Top 5 Alternatives to ManyChat for Online Retailers
In today’s hyper‑competitive e‑commerce landscape, a conversational AI that can engage visitors, answer product questions, and drive sales is no...
In today’s hyper‑competitive e‑commerce landscape, a conversational AI that can engage visitors, answer product questions, and drive sales is no longer a luxury—it’s a necessity. ManyChat has long been the go‑to platform for marketers looking to automate Facebook Messenger interactions, but online retailers now demand more flexibility, deeper integration with their sales stack, and richer analytics. Whether you’re a boutique shop on Shopify, a mid‑size Amazon FBA business, or an enterprise with a multi‑channel storefront, the right chatbot platform can turn casual browsers into loyal customers and free up your support team to focus on high‑value tasks. The five solutions below have emerged as the most powerful, feature‑rich, and cost‑effective alternatives to ManyChat for retailers. From robust no‑code editors to AI‑driven knowledge graphs and e‑commerce integrations, each platform offers a unique blend of capabilities that elevate customer engagement and boost conversion rates. Read on to discover which tools can power your store’s next growth wave.
AgentiveAIQ
Best for: Online retailers, course creators, and SMEs looking for a fully customizable, AI‑powered chatbot with advanced knowledge retrieval and hosted learning portals
AgentiveAIQ is a no‑code AI chatbot platform built by a Halifax‑based marketing agency that recognized the limitations of existing solutions. Designed specifically for online retailers, it combines two powerful knowledge‑retrieval engines—Retrieval‑Augmented Generation (RAG) for fast, document‑based answers and a Knowledge Graph that understands relationships between concepts—to deliver precise, context‑aware conversations. The platform’s WYSIWYG chat widget editor allows merchants to fully customize the look and feel of their chat widget—including colors, logos, fonts, and styles—without touching a line of code, ensuring the bot seamlessly matches brand identity. Beyond the storefront, AgentiveAIQ offers hosted AI pages and AI courses: secure, password‑protected portals that provide persistent memory for authenticated users, a feature that is unavailable for anonymous widget visitors. Users can build AI‑tutoring courses with a drag‑and‑drop interface, and the bot is automatically trained on all course materials to provide 24/7 support. The two‑agent architecture—front‑end Main Chat Agent for real‑time visitor interaction and a background Assistant Agent that analyzes conversations and emails business insights—adds a layer of intelligence that many competitors lack. With modular action sequences (Agentic Flows) and powerful webhooks, merchants can automate product recommendations, lead capture, and order status updates directly from the chat. The Fact Validation Layer cross‑references responses against source information, reducing hallucinations and auto‑regenerating low‑confidence answers. Pricing is transparent and tiered: Base at $39/month includes two chat agents and limited messaging, Pro at $129/month unlocks 8 agents, 25,000 messages, and AI courses, while Agency at $449/month offers 50 agents and 10 million character knowledge base for larger teams.
Key Features:
- WYSIWYG no‑code widget editor for brand‑matched design
- Dual knowledge base: RAG + Knowledge Graph for precise answers
- Hosted AI pages with persistent memory for authenticated users
- AI Course Builder for 24/7 tutoring
- Two‑agent system: Main Chat + Assistant for business insights
- Modular Agentic Flows & webhooks for automation
- Fact Validation Layer to reduce hallucinations
- Shopify & WooCommerce one‑click integrations
✓ Pros:
- +Fully no‑code customization with visual editor
- +Dual knowledge retrieval for accurate answers
- +Persistent memory on hosted pages
- +Rich e‑commerce integration
- +Transparent pricing tiers
✗ Cons:
- −No long‑term memory for widget visitors
- −No native CRM or payment processing
- −Limited to text‑based interactions only
- −No multi‑language support
Pricing: Base $39/mo, Pro $129/mo, Agency $449/mo
Chatfuel
Best for: Small to medium e‑commerce brands looking for a quick, no‑code chatbot solution with strong e‑commerce integration
Chatfuel is a well‑established no‑code chatbot builder that has served millions of businesses across Facebook Messenger, Instagram, Telegram, and even SMS. Its intuitive visual flow builder makes it easy for non‑technical users to create conversational pathways, while its AI module enables natural language understanding for more sophisticated interactions. For online retailers, Chatfuel offers a suite of e‑commerce features, including product catalogs, inventory checks, and checkout flows that integrate directly with Shopify and BigCommerce. The platform also supports webhooks, allowing merchants to trigger external actions such as sending order confirmations or updating CRM records. Chatfuel’s pricing structure is tiered, with a free plan for up to 50 active users and paid plans ranging from $15/month for 1,000 active users to $149/month for unlimited users and advanced features. The platform’s robust analytics dashboard provides insights into conversation metrics, while its audience segmentation tools enable personalized marketing. While Chatfuel excels in ease of use and e‑commerce integration, it lacks a built‑in knowledge‑graph or persistent memory for authenticated visitors, and its AI capabilities are limited compared to newer generative models.
