ManyChat Free Trial: Automate Chats on 3 Platforms for $0/Mo

Businesses are always looking for new and innovative ways to connect with their customers. That’s why AI-powered chat marketing has become a game-changer in recent years.

That’s where ManyChat platform comes in.

This is a powerful AI-powered chat automation platform that is changing how companies talk to their audience. With its easy-to-use design and powerful features, ManyChat has become a popular choice for businesses that want to simplify their customer communication process.

This guide will show you everything you need to know about the ManyChat free trial. We’ll look at its features, benefits, and how you can use this tool to improve your marketing.

Here’s what you’ll find in this article:

• A closer look at ManyChat’s main features and AI tools
• Step-by-step instructions for signing up and using the free trial
• Pricing details and a comparison of plans
• Useful tips on how to make the most of your free trial

So, whether you’re a small business owner, a marketing expert, or just curious about chat automation, this guide will give you all the info you need to get started with ManyChat’s free trial.

About ManyChat

ManyChat is a chat automation tool that helps businesses create chatbots for different messaging apps. It lets you automate conversations, talk to customers, and boost your marketing.

And, you can use it easily—without needing to know how to code.

You can create and manage chatbots for:

• Facebook Messenger
• Instagram Direct Messages
• WhatsApp
• SMS
• Email
• Telegram

This multi-channel support helps you connect with your audience on the platforms they prefer, making communication smooth and easy across various channels.

Since it started in 2015, ManyChat has become one of the top chat marketing platforms.

Over 1 million businesses in 190 countries use it. ManyChat handles billions of customer chats every year, making it a popular choice for businesses of all sizes.

Here are some of the key offerings of ManyChat you need to try:

• Flow Builder: This is ManyChat’s drag-and-drop interface for creating chatbot flows. It’s intuitive and easy to use, allowing you to design complex conversation paths without any coding skills.
• Custom Fields and Tags: You can store and organize user information using custom fields and tags. This feature helps in segmenting your audience and personalizing your messages.
• Growth Tools: These are tools designed to help you grow your subscriber list. They include various widgets and pop-ups that you can add to your website or social media profiles.
• Broadcasts and Sequences: You can send mass messages (broadcasts) or set up automated message sequences to engage with your audience.
• Live Chat: ManyChat allows you to switch from automated responses to live chat when needed, providing a seamless customer service experience.
• AI Features: ManyChat incorporates several AI-powered tools to enhance your chatbot’s capabilities, including AI Intents, AI Step, and AI Flow Builder Assistant.

Additionally, the platform is quite user-friendly so you won’t find any issues getting started.

ManyChat Free Trial: Getting Started

ManyChat offers a free trial through its Free plan, which you can use as long as you want. This plan lets users try out many of ManyChat’s main features without any time limit or cost.

With the free trial, you can:

• Engage with up to 1,000 contacts
• Create unlimited custom flows using the basic Flow Builder
• Connect your chatbot to Facebook Messenger, Instagram, and WhatsApp

You’ll also get basic Growth Tools and can use up to 3 custom keywords.

This free plan is a great way for businesses to try chat marketing and automation. It helps them see how ManyChat can improve customer engagement.

While there are some limits compared to the paid Pro plan, the free trial still offers plenty for small businesses or beginners to understand the platform’s potential.

How to Sign Up for the Free Trial

Getting started with ManyChat’s free trial is a straightforward process. Here’s how you can do it:

• Visit the ManyChat website (www.manychat.com)
• Click on the “Get Started Free” button
• You’ll be prompted to choose your primary channel (Facebook, Instagram, or Other)
• Connect your chosen channel to ManyChat
• Complete the onboarding process by answering a few questions about your business

Once you’ve completed these steps, you’ll have access to ManyChat’s free plan, which you can use indefinitely or upgrade to a Pro plan later – premium plans start from $15 per month.

Features Available in the Free Plan

ManyChat’s free plan offers a robust set of features that allow you to explore the platform’s capabilities.

Here’s what you get:

• Access to the Flow Builder
• Basic Growth Tools
• Up to 1,000 contacts
• Integration with Facebook Messenger, Instagram, and WhatsApp
• Unlimited custom flows
• Basic audience segmentation with up to 10 tags

These features provide a solid foundation for creating your first chatbot.

Limitations of the Free Plan

While the free plan is generous, it does have some limitations:

• Limited to 1,000 contacts
• Only 3 custom keywords
• No access to advanced features like AI tools, SMS, or email integration
• Limited analytics
• ManyChat branding on messages

Despite these limitations, the free plan offers ample opportunities to test the platform and determine if it’s the right fit for your business needs. And, of course, you can always upgrade when you need.

ManyChat’s Core Functions

1. Flow Builder

The Flow Builder is the heart of ManyChat. It’s where you create your chatbot’s conversation flows using a visual, drag-and-drop interface. Here’s what you need to know:

• The Flow Builder uses a system of triggers and blocks to create conversations
• Triggers are events that start your automation (e.g., a user sending a message)
• Blocks determine what happens after the trigger (e.g., sending a response, collecting information)

You can create complex, branching conversations by connecting different blocks. The Flow Builder also allows you to test your flows in real-time, making it easy to refine your chatbot’s responses.

