Alternatives to ManyChat for ecommerce: which one is right for your store?

If you have an online clothing store, ManyChat probably rings a bell: it's the go-to tool for automating Instagram and Messenger, and it has a free plan that hooks you in. But when it comes to WhatsApp, which is where customers now write to you to ask about sizes, stock, or shipping, ManyChat falls short.

In this comparison, we look at the real alternatives for ecommerce in Latin America, with a focus on WhatsApp. No fluff: each tool has its quirks, and we tell you which one suits which case. Spoiler: there's no one-size-fits-all, but there is one that comes pretty close to what a clothing store needs.

Why ManyChat isn't enough for handling WhatsApp for a store

ManyChat is great for marketing funnels on Instagram and Messenger. If your business thrives on campaigns and responding to DMs, it's a solid option with a real free plan. But its core focus is Meta's networks, not WhatsApp as a customer service channel.

For a clothing store, WhatsApp is where the customer asks 'Do you have this dress in S?' or 'Do you ship to Córdoba?'. That's not a funnel: it's customer service. ManyChat is designed to automate campaigns, not for a team to answer inquiries. Plus, the materials and support are mostly in English, and for a local SME, that shows.

• Real free plan, but limited to 25 contacts.
• Strong on Instagram and Messenger, not on WhatsApp.
• Designed for marketing, not for customer service.

Prices, verified one by one

• ManyChat Essential: US$14/month — 250 contacts.
• ManyChat Pro: US$29/month — 2,500 contacts.
• ManyChat free: Real Free Plan: 25 active contacts and 1 user.

• Wati Growth: US$45/month billed annually — 3 users and 500 active contacts, with no option to add more.
• Wati Pro: US$95/month — US$24 for each additional user.

• Whaticket Single Plan: US$49/month with monthly billing — minimum 3 users and 1 WhatsApp connection; 20% less when billed annually.
• Whaticket free trial: 14 days.

• Cliengo Starter: US$45/month — 2 users and 500 conversations.
• Cliengo Premium: US$119/month — more volume and marketing features.
• Cliengo Business: US$259/month — the highest tier, aimed at teams.
• Cliengo free trial: 14 days.

• Botmaker Standard: US$149/month — 3,000 conversations.
• Botmaker Scale: US$249/month — 5,000 conversations.
• Botmaker Pro: US$499/month — 10,000 conversations.
• Botmaker Enterprise: on request — custom.
• Botmaker free: The account is created for free and includes up to 300 initial conversations at no charge.

• Wando Starter: US$9.99/month — 500 contacts, 1 user.
• Wando Pro: US$19.99/month — 5,000 contacts, 3 users.
• Wando Enterprise: US$49.99/month — 25,000 contacts, unlimited users.
• Wando free trial: 14 days without a card.

Wando: AI that learns from your answers, without programming flows

Wando is an Argentine tool designed for Latin American SMEs that handle customer service on WhatsApp. The difference from a classic chatbot is that you don't have to build flows: the AI suggests responses and you approve them with a click. It learns from what you respond to each customer and improves on its own.

For a clothing store, this means that the AI gradually understands how you handle questions about sizes, returns, or payment methods, and suggests increasingly relevant responses. It's not magic: it's human-in-the-loop. You always have the final say, and you can correct it whenever necessary.

It works with Meta's official WhatsApp API, so your number is not at risk of being blocked. And besides the suggestion inbox, it has templates for campaigns, labeled contacts, statistics, multi-agent support, and even audio transcription (ideal when someone sends you a 2-minute audio asking about the jeans you posted on Instagram).

• 14-day free trial, no credit card required.
• Plans from US$9.99/month, with a 25% discount on the first month.
• Integrations with Make, Zapier, n8n, Slack, Google Sheets, and Mercado Pago.
• Channels: WhatsApp, Instagram, and Messenger.

Wati: polished no-code flows, but aimed at a different audience

Wati is a global platform for automating WhatsApp, with a very mature no-code flow builder. If you like building visual automations, it's a powerful option. But it has a couple of downsides for a small store: the entry plan doesn't allow adding extra users or contacts, so if you grow, you have to jump up a tier.

Also, the audience and support are English-oriented, and prices are in US dollars or euros. For a local SME that needs quick responses in Spanish, this can be a hurdle. If your store already operates internationally and needs complex flows, Wati is a serious option. For most clothing stores in the region, it's more than they need.

• Very complete no-code flow builder.
• Many third-party integrations.
• Entry plan without the ability to add users or contacts.

Whaticket: shared inbox for teams, without AI

Whaticket is a shared multi-agent inbox, widely used in Latin America. If you have a team of several people handling the same WhatsApp, it solves the mess of conversations overlapping. It is simple and effective.

But it doesn't have AI that understands free language: automation is through pre-programmed flows. For a clothing store, that means you'll have to set up automatic responses manually, and it won't learn from your responses. Also, the minimum plan is 3 users: if you're a one-person store, you pay for three.

• Solid shared inbox for teams.
• No generative AI: automation through flows.
• Minimum plan of 3 users.

Cliengo and Botmaker: options for lead capture or for large companies

Cliengo is an Argentine multi-channel platform, with a web chatbot as its strong point. If your priority is capturing leads from your site, it's an interesting option. But the entry price is high for an SME that only needs WhatsApp, and automation combines pre-programmed flows with an AI layer on top, not generative AI from the start.

Botmaker, on the other hand, is a corporate-level omnichannel platform: powerful, with enterprise support, but with an entry plan that is too big for a small store. If you have a high volume of conversations and multiple channels, it might be the option. For a clothing store that is just starting out or has a small team, the cost and complexity are not justified.

• Cliengo: ideal for capturing leads from the web, with a high entry price.
• Botmaker: for medium and large companies, with accompanied onboarding.
• Both are multi-channel, but they are not focused on WhatsApp as a service channel for SMEs.

No tool is perfect for everyone. If your store lives on Instagram and Messenger, ManyChat makes sense. If you need to handle WhatsApp with AI that learns from your way of responding, without programming flows and in Spanish, Wando is the closest option. Try it for 14 days without a card and see if it works for you: there is no better test than using it with your own customers.