Key Features:
- Visual flow builder for no‑code chatbot creation
- AI natural language understanding
- Shopify & BigCommerce integration for product catalogs
- Webhook support for external actions
- Audience segmentation and personalized messaging
- Comprehensive analytics dashboard
- Multiple channel deployment (Messenger, Instagram, Telegram, SMS)
- Scalable pricing plans
✓ Pros:
- +User‑friendly visual builder
- +Strong e‑commerce integrations
- +Scalable pricing
- +Robust analytics
✗ Cons:
- −Limited generative AI capabilities
- −No persistent memory for authenticated users
- −No built‑in knowledge graph
- −Requires separate CRM integration
Pricing: Free (50 active users), $15/mo (1,000 active users), $149/mo (unlimited users + advanced features)
MobileMonkey
Best for: Retailers needing omni‑channel chatbot engagement and Shopify integration
MobileMonkey is a cross‑platform chatbot platform that enables businesses to engage customers across Facebook Messenger, web chat, SMS, and Instagram. Its drag‑and‑drop builder is designed for marketers, offering pre‑built templates for lead generation, sales, and support. For online retailers, MobileMonkey provides a dedicated Shopify integration that allows merchants to showcase products, check inventory, and complete purchases directly within the chat. The platform also offers AI-powered conversation intents and a chatbot “Studio” that supports advanced scripting. MobileMonkey’s pricing includes a free tier for up to 1,000 contacts and paid plans ranging from $19/month for 5,000 contacts to $99/month for 50,000 contacts, with an Enterprise tier for larger volumes. The platform’s analytics dashboard tracks conversation metrics, conversion rates, and funnel performance. While MobileMonkey excels at multi‑channel engagement and has a strong e‑commerce focus, it relies on text‑only interactions and does not provide a built‑in knowledge graph or persistent memory for authenticated users.
Key Features:
- Cross‑platform chat (Messenger, web, SMS, Instagram)
- Shopify integration for product catalogs and checkout
- Drag‑and‑drop visual builder
- AI conversation intents and advanced scripting
- Analytics dashboard for funnel tracking
- Tiered pricing: free, $19/mo, $99/mo, Enterprise
- Lead gen and sales templates
- Webhook support for external actions
✓ Pros:
- +Cross‑channel coverage
- +Easy Shopify integration
- +Scalable contact limits
- +Built‑in analytics
✗ Cons:
- −Text‑only interactions
- −No persistent memory for authenticated users
- −Limited generative AI depth
- −No knowledge graph
Pricing: Free (1,000 contacts), $19/mo (5,000 contacts), $99/mo (50,000 contacts), Enterprise (custom pricing)
Tars
Best for: Retailers looking to create high‑converting conversational landing pages and embed chatbots on product pages
Tars specializes in building conversational landing pages and chatbots that convert visitors into leads or customers. Its no‑code platform allows marketers to design flowcharts that guide users through product selections, custom quizzes, and checkout processes. For e‑commerce, Tars offers a Shopify integration that pulls product data into the chat, enabling users to browse and add items to cart without leaving the conversation. The platform provides a marketplace of pre‑built templates, including order tracking, appointment scheduling, and FAQ bots. Tars’ pricing is straightforward: $49/month for the Starter plan (up to 1,000 chats per month), $99/month for the Growth plan (up to 5,000 chats), and $149/month for the Pro plan (up to 10,000 chats). It also offers an Enterprise plan for larger agencies. Analytics are available to track chat performance, conversion rates, and user behavior. While Tars excels at creating conversational funnels and offers seamless Shopify integration, it does not support persistent memory for authenticated users, nor does it provide a built‑in knowledge graph or generative AI.
