BlogDM automation tools compared
ManyChat vs Inrō 2026: price, limits and features
ManyChat and Inrō both bill by contacts and both give each Instagram account its own subscription. The difference is which contacts count, and Inrō's price moves up in bands as you grow.
The short answer
ManyChat covers 7 channels and bills by active contacts in US dollars, from $17 a month for 250. Inrō is Instagram only and bills by activated contacts in euros: Pro starts at €12.99 a month for up to 500 and rises with use. Both put one Instagram account on each subscription. Inrō has an MCP server that builds automations; we found none for ManyChat. Postkey is the third option: several accounts on one plan, a scheduler for 21 networks and the most agentic DM automation tool.
Facts as of November 4, 2026
Plans side by side
| Tool and plan | Monthly billing | Yearly billing | Instagram accounts | Included each month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ManyChat Free | Free | Free | 1 | 25 active contacts |
| ManyChat Essential | $17 a month | $14 a month | 1 | 250 active contacts |
| ManyChat Pro | $39 a month | $29 a month | 1 | 2,500 active contacts |
| ManyChat Business | $99 a month | $69 a month | 1 | 7,500 active contacts |
| ManyChat Advanced | $199 a month | $139 a month | 1 | 25,000 active contacts |
| Inrō Free | Free | Free | 1 | 100 activated contacts a period, 3 active scenarios |
| Inrō Pro | €12.99 a month | Not shown | 1 | Priced by activated contacts: from 500, rising with use |
| Inrō Annual | Not published | €1249 a year | 1 | 10,000 activated contacts a period |
ManyChat as its pricing page showed on November 3, 2026, Inrō on November 4, 2026. List prices before tax; ManyChat in US dollars, Inrō in euros.
How each one bills
ManyChat counts people, not messages: "It doesn't matter how many messages you exchange. One person = one Active Contact for the month." Past your plan's contacts, "If you go over it, your automations don't suddenly shut off, we'll just charge a small overage fee for each additional Active Contact." The overage per extra contact runs from $0.10 on Essential down to $0.004 on Advanced, and you can set a threshold.
Inrō counts a contact only "the first time one of your automations or campaigns does something for it" in the period. A person who messages you and gets no reply does not count, and neither does a reply you type yourself in the Inbox. The count resets on your billing date.
Pro has no cap and moves up in bands: up to 500 contacts €12.99, 501 to 1,000 €19.99, 1,001 to 1,500 €29.99, 2,001 to 3,000 €49.99 and 9,001 to 10,000 €149.99, levelling off at €999.99 past 70,000. The bands in between are not published.
Annual is €1249 a year for 10,000 activated contacts a period. Free allows 100 and the 14-day trial 1,000.
So a person who only messages you counts on ManyChat (sent or received) but not on Inrō until an automation acts for them.
SourcesActive ContactsInrō help: subscription plansInrō help: activated contacts
Inrō's ManyChat calculator, checked
Inrō's ManyChat page lists ManyChat at $17/$14, $39/$29, $99/$69, $199/$139 a month (monthly/yearly). Those match ManyChat's pricing page.
Its cost calculator puts Inrō at about €104.08 a month near 10,000 contacts. That is the Annual plan divided by 12. On monthly Pro, Inrō's own help center prices 9,001 to 10,000 contacts at €149.99 a month. The calculator also sets euros against dollars.
SourcesInrō: vs ManyChatInrō: ManyChat cost calculatormanychat.com/pricing
What it costs for your setup
The cheapest plan for each number of Instagram accounts on monthly billing, before extra usage. ManyChat needs one subscription per Instagram account: "If you want to manage multiple accounts for the same channel type, such as two Instagram accounts, you'll need to create a separate Manychat account for each. Note that each Manychat account has its own settings and billing."
| Accounts | ManyChat | Inrō | Postkey |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $17 (1 × Essential) | €12.99 (Pro) | $15 (Essential) |
| 3 | $51 (3 × Essential) | €38.97 (3 × Pro) | $20 (Essential + 1 extra) |
| 5 | $85 (5 × Essential) | €64.95 (5 × Pro) | $34 (Create) |
| 10 | $170 (10 × Essential) | €129.90 (10 × Pro) | $85 (Pro) |
ManyChat at Essential (250 active contacts per account); Inrō and Postkey allowances differ. Inrō in euros. Postkey's price includes the scheduler and the agent connection.
SourcesHow to sign up, sign in, and manage your Manychat accounts
Features compared
| Feature | ManyChat | Inrō | Postkey |
|---|---|---|---|
| DM channels | Instagram, TikTok, Messenger, WhatsApp, Telegram, SMS and Email | Instagram, Messenger and X | |
| Instagram accounts per plan | 1 | 1 | Up to 15 |
| Follow gate | Yes | Yes (An Ask for Follow step) | Yes |
| Email capture | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| DM inbox | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| AI replies | From Pro | Yes (AI Agent on Pro) | From Create |
| Schedules posts | Not found | Yes, 21 networks | |
| AI agent (MCP) | None found | Yes, builds automations | Yes, builds and switches on automations |
ManyChat November 3, 2026, Inrō November 4, 2026. "Not found" means we looked on the company's own pages and did not find it.
SourcesInrō help: MCP server
Where ManyChat wins
- 7 channels: Instagram, TikTok, Messenger, WhatsApp, Telegram, SMS and Email. Inrō does Instagram.
- Integrations with Klaviyo, Mailchimp, HubSpot, Google Sheets, Zapier and Make, and a public API.
- Published prices for every contact tier, with no gaps in the ladder.
- A team inbox where you assign conversations, from Business.
Where Inrō wins
- Only contacts an automation acted on count, so people who just message you cost nothing.
- A free plan with no card and a 14-day Pro trial with 1,000 contacts.
- An MCP server that, by Inrō's help center, builds scenarios, sends DMs and publishes Instagram posts (44 tools, by its count), on Pro and the trial.
- The AI Agent included on Pro, and payments in DMs.
- An agency partner program that puts every client on one bill.
Who should pick Postkey instead
Postkey is the most agentic DM automation tool. Start on the free plan, no card, and rebuild your automations yourself or ask your assistant to do it.
- You run more than one Instagram account and want one plan: Postkey's hold up to 15 accounts. On ManyChat and Inrō each account is its own subscription.
- You post beyond Instagram: Postkey schedules to 21 networks and switches each post's DM keyword on with it.
- You want DM automation on Instagram, Messenger and X, not Instagram alone.
- You want ChatGPT, Claude or Grok to build your automations and wait for your yes before they go live.
Questions
Is Inrō better than ManyChat?
For Instagram alone, with an AI agent and an MCP server on one plan, Inrō fits well. For more channels, integrations and published prices at every tier, ManyChat does more.
Does Inrō charge in euros?
Yes. Inrō's prices are in euros and include VAT. ManyChat's are in US dollars, before tax.
Can ManyChat run more than one Instagram account?
Not on one subscription. "Each Manychat account can have only one connected account for each channel type." A second account needs a second ManyChat account with its own billing.
What is the best alternative to ManyChat and Inrō?
Postkey, if you want more than DMs. It does comment to DM, the follow gate and email capture, schedules the post to 21 networks from the same plan, and is the most agentic DM automation tool. It starts at $15 a month for 2 accounts, with a free plan.
