I'm moving from ManyChat. What's the same and what's different?

Before you start

• You need a Creator or Business Instagram account connected to InstantDM. See How do I connect my Instagram account?
• Multi-step flows (questions with branches, tags, conditions, AI, email-tool sync) need Trendsetter or above and a computer.
• Make a list of what runs in ManyChat today: which posts, which keywords, what each message says.

ManyChat words → InstantDM words

In ManyChat	In InstantDM	What to know
Comment growth tool (comment a keyword, get a DM)	New Automation → Comment to DM	All plans. Free: up to 3 trigger words
Keyword (someone DMs a word)	New Automation → DM Automation	Legend Pro and above
Default reply (any message)	DM Automation with Any Message (First time only or Once a day)	Only one “Any Message” automation per account
Story reply trigger	New Automation → Story to DM	Instagram only. Legend Pro and above
Story mention trigger	Not available	There is no story-mention trigger
Opening message with a button	Welcome Message	Legend Pro and above. In flows started by a comment, the first DM is always a one-button card
Follower check	”Ask audience to follow you before sending link!” (follow gate), or Followers only in a flow	Legend Pro and above. Not on Facebook
Flow	Flow Automation	Trendsetter and above. Computer only
User input	Lead Gen questions, or a Question step in a flow	Strict checks: phone numbers must be digits only
Custom field	A field saved on the contact (Save answer as)
Tag	Tag Contact
Condition	Condition step
Smart delay	Delay step	Up to 24 hours
Follow-up if no reply	”If no reply” follow-up on a button or question	Up to 24 hours
Randomizer	Randomizer
External request	HTTP Request
AI step	AI Reply	Trendsetter and above, with your own OpenAI, Claude, Gemini or DeepSeek key
Mailchimp, Kit, Klaviyo	Flow Integrations	Trendsetter and above. Lead Gen does not sync
Zapier, Make	API & MCP → webhooks	Trendsetter and above
Templates	Flow templates (Lead Collection, Link Delivery + Reminder and more)	Fill in the welcome message and public reply before Set Live
Live chat inbox	Not available	Reply in the Instagram app
Broadcasts, sequences over several days	Not available	Instagram only allows replies within its message windows
Click-to-DM ads	Not available	Comments on Instagram ads are supported (Trendsetter and above, Facebook Login)
Contact import	Not available
Audience / contacts list	Contacts	Mostly people who went through a flow or Lead Gen

Steps

1. Connect your Instagram account to InstantDM and note which ManyChat automations you want to keep.
2. Rebuild each automation in InstantDM with New Automation:
   • One link for everyone: Send Link & PDF.
   • A few questions (name, email, phone): Lead Gen.
   • Branches, reminders, AI or email-tool sync: Flow Automation. Start from a template if one fits.
3. In ManyChat, turn off the Instagram automations that use the same posts or keywords.
4. Publish each automation in InstantDM: Publish (Send Link), Save → Publish & Activate (Lead Gen) or Set Live (flows).
5. Ask a friend to test each one from their own Instagram account: comment the word, reply to a story, or send the keyword.
6. Check results in the post’s comment list and in Contacts.

On the phone app

You can rebuild post, story and Instagram DM keyword automations in the app. Flows and Lead Gen on posts need the web app at app.instantdm.com.

What your followers see

• The same kind of DMs they got before, now sent through InstantDM from your account.
• If both tools answer the same comment or keyword, they may get two replies. That’s why step 3 matters.

Good to know

• Words match differently. In Send Link & PDF, a comment matches when one of its words starts with your keyword (“link” matches “links”, not “blink”). In flows and Lead Gen, Match exact word only means the whole message must equal the word.
• Phone numbers in questions must be digits only, with an optional + (for example +919876543210 or +12025550123). Tell people this in your question.
• Free text answers only accept English letters, numbers and basic punctuation. Use a Name question for open answers.
• Replying by hand in Instagram does not pause an AI chat. Switch the person to Human in Contacts first.

What you can’t do

• Import contacts, tags or flows from ManyChat.
• Send broadcasts, or follow up more than 24 hours later.
• Reply automatically to story mentions.
• Chat with people inside InstantDM.

If it doesn’t work

• You get the email “Some Instagram replies aren’t going out — quick fix”: another app controls some of your Instagram conversations. Check that ManyChat (or Meta Business Suite) isn’t still handling them.
• People get two replies: an automation is still on in ManyChat. Turn it off.
• A flow template won’t go live (“Comment Reply: A welcome message title is required.”): fill in the welcome message and add a public reply in the trigger, then click Set Live again.
• More: Why didn’t my automation send a DM?