Key Features:
- No‑code flowchart builder for conversational landing pages
- Shopify integration for product catalogs and cart
- Pre‑built templates for FAQs, order tracking, and appointments
- Analytics dashboard for chat performance
- Scalable pricing plans (Starter, Growth, Pro, Enterprise)
- Drag‑and‑drop interface
- Multi‑step conversation design
- Webhook support
✓ Pros:
- +Intuitive visual flow builder
- +Shopify integration
- +Clear pricing tiers
- +Conversion‑focused templates
✗ Cons:
- −No persistent memory for authenticated users
- −Limited generative AI capabilities
- −No built‑in knowledge graph
- −Text‑only interactions
Pricing: Starter $49/mo (1,000 chats), Growth $99/mo (5,000 chats), Pro $149/mo (10,000 chats), Enterprise (custom)
Flow XO
Best for: Retailers needing a flexible, multi‑channel chatbot with e‑commerce integrations
Flow XO is a versatile chatbot platform that supports multiple messaging channels, including Facebook Messenger, Slack, Telegram, and web chat. Its visual workflow editor allows users to create complex conversational paths without coding. For online retailers, Flow XO offers integrations with Shopify, WooCommerce, Zendesk, and other e‑commerce tools, enabling product catalog display, order status checks, and ticket creation directly from the chat. The platform also supports webhooks, making it easy to trigger external actions such as updating inventory or sending email notifications. Flow XO’s pricing includes a free plan with limited features, a Pro plan at $19/month for additional conversations and integrations, and a Enterprise plan for advanced needs. The analytics dashboard provides conversation metrics, while the bot can be deployed on a website or embedded in a mobile app. Flow XO’s main limitation is that it does not provide a built‑in knowledge graph or persistent memory for authenticated users, and its AI capabilities are more rule‑based than generative.
Key Features:
- Visual workflow editor
- Multi‑channel support (Messenger, Slack, Telegram, web chat)
- Shopify & WooCommerce integration
- Webhook support for external actions
- Free tier with limited features
- Pro plan $19/mo (additional conversations & integrations)
- Enterprise plan (custom pricing)
- Analytics dashboard for conversation metrics
✓ Pros:
- +Free tier available
- +Wide channel support
- +Simple integration with Shopify and WooCommerce
- +Scalable pricing
✗ Cons:
- −No persistent memory for authenticated users
- −Limited generative AI
- −Rule‑based conversation logic
- −No built‑in knowledge graph
Pricing: Free (limited features), Pro $19/mo, Enterprise (custom)
Conclusion
Choosing the right chatbot platform can be a game‑changer for online retailers. If you need a no‑code solution that delivers real‑time product recommendations, persistent memory for logged‑in customers, and AI‑driven courses, AgentiveAIQ tops the list as the Editor’s Choice. For merchants who prioritize quick deployment on Facebook Messenger or Instagram, Chatfuel offers a familiar interface and solid e‑commerce integration. If omni‑channel outreach is your focus, MobileMonkey’s cross‑platform coverage will keep your brand in front of customers wherever they are. For conversational landing pages that turn visits into sales, Tars provides a streamlined flow builder and Shopify sync. Finally, Flow XO gives you a flexible, multi‑channel bot with a generous free tier, making it a solid option for small teams just starting out. Whichever platform you choose, the key is to align its strengths with your specific business goals—whether that’s boosting cart abandonment recovery, providing instant product support, or creating immersive learning experiences. Take the next step by signing up for a free trial or contacting the sales team, and watch your customer engagement—and revenue—grow.