Before You Sign a WhatsApp Chatbot Contract: How to Cancel ManyChat, Wati, respond.io or SleekFlow, Refunds, and Keeping Your Number
The short answer
Of the four WhatsApp tools small businesses compare most, two let you cancel with a button (ManyChat and respond.io) and two need a written request ahead of renewal (Wati at least 3 days before, SleekFlow 7 or 30 days before, depending on the plan). Only ManyChat offers refunds as policy, and then only in the first 30 days or for problems on its side. In every case you keep paying until the end of the period you are in. What happens to your WhatsApp number depends less on the vendor than on how the number was connected. All terms below were read on each vendor's own pages on 5 October 2026.
Why this is worth ten minutes before you sign
Billing is where the angriest reviews are. Of the 1,221 public complaints about respond.io, Wati, SleekFlow, ManyChat and Meta's business AI that we read on 27 September 2026, 151 were about being charged something the business did not expect: billed after cancelling, an annual plan charged on a trial, refunds refused. We searched for complaints, so that is the mix of what unhappy customers raise, not a share of all customers. Two examples:
- "Makes it purposfully extremely hard to cancel subscription. We have been working on cancelling our subscription for 2 months while the still keep writing of ..." (Trustpilot, September 2026, about Wati; 42 of the 316 Wati complaints we read were about cancelling, continued billing or refunds).
- "I had the intention to get a 14 days trial and got a charge of about $319.01 in my cc. That's the annual cost." (Trustpilot, August 2026, about ManyChat; 59 of the 452 ManyChat complaints we read were about unexpected charges).
The four cancellation policies side by side
| ManyChat | respond.io | Wati | SleekFlow | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| How to cancel | Button: Settings, Billing, Cancel Subscription (website only) | Button: Billing & Usage, Cancel Subscription (Organization Admin only) | Contact the billing or support team | Written notice |
| Notice | Before the next billing date | Before renewal | At least 3 days before renewal | Monthly plans 7 days, yearly plans 30 days before the term ends |
| Refunds | First 30 days, or technical problems on ManyChat's side | Not as policy; case by case at respond.io's discretion | No, unless required by law or agreed in writing | No, if you end before the term ends |
| When it ends | End of the billing period | End of the billing cycle | Account inaccessible once cancelled | End of the term |
| Trial | 14 days, card required, renews automatically | 7 days, no card | Expires on its own | 7 days, no card |
| Your data | Pro features stop at period end | Organisation flagged for deletion after 30 days | Inaccessible at once; export first | Erased within 3 months, or on request |
ManyChat
Cancel on the website, not in the mobile app: Settings > Billing > Cancel Subscription, give a reason, then Cancel My Subscription. The status becomes "Pending cancellation" and the plan ends at the end of the billing period (ManyChat help centre, article on cancelling a subscription).
The trap is timing. ManyChat says it "will only charge you after you've cancelled your subscription if your next billing cycle has already started", meaning the invoice was generated before you cancelled. Cancel before your billing date, not on it.
The trial needs a card, and "once your 14 days are over, your subscription renews automatically unless you cancel" (ManyChat help centre, article on the free trial). If you add the Manychat AI add-on at that step, ManyChat says you are "billed immediately without the option to start with the free trial". Refunds are available for a "first-month cancellation" within 30 days of purchase and for technical problems on ManyChat's side (ManyChat help centre, refund policy).
respond.io
An Organization Admin cancels at the bottom of Billing & Usage > Cancel Subscription. "Cancellation takes effect at the end of the current billing cycle", and during the cancellation period "incoming messages are not stored" and "workflows stop running"; the organisation is flagged for deletion after 30 days (respond.io help centre, "Billing & Usage"). Its terms say paid fees are non-refundable except where the law requires, with refund requests "considered ... on a case-by-case basis" (respond.io's terms of service). The 7-day trial needs no card.
Wati
There is no cancel button. To cancel a paid plan, "contact our billing or support team" with your Client ID, registered email and phone number, choose a reason, and send the request "at least 3 days before your subscription renewal date". Wati adds: "Once cancelled, your account becomes inaccessible immediately", so export chatbots, templates and contacts first (Wati help centre, "Understand cancelling Wati Subscription").
