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Stop Counting Regular Instagram DMs as Active Contacts

Related product area:Contacts, Tags, and Fields
  • Sep 29, 2026 4:29 PM UTC
  • 4 comments
  • 51 views
sarahcaldwell

Hi — I’m really frustrated with how the Free plan’s “25 active contacts” limit is being calculated. I haven’t actually used ManyChat automations this month, but my allowance is already exhausted because people who simply messaged me on Instagram were automatically added as active contacts.

I don’t use or want ManyChat as a general CRM for every person who sends me a normal Instagram DM. I only want contacts created when someone actually interacts with a ManyChat automation.

It feels misleading to have a free usage limit consumed by interactions that did not use the feature I’m trying to evaluate. At minimum, there should be an option to disable automatic contact creation from ordinary Instagram DMs.

I was considering resubscribing, but this setup makes the Free plan effectively unusable for testing the product in any meaningful way. I’d really encourage your team to reconsider how these contacts are counted.

    4 replies

    • p.mejiadm
    • Up-and-comer
    • Oct 23, 2026 9:13 AM UTC

    I am experiencing the same… there is no way to change this? Because when I asked Manychat AI the reply I got was the following:
    "Active Contacts are counted only when a person interacts with your business account through Manychat during the billing month (e.g., via Manychat Automation/AI, Broadcasts, or Live Chat). Ordinary Instagram DMs you reply to directly in Instagram shouldn’t be counted. The sources don’t mention a separate setting to change this while keeping comment-to-DM automations active."

    But that doesn't seem to be true, as I have NOT used Manychat to reply to my DMs :/

    • PHL_Germany
    • Up-and-comer
    • Nov 4, 2026 1:55 PM UTC

    +1
    This completely ruins my use case for Manychat. I only want to use it for automation purposes in connection with competitions, and I use a different tool for managing DMs – that is, for replying to them and so on.
    As my page receives a huge number of DMs, I would exceed Manychat’s limit far too quickly, even though I have no intention of using it for standard replies at all.

    SuccessfulClient

    Hi — I’m on Free and never opened ManyChat after setup. I only reply in the native Instagram app. Instagram was connected around Oct 30; no automations are Live (CHAOS/SCALE Draft+Off; Default Reply Stopped). I’m already at 18/25 Active Contacts and the Inbox badge matches. How are contacts becoming Active if I’ve never used ManyChat Live Chat, automations, AI, or broadcasts? Can these be reset or excluded so only keyword-automation contacts count until I go live?

    Katykcontent
    • Katykcontent
    • Up-and-comer
    • Nov 14, 2026 7:41 AM UTC

    This is incredibly frustrating, especially for creators who use Instagram for personal conversations, brand partnerships, and community engagement. I use ManyChat specifically for comment-to-DM automations, yet people who simply message me on Instagram are counting toward my active contact limit, even if they’ve never interacted with an automation.

    Why should a conversation with my husband or a brand I’m working with count against my automation allowance?

    Charging for contacts who aren’t actually using ManyChat’s services makes no sense. The contact limit should apply to people who engage with automations, not everyone who happens to send a DM. This makes the free plan nearly unusable for creators with active Instagram accounts and discourages upgrading to a paid plan, which I was about to do. 

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