Instagram DM automation tools, compared on price and facts
Automating Instagram comments and DMs for 1,000 contacts costs anywhere from nothing to $199 a month, depending on the tool.
For most small businesses SendPulse is the best value at $22, because the price already covers a CRM and payment buttons in the chat. If you only need a DM sent when someone comments a keyword, Chatfuel and Meta Business Suite do it for free.
Updated:
The main tools at a glance
| Tool | 1K contacts | 10K contacts | Free plan | Comment-to-DM | Meta status | Built-in CRM | Payments in chat | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 SendPulse |
$22 | $74 | Yes | Yes | Business Partner | Yes | Yes | Rated 4.4 out of 52,870 reviews (opens in a new tab) |
 Chatfuel |
Free | Free | Yes | Yes | Business Partner | Yes | No | Rated 3.2 out of 514 reviews (opens in a new tab) |
 ManyChat |
$39 | $162 | Yes | Yes | Business Partner | No | Yes | Rated 2.1 out of 5305 reviews (opens in a new tab) |
 respond.io |
$199 | $1,279 | No | Yes | Business Partner | No | No | Rated 2.5 out of 517 reviews (opens in a new tab) |
 Meta Business Suite |
Free | Free | Yes | Yes | Business Partner | No | No | No score |
 HighLevel |
$97 | $97 | No | Yes | Official API | Yes | No | No score |
 NapoleonCat |
$139 | $249 | No | Yes | Official API | Yes | No | No score |
 Customers.ai (MobileMonkey) |
$19 | $199 | Yes | Yes | Business Partner | No | No | No score |
 Sprout Social |
No | No | No | No | Business Partner | No | No | No score |
The full research for all tools is in the best Instagram DM automation tools. All 27 tools we track are in the directory.
Start from what you need
Spend nothing
Free plans that still send a DM when someone comments.
Spend as little as possible
The cheapest paid plans at 1,000 and 10,000 contacts.
Only comment-to-DM
Single-purpose apps such as InstantDM, LinkDM and ReplyRush.
Let AI answer
Tools whose AI agent replies on its own and hands over to a person.
ManyChat alternatives
What to