Nine tools that send automatic Instagram DMs when people comment, reply to a story or message you. They differ most in what they count, which features sit on the free plan, and whether Instagram is their only channel. Here is who each one suits.
Replyinger makes this page, and Replyinger is one of the tools. Details were checked on October 9, 2026 and may have changed since.
How we compared them
Read this first, so you know how much weight to give the list.
01We read each tool’s own pricing and feature pages, not review sites, and list the date we checked. Prices are in the currency each tool shows.
02We compared the free plan, the cheapest paid plan, what each tool counts (contacts, DMs or AI use) and where the main Instagram features sit: comment-to-DM, follow gate, email capture and story replies.
03Every tool has a “watch out for” list, ours included.
04We make Replyinger. It’s listed first because it’s ours, not because of a test against the others. We haven’t run the other tools on a live account for this page.
Businesses selling over WhatsApp and Instagram, with AI agents.
Free plan
No free plan listed; every plan starts with a free trial
Paid from
$18/month billed yearly (Business)
01 · Our tool
Replyinger
Best for: Creators who want every feature free, and a paid plan that never charges more when a post goes viral.
Instagram-focused, with Facebook Pages too. You pick a keyword, write the DM, and add a follow gate, an email question or a reminder. Every feature is on every plan; paid plans have no contact limit.
Free plan
250 contacts a month with no DM limit, 3 live automations, 1 account, every feature
Paid from
$9/month (Pro)
What’s counted
Free counts contacts: a person counts once a month, the first time we message them. Paid plans have no contact limit
Good at
Follow gate, email capture, story replies and public comment replies on the free plan.
Free counts people, not messages: each person counts once a month, however many DMs they get.
No contact limit, 3 accounts, no branding and up to 10 team seats on the $9 plan.
Link click tracking per automation, and email support, on every plan.
Watch out for
Free covers 250 contacts a month on 1 account, with 3 live automations and a one-line Replyinger credit on the first DM.
Instagram and Facebook only: no WhatsApp, SMS or TikTok.
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The other tools
Who each one suits, and where it falls short.
M
02
ManyChat
Best for:Businesses that message customers on several channels and want a full chatbot builder.
The best-known chatbot platform. It covers Instagram, Messenger, Telegram and TikTok on its free plan, with WhatsApp, SMS and email on paid plans, and builds multi-step flows.
Free plan
25 active contacts a month, up to 4 live automations at once, 1 user
Paid from
Paid plans start at 250 active contacts a month
What’s counted
Active contacts: people who engage with you in the billing month
Good at
Many channels in one tool.
Multi-step flows, AI replies and a team inbox.
Watch out for
The free plan covers 25 active contacts a month.
Paid plans bill an overage for each contact over the tier, so a viral post raises the bill.
Best for:High DM volumes across up to three accounts.
Instagram and Facebook automation from a company that describes itself as a Meta Business Partner. Its Pro plan has a large DM allowance and extras such as IG Live automation and backsending DMs (“Rewind”).
Free plan
1,000 DMs a month, 1 Instagram account; story automations included
Paid from
$19/month, or $182/year (Pro)
What’s counted
DMs sent, plus number of accounts
Good at
25,000 DMs a month on Pro.
Story automations on the free plan.
Extras such as IG Live automation and reminder DMs on Pro.
Watch out for
Comment auto-reply, the follow tool and email collection are listed on Pro, not Free.
Its help docs say the follow check sends the DM anyway after a few retries, so it isn’t a strict gate.
I
04
Inrō
Best for:Instagram businesses that want a built-in CRM and pay as they grow.
Instagram only, from a company that describes itself as a Meta Tech Provider. Comment-to-DM is on every plan, with a contact list, segments and an AI agent on top.
Free plan
100 activated contacts a month, 3 active automations
Paid from
From €12.99/month (Pro), rising with contacts
What’s counted
Activated contacts: a person counts once a month; manual DMs don’t count
Good at
Comment-to-DM on the free plan.
A CRM with segments; webhooks and an API on Pro.
Shows who clicked your link and who didn’t.
Watch out for
Priced in euros, and the Pro price rises with the contacts you activate.
The free plan covers 100 contacts a month.
C
05
CreatorFlow
Best for:Creators who want geo analytics on link clicks and DM top-up packs.
Instagram comment-to-DM with a flat monthly price and no per-contact fees. Story replies are on every plan.
Free plan
500 DMs a month, 1 account, unlimited active automations
Paid from
$15/month, or $12/month billed annually (Pro)
What’s counted
DMs sent
Good at
Click and geo analytics on paid plans.
One-time DM top-up packs when you go over.
Unlimited active automations on the free plan.
Watch out for
Counts every DM, so multi-message flows use the allowance faster.
Best for:Creators who want AI to answer DMs and comments for them.
Instagram comment-to-DM with paid plans priced by accounts and no contact limit. Facebook Pages are on paid plans, and AI replies come with its Growth and Business plans.
Free plan
1,000 DMs, 100 contacts and 10 leads a month, 1 Instagram account, Reachlee branding
Paid from
$9/month (Pro)
What’s counted
Free counts DMs, contacts and leads; paid plans are unlimited and priced by accounts and AI
Good at
Unlimited DMs, contacts and leads from $9/month.
AI replies to DMs and comments from $14/month.
Google Sheets and Meta Ads audience export on Business.
Watch out for
The free plan covers 100 contacts and 10 leads a month.
Its follow gate, product carousel and follow-up nudges are listed under Pro.
Best for:Businesses selling over WhatsApp and Instagram, with AI agents.
A chatbot platform for WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and website chat, from a company that describes itself as an official Meta partner. Plans include AI credits; non-AI automation is unlimited.
Free plan
No free plan listed; every plan starts with a free trial
Paid from
$18/month billed yearly (Business)
What’s counted
AI usage; keyword replies, button flows and other non-AI automation are unlimited
Good at
Unlimited contacts and non-AI automations.
WhatsApp campaigns and Meta Pixel conversion tracking.
AI agents for qualifying leads.
Watch out for
No free plan, only a trial.
The listed price is billed yearly.
A follow gate isn’t listed on its Instagram page.
Questions, answered.
Anything else? Email us or start free and try it on your next post.
Is it allowed to automate Instagram DMs?+
Yes, through Meta’s official messaging API, which has its own rules, such as only messaging people who contacted you first and replying within 24 hours. Replyinger uses it, and LinkDM, Inrō and Chatfuel say on their sites that they do. Check any tool’s site before connecting your account.
Which tool has the best free plan?+
It depends on what is counted. Replyinger gives 250 contacts with no DM limit and every feature. ReplyRush gives 1,500 DMs, LinkDM 1,000 DMs, Reachlee 1,000 DMs but 100 contacts, CreatorFlow and InstantDM 500 DMs or automations, Inrō 100 contacts and ManyChat 25 contacts. A contact can get several messages; a DM is one message. Chatfuel has a trial instead.
Contacts or DMs: which pricing is better?+
If your flows send several messages per person (a link, then a reminder, then an email question), contact-based pricing goes further. If you send one DM per comment, DM-based allowances are easy to compare. Tools that bill overages can cost more after a viral post; tools that pause at the limit don’t.
Do I need a special Instagram account?+
You need an Instagram Professional account (Business or Creator). Switching is free and takes a minute in the Instagram app. You connect through Meta’s official login, so Replyinger never sees your password, and you don’t need a Facebook Page.