2. Growth Tools

Growth Tools are ManyChat’s features designed to help you acquire new subscribers. They include:

• Website widgets and pop-ups
• Facebook Comment-to-Messenger
• Instagram Story Mentions
• QR codes
• Referral URLs

These tools help drive traffic to your chatbot, allowing you to engage with more potential customers and grow your subscriber list.

3. Broadcasting and Sequences

ManyChat allows you to send two types of mass messages:

• Broadcasts: These are one-time messages sent to a group of subscribers. They’re great for announcements, promotions, or time-sensitive information.
• Sequences: These are series of messages sent over time. They’re useful for onboarding new subscribers, nurturing leads, or delivering courses.

Both broadcasts and sequences can be highly targeted using ManyChat’s segmentation features, ensuring your messages reach the right audience at the right time.

4. Contact Management

ManyChat provides robust contact management features:

• Custom Fields: Store specific information about your contacts (e.g., name, email, preferences)
• Tags: Group contacts based on their actions or characteristics
• Segments: Create groups of contacts based on multiple criteria

These features allow you to organize your contacts effectively.

ManyChat AI Features

ManyChat has incorporated several AI-powered features to enhance its capabilities. These features are available in the Pro plan and require an additional $29/month subscription.

1. Keywords and AI Intents

• Keywords: You can set up your chatbot to respond to specific keywords in user messages
• AI Intents: This feature uses AI to understand the intent behind user messages, even if they don’t use exact keywords

These features allow your chatbot to provide more accurate and relevant responses to user queries.

2. AI Step

The AI Step is a powerful feature that allows you to create AI-powered conversation flows. You can:

• Define the AI’s role and goals for each step
• Instruct the AI to collect specific information
• Provide business context for the AI to use in conversations

This feature enables more natural, context-aware conversations that can handle complex queries and tasks.

3. AI Flow Builder Assistant

This tool helps you create chatbot flows by suggesting next steps and providing recommendations. It can:

• Generate complete automations based on your goals
• Suggest improvements to existing flows
• Help you optimize your chatbot’s performance

4. AI Text Improver

The AI Text Improver can help refine your chatbot’s messages. It can:

• Rewrite text for different purposes
• Change the tone of voice
• Translate text to other languages

These AI features greatly improve ManyChat’s abilities, helping you build smarter and more effective chatbots.

ManyChat Live Chat Capabilities

While automation is ManyChat’s primary focus, it also offers live chat capabilities:

• You can set up your chatbot to hand off conversations to human agents when needed
• The Inbox feature allows you to manage all your conversations in one place
• ManyChat offers iOS and Android apps for managing conversations on the go
• The Inbox Pro feature (available at additional cost) provides advanced features like agent analytics and auto-assignment rules

This combination of automated and live chat allows you to provide efficient, 24/7 customer service while still maintaining a personal touch when needed.

ManyChat Pricing: After the Trial

If you need more features or a bigger contact list, there’s the Pro plan. The Pro plan starts at $15 per month for up to 500 contacts and increases as your contact list grows. For example:

• 1,000 contacts cost $25 per month
• 5,000 contacts cost $45 per month

There are extra charges for WhatsApp conversations beyond the free limit, with prices depending on the country. For advanced AI features, there’s an additional $29 per month on top of the Pro plan. The Inbox Pro feature for better live chat starts at $99 per month.

Though the cost can rise for larger businesses or those using many features, ManyChat offers a 7-day free trial of the Pro plan and a 30-day money-back guarantee as well.

ManyChat Free vs. Pro: Key Differences

While the free plan offers a great starting point, the Pro plan unlocks extra features. Let’s compare:

When to Upgrade to the Pro Plan

While the free plan offers a lot, you can consider upgrading to the Pro plan when:

• You exceed 1,000 contacts
• You need access to advanced features like SMS or email marketing
• You want to remove ManyChat branding
• You require more sophisticated analytics and optimization tools
• You need to integrate with other business tools

Pro plans start at $15 per month and increase as your contact list grows. For businesses serious about using chat marketing, the Pro plan’s extra features often make the investment worth it.

Pros and Cons of ManyChat

To give you a clear view, let’s look at both the advantages and potential drawbacks of using ManyChat:

Making the Most of Your ManyChat Free Trial

To make the most of ManyChat’s free trial plan, follow these steps:

• Explore the Flow Builder: Create engaging conversation flows for your chatbot. Try different message types, buttons, and quick replies to see what works best.
• Use Custom Keywords: Set up automated responses for common questions.
• Leverage Growth Tools: Start building your subscriber list using tools like the Comment Growth Tool for Facebook or Instagram posts.
• Send Broadcast Messages: Test how well your contacts engage by sending out broadcast messages.
• Segment Your Audience: Use available tags to personalize your messages for different groups.
• Check Basic Analytics: Regularly review the basic analytics to understand your chatbot’s performance.
• Test Across Channels: Ensure your chatbot works well on Facebook Messenger, Instagram, and WhatsApp.
• Join the Community: Connect with ManyChat’s Facebook community and explore their documentation for tips and best practices from other users.