On refunds, Wati's pricing page says "we do not provide any refunds on payments made for your existing subscription or credits", and its help centre says paid subscriptions "are non-refundable unless a refund is required by applicable law or a written agreement has been made with Wati" (Wati help centre, "Wati payment terms and refund policy"). The trial "will automatically expire once the trial period ends".
SleekFlow
SleekFlow's FAQ sets notice periods by plan: Pro and Premium monthly, "written notice at least 7 days before the end of the current term"; Pro and Premium yearly, at least 30 days. Miss the window and "your subscription will automatically renew for another equivalent term at the then-current subscription rate" (SleekFlow's FAQ page). Its terms add: "No refunds or credits for Fees will be provided if the Customer elects to terminate this Agreement prior to the end of the Term", and WhatsApp credits are never refunded (SleekFlow's terms). Data is erased within three months of cancelling, or straight away on request. The 7-day trial needs no card and locks the workspace when it ends.
What happens to your WhatsApp number
This depends on how the number was connected.
Through coexistence (your staff kept the WhatsApp Business app on their phones): the number never left the app. You disconnect in the app under Settings > Account > Business Platform, and the tool stops. SleekFlow's help centre says that after disconnecting, "your existing chat history and contacts will remain intact and accessible in the WhatsApp Business App" (SleekFlow help centre, "WhatsApp Coexistence"). Linked devices such as WhatsApp Web are signed out again when you disconnect; here is why.
Moved fully to the API (the app stopped working on that number when you connected): the number stays registered with the API until it is released. ManyChat warns that removing its WhatsApp integration "will prevent you from using your phone number with other WhatsApp apps ... until you delete that number from your Business Manager", which you do from the trash icon next to the number in Meta Business Manager (ManyChat help centre, article on removing the WhatsApp integration). Wati says that to move a number back to the WhatsApp app "you must first cancel your Wati subscription", after which its support team disconnects the number from the API (Wati help centre, "Requirements for registering an existing WhatsApp number with WhatsApp Business API"). Some owners report this going badly: "after we cancelled our subscription, it has been a dreadful nightmare to get the original WhatsApp installed on our business phone. We still can't." (a Google Play review of the respond.io app, June 2025).
Two more points. A number bought from ManyChat itself cannot be taken elsewhere: ManyChat says it "will be permanently lost". And moving a number to a different provider, rather than back to the app, is a separate Meta process; ask the new provider to take you through it before you cancel the old one.
A checklist before you sign
- Find the cancel button, or the address to write to, before you pay.
- Write down the notice period and put the last safe date in your calendar.
- Read the refund line in the terms, not the sales page.
- Check whether the trial takes a card and turns into a paid plan on its own.
- Ask whether your number connects through coexistence, so it stays on your WhatsApp Business app.
- Export your contacts and templates before you cancel, not after.
Choosing between these four on price? Our pricing comparison at 500, 1,000 and 3,000 contacts has the numbers.
For comparison, Conciergr monthly plans can be cancelled at any time from Your plan in your Portal, a trial cancelled before its first charge costs nothing, and the number stays on your WhatsApp Business app throughout. The full terms are on the pricing page.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I cancel my ManyChat subscription?
On the ManyChat website, go to Settings, then Billing, and click Cancel Subscription. Give a reason and confirm. The plan stays active until the end of the billing period. Cancel before your next billing date, or that month's invoice may still be charged.
Can I get a refund from ManyChat?
ManyChat's refund policy covers cancelling within the first 30 days of purchase and problems caused by ManyChat. You request it through ManyChat's support form, and refunds go back to your card within 10 working days.
How do I cancel Wati?
Contact Wati's billing or support team with your Client ID, registered email and phone number, and a reason, at least 3 days before your renewal date. Export your data first: Wati says the account becomes inaccessible once cancelled.
Does Wati give refunds?
Not as a rule. Wati says paid subscriptions are non-refundable unless the law requires a refund or Wati has agreed one in writing.
Will I lose my WhatsApp number if I cancel?
Not if it was connected through coexistence: it stays on your WhatsApp Business app. If it was moved fully to the API, it has to be released from the API (by you in Meta Business Manager, or by the vendor's support) before the app can use it again.
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