Startups > Manychat

Manychat

ManyChat helps businesses automate messaging and drive sales across social platforms.

Series B $163.3M total Founded 2015 Palo Alto, California 387 employees

ManyChat is a chat marketing platform that automates direct messaging conversations across Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger, TikTok, Telegram, SMS, and email through a visual Flow Builder interface. The platform enables businesses to generate leads, drive sales, and engage customers with minimal technical effort, achieving 80% message open rates compared to 20% for email. Used by over 1 million users across 170 countries including Nike and The New York Times, ManyChat helps brands close deals and generate revenue through omnichannel messaging automation.

Problem solved

Businesses struggle to engage customers at scale through direct messaging channels and lack tools to automate personalized conversations that convert.

Target customer

E-commerce brands, creators, fitness/lifestyle companies, restaurants, and agencies seeking to automate customer engagement and sales through social messaging channels.

Website LinkedIn Crunchbase Twitter / X

Founders

Mikael Yang

CEO & Co-Founder

Product designer and software developer with a Bachelor of Psychology from State University — Higher School of Economics in Moscow and entrepreneurship studies at Open University Skolkovo.

Antony Gorin

CTO & Co-Founder

Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer responsible for the platform's technical architecture and development.

Funding history

Seed Unknown December 2015 Led by 500 Global (500 Startups accelerator) · Unknown

Series A $18M April 2019 Led by Bessemer Venture Partners · Flint Capital

Series B $140M April 2025 Led by Summit Partners · 535West, Skywell Capital Partners, Bessemer Venture Partners

Total raised: $163.3M

Industries

Marketing Messaging Sales Software

Pricing

Freemium model: Free plan ($0, 25 contacts), Essential ($14/mo), Pro ($29/mo, 2,500 contacts), Business ($69/mo, 7,500 contacts). Overage fees $0.018-$0.025 per contact. Additional costs: AI add-on $29/mo, WhatsApp $0.02-$0.08 per conversation, SMS $0.01-$0.03 per message.

Notable customers

Nike, The New York Times, Offset Solar, Get Clients Campaign, Astral Restaurant Systems

Integrations

Facebook Messenger, Instagram, WhatsApp, TikTok, Telegram, SMS, Email, Zendesk, DocuSign, Google Analytics, SendGrid, Google Workspace, Amazon Web Services

Tech stack

React (JavaScript frameworks) GSAP (JavaScript frameworks) Next.js (Web servers) Zendesk (Documentation) Webpack DocuSign Google Analytics (Analytics) Sentry (Issue trackers) reCAPTCHA (Security) HSTS (Security) Node.js (Programming languages) Apple iCloud Mail (Webmail) Google Workspace (Email) Amazon Web Services (PaaS) Usercentrics (Cookies compliance) AWS Certificate Manager (SSL/TLS certificate authorities) Sendgrid (Email)

Website

manychat.com/

Competitors

Tidio

Tidio offers broader customer service and support features, while ManyChat is specifically optimized for marketing automation and sales conversion through social messaging.

Intercom

Intercom is a broader customer communication platform, while ManyChat focuses specifically on chat marketing automation across social channels.

Botpress

Botpress is a more developer-focused bot platform for custom integrations, while ManyChat prioritizes ease of use and marketing automation for non-technical users.

The Bot Platform

The Bot Platform offers general chatbot solutions, while ManyChat is specialized for social media and direct messaging marketing automation.

Why this matters: ManyChat raised $140M in Series B funding in April 2025, validating the growing market for social commerce automation. The platform demonstrates strong product-market fit with 80% message open rates, 1M+ users, and case studies showing 2,400%+ ROI—making it a notable player in the rapid shift from email to messaging-first customer engagement.

Best for: E-commerce brands, creators, and service-based businesses looking to automate lead generation and sales conversion through social messaging without coding expertise.

Use cases

Lead Generation & Sales Funnel Automation

Offset Solar used ManyChat to funnel website leads directly into WhatsApp and Messenger conversations, closing over $1.2M in sales within six months. The platform automatically qualifies leads and nurtures them through conversational flows, eliminating manual follow-up work.

High-Conversion Ad Campaign Optimization

A fitness apparel brand generated over $23,000 in sales in a single day using ManyChat-powered messenger ads. Customers clicking ads are immediately enrolled in automated product recommendation flows, dramatically improving conversion rates from standard email.

Multi-Location Business Scaling

A restaurant chain achieved a 2,400% ROI by using ManyChat to automate customer reservations and promotions across Instagram and Messenger. The platform consolidated customer interactions from multiple locations into a single dashboard, enabling personalized offers at scale.

Alternatives

Intercom Choose Intercom if you need a comprehensive customer communication platform beyond marketing, with stronger support and help desk features built-in.

Tidio Choose Tidio if you want a balance between chat marketing automation and customer support, with more emphasis on service team collaboration.

Botpress Choose Botpress if you need highly customizable chatbot development with advanced NLP and integration capabilities for technical teams.

FAQ

What does ManyChat do? +

ManyChat is a chat marketing platform that automates direct messaging conversations across Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger, TikTok, Telegram, SMS, and email. Using a visual Flow Builder interface, businesses can create chatbot automation flows to generate leads, nurture customers, and drive sales without coding. Messages achieve 80% open rates on average, compared to 20% for email.

How much does ManyChat cost? +

ManyChat offers a free plan with 25 contacts, then Essential ($14/mo), Pro ($29/mo, 2,500 contacts), and Business ($69/mo, 7,500 contacts). Overage fees apply at $0.018-$0.025 per contact. AI features cost an additional $29/mo. WhatsApp conversations cost $0.02-$0.08 per conversation, and SMS costs $0.01-$0.03 per message.

What are alternatives to ManyChat? +

Top alternatives include Tidio (broader customer service platform), Intercom (comprehensive customer communication), and Botpress (developer-focused chatbot platform). Each offers different strengths depending on whether you prioritize ease of use, support features, or technical customization.

Who uses ManyChat? +

ManyChat serves over 1 million users across 170 countries, including major brands like Nike and The New York Times, as well as e-commerce brands, fitness companies, restaurants, and digital creators. It's best suited for businesses focused on social media engagement and sales conversion.

How does ManyChat compare to Intercom? +

ManyChat is specialized for marketing automation and sales conversion through social messaging channels, while Intercom is a broader customer communication platform emphasizing support and help desk features. ManyChat excels at lead generation and nurturing through conversational flows; Intercom is better for comprehensive customer service across multiple touchpoints.