This is how you’ll be able to get a solid understanding of how ManyChat works and how this platfom can really benefit your business, even with the free plan’s limitations.

ManyChat Analytics and Reporting

ManyChat provides several types of analytics to help you understand your chatbot’s performance:

• Insights Dashboard: Provides an overview of your contacts across different channels
• Flow Analytics: Shows how users are moving through your chatbot flows
• Conversion Analytics: Tracks specific conversion events you set up
• Agent Analytics (with Inbox Pro): Provides data on live chat performance

These analytics tools can help you optimize your chatbot’s performance and improve your marketing strategies.

Integrations and App Store

ManyChat offers direct integrations with several popular tools:

• Zapier
• Google Sheets
• ActiveCampaign
• MailChimp
• HubSpot

Additionally, ManyChat has its own App Store with over 60 third-party integrations, allowing you to extend the platform’s functionality even further.

Conclusion: Is the ManyChat Free Trial Worth It?

After looking at ManyChat, it’s clear that the free trial is a great chance to try out this chat marketing tool. It has many features to help businesses manage and improve customer chats.

Plus, it’s easy to use for beginners and supports different channels.

The free trial lets you check out ManyChat’s main features. You can use the Flow Builder, basic Growth Tools, and key analytics. It’s a good way to see if ManyChat fits your business needs.

Even though the free plan has some limits, it works well for small businesses or those new to chat marketing. As you grow and see the benefits of automated chats, you may want to upgrade to the Pro plan. This plan gives you even more powerful tools to help you scale up your efforts.

Sign up for the ManyChat Free Trial today. See for yourself how this platform can help you connect with customers, get leads, and boost sales with automated chats.

FAQs about ManyChat Free Trial

How long is ManyChat’s free trial?

The ManyChat free plan doesn’t expire.

You can use it forever with the features and limits it includes. But, if you want more advanced features or need to have more than 1,000 contacts, you’ll need to upgrade to a Pro plan.

What exactly is included in the ManyChat free trial?

The ManyChat free trial, also known as the Free plan, includes access to basic features of the Flow Builder, integration with Facebook Messenger, Instagram, and WhatsApp, basic Growth Tools, and the ability to engage with up to 1,000 contacts. You can create unlimited custom flows and use up to 3 custom keywords. This plan allows you to explore ManyChat’s core functionality without any time limit.

Can I upgrade to Pro during the free trial?

Yes, you can upgrade from the free plan to a Pro plan at any time.

When you upgrade, you’ll gain access to all of ManyChat’s advanced features, including unlimited contacts (with scaled pricing), all Growth Tools, advanced segmentation features, and integrations with other tools.

Upgrading is easy and can be done from within your ManyChat account.

Do I need a credit card to start the trial?

No, you don’t need a credit card to sign up for ManyChat’s free plan. You can create an account and start using the basic features without providing any payment information.

This makes it risk-free to try out the platform and see if it meets your needs.

What happens to my chatbot if I don’t upgrade?

If you choose not to upgrade after using the free plan, your chatbot will continue to function with the limitations of the free plan. You’ll still be able to use basic features and engage with up to 1,000 contacts. However, you won’t have access to advanced features, and if you exceed 1,000 contacts, your ability to send messages will be paused until you upgrade or reduce your contact count.

Can I use ManyChat for multiple Facebook pages?

On the free plan, you can only connect one Facebook page per ManyChat account. If you need to manage multiple pages, you’ll need to upgrade to the Pro plan.

Is it possible to downgrade from Pro to Free?

Yes, you can downgrade from Pro to Free. However, keep in mind that you’ll lose access to Pro features and be limited to 1,000 contacts. Any contacts over this limit will be unsubscribed.

Can I use ManyChat’s AI features in the free trial?

No, ManyChat’s AI features are not available in the free plan. These features, including AI Intents, AI Step, AI Flow Builder Assistant, and AI Text Improver, are only available in the Pro plan and require an additional $29 per month subscription on top of the Pro plan pricing.

Does ManyChat offer refunds if I’m not satisfied?

ManyChat offers a 30-day money-back guarantee for Pro plan subscriptions. If you’re not satisfied within the first 30 days, you can request a full refund.

Can I use ManyChat for e-commerce businesses?

Absolutely! ManyChat is well-suited for e-commerce businesses. You can use it to showcase products, handle customer inquiries, and even process orders directly through chat.

Does ManyChat offer customer support for free trial users?

ManyChat offers limited customer support for free trial users, mainly through their help center and community forums. Pro users get access to email support and priority assistance.