinkDM? Manychat, by default — LinkDM does not publish AI replies at all. Manychat's AI is folded into a Pro plan from $39/mo for 2,500 contacts as of September 2026\. If you want AI replies without the $39 tier, Reachlee's Growth plan is $14/mo and answers DMs and comments from knowledge you give it. Are Manychat and LinkDM safe for my Instagram account? Both run on Meta's official API, so both respect the 24-hour messaging window and only reply to people who comment or message first. LinkDM shows a Meta Business Partner badge. Reachlee uses Instagram Business Login on the same official API with a rate-limit pre-flight on every send. The tools to avoid are ones that ask for your Instagram password. Can I get a refund from Manychat or LinkDM? LinkDM publishes a 7-day refund window and self-serve cancellation to period end. Manychat's stated policy is that subscriptions are not prorated — cancelling stops renewals and you keep access to the end of the paid period. Reachlee cancellation is one click in Settings with access to period end. What does Manychat vs LinkDM cost in India? Both bill in USD. LinkDM Pro works out to roughly ₹1,580/mo and Manychat's ≈$15 entry band to roughly ₹1,300+, before your card's \~3% forex markup and 18% GST. Reachlee bills in INR through Dodo — Pro is ₹399, Growth ₹799, Business ₹1,499 — with UPI and cards. Is Reachlee better than Manychat and LinkDM? For Instagram-only automation at a fixed price, yes: $9/mo buys 3 accounts, unlimited DMs, Growth Gate, scheduled DMs and Retrigger for missed commenters. It is not the pick if you need WhatsApp or Messenger (Manychat) or Facebook Page DMs (LinkDM) — Reachlee is Instagram only by design. Keep exploring ## Keep comparing [Reachlee vs ManychatThe full head-to-head.](/vs/manychat/)[Reachlee vs LinkDMSame 3 accounts, half the price.](/vs/linkdm/)[Manychat alternativesEvery option if the contact meter isn't for you.](/alternatives/manychat/)[LinkDM pricing explainedDM caps on every tier, decoded.](/guides/linkdm-pricing/)[Manychat pricing explainedWhat active-contact billing really costs.](/guides/manychat-pricing/)[DM automation pricing comparedWhat 20 tools really cost, in one table.](/guides/instagram-dm-automation-pricing/)[All comparisonsEvery head-to-head and three-way comparison, in one place.](/compare/) --- Source: https://www.reachlee.co/compare/manychat-vs-linkdm