# Monthly Active Contacts

**Monthly Active Contacts** measures how many different contacts your account genuinely engages with during a billing period. Plans with an active-contacts limit use this number, so it only grows when real engagement happens — not when you tidy up your contact list.

## What makes a contact count

A contact becomes active for the current billing period the first time any of these happens:

* **A real message is exchanged** — the contact messages you, or your team, a Flow Agent, or a Message Sequence sends them a message.
* **An automation rule runs on their conversation** — for example, a rule that assigns the conversation, adds labels, or sends a reply.
* **AI fills in attributes for them** — when AI-enabled custom attributes are generated from their conversation.

Each contact counts once per billing period, no matter how many messages or conversations follow.

## What doesn't count

* **Blast recipients** — sending a blast doesn't make its recipients active. Only the recipients who reply count.
* **System messages** — automated messages such as CSAT surveys, greetings, and out-of-office replies.
* **Private notes** — internal notes your team leaves inside a conversation.
* **Housekeeping** — editing a contact's details, adding labels or notes to a contact, or changing a conversation's status.

## Where to see your usage

Open **Settings → Billing** to see how many active contacts you've used in the current period, alongside your plan's other limits.

## When you reach your limit

As you approach your plan's limit you'll see a warning banner in the dashboard. At the limit, outbound messaging is paused — incoming messages still arrive, so you never miss what customers send you. To keep messaging more contacts, upgrade your plan, or wait for your billing period to reset.

## Related

* [Blasting](/mampu-ai/campaigns/campaigns)
* [Labels, attributes and automation](/mampu-ai/settings/labels-attributes-and-automation)

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Source: https://help.mampuai.com/mampu-ai/settings/monthly-active-contacts