ManyChat WhatsApp Alternative That Keeps Your Business App

ManyChat is built for creators and Instagram engagement, and offers WhatsApp on its paid plans. AeroChat runs WhatsApp as a channel for customer service and sales work: it answers questions, looks up orders and bookings, sends payment links, updates your CRM and hands over to your team, all inside the WhatsApp chat. It also lets you keep the WhatsApp Business app on your phone on the same number. If WhatsApp is where your customers buy and ask for help, AeroChat is the stronger choice.

How ManyChat handles WhatsApp

As shown on ManyChat’s site on 31 October 2026, its WhatsApp page says:

WhatsApp is available on paid (Pro) accounts, and Meta’s message fees are paid through a ManyChat Wallet.
After you connect a number, its conversations are not viewable or answerable in the WhatsApp Business app, and ManyChat recommends a brand-new number.
WhatsApp messages cannot connect directly to other channels at flow level.
The FAQ describes Meta charging per new conversation in a 24-hour window, with the first 1,000 conversations a month free.

Features and prices change, so check ManyChat’s current pages before you decide.

What Meta charges for WhatsApp in 2026

Meta has charged per delivered message, by category and recipient country, since 1 July 2025. Conversation-based pricing is retired. The 1 October 2026 change added a monthly allowance for service replies.

Messages customers send to a business are free.
Service replies inside the 24-hour window are free up to 1,000 a month per business phone number. From the 1,001st, each one is charged.
Utility templates sent inside an open window are charged from 1 October 2026.
Marketing templates are charged per message, with no free allowance.
Chats that start from a click-to-WhatsApp ad on the WhatsApp mobile app get a free window of up to 7 days, if the business replies within 24 hours.

Rates vary by country and are set in Meta’s rate cards. AeroChat passes Meta’s WhatsApp fees through at cost. Finishing a conversation in fewer replies now saves money. The full breakdown is in our WhatsApp API pricing guide.

What AeroChat does on WhatsApp

Behind one WhatsApp conversation, AeroChat runs the steps end to end across your own systems: answer, look up, act, confirm, update the record and hand over. You describe the workflow in your own words, and the system builds it.

Order tracking: the customer asks where their order is, and AeroChat checks it in your store and replies with the status.
Appointment booking: AeroChat checks your calendar, offers times and books the slot, with a deposit through booking deposits if you take one.
Payment links in chat: the customer pays by link without leaving WhatsApp.
CRM workflows: leads and customers land in HubSpot, Zoho CRM or Pipedrive with a note of the chat.
Voice notes from customers are transcribed automatically, and replies go out in the customer’s language.

Message templates and broadcasts to opted-in customers are built in, with broadcasts on Growth and above. Your team can take over any conversation, including from the mobile app.

Keep your WhatsApp Business app with coexistence

AeroChat supports WhatsApp coexistence. You keep the WhatsApp Business app on your phone, and the same number runs on the API through AeroChat. Chats stay in sync between the app and the API. With your consent, chat history and contacts sync within 24 hours of onboarding, though group chats do not.

A few app features change once coexistence is on. Broadcast lists in the app become read-only, and disappearing messages, view-once, live location and one-to-one calls are switched off. You need app version 2.24.17 or later, and up to 4 companion devices can stay linked. Our WhatsApp coexistence guide walks through it.

ManyChat and AeroChat on WhatsApp

	AeroChat	ManyChat (as shown on ManyChat’s site on 31 October 2026)
Plans with WhatsApp	Every plan, Free included (Free covers one channel)	Pro and above
Meta’s message fees	Passed through at cost	Paid through a ManyChat Wallet
WhatsApp Business app on the same number	Supported through coexistence	Conversations not viewable or answerable in the app after connecting, new number recommended
Pricing described on the WhatsApp page	Per message, with 1,000 free service replies a month per number from 1 October 2026	Per new conversation in a 24-hour window, first 1,000 conversations a month free
Same workflow on other channels	One workflow runs on WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, TikTok, Telegram, email and web chat	WhatsApp messages cannot connect directly to other channels at flow level
Business systems	100+ systems through their APIs, Shopify and WordPress built in, Zapier for 5,000+ apps	Klaviyo, Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign, Kit, Google Sheets, HubSpot, Zapier, Make and others, plus its own API

Source: AeroChat plans, Meta’s WhatsApp pricing documentation, and ManyChat’s WhatsApp and integrations pages, as shown on ManyChat’s site on 31 October 2026.

Questions

Can I use my existing WhatsApp number with AeroChat?

Yes. If the number is on the WhatsApp Business app, coexistence keeps the app working alongside AeroChat. If it is connected to ManyChat, disconnect it there first, then connect it in AeroChat. Our guide to switching from ManyChat covers each step.

Are WhatsApp replies free in 2026?

Partly. Messages customers send are free. Service replies inside the 24-hour window are free up to 1,000 a month per business phone number, then each one is charged. Templates are charged per message.

Can AeroChat message customers first on WhatsApp?

Yes, with an approved template and the customer’s opt-in, which WhatsApp requires outside the 24-hour window. Broadcasts to opted-in customers are on Growth and above. See WhatsApp message templates for the rules.

Which AeroChat plan do I need for WhatsApp?

WhatsApp and workflows via Skills work on every plan, Free included. Starter includes 500 AI responses and 3 seats. Growth includes 2,000 and 10 seats, with payment links and broadcasts. Advanced includes 5,000 and 25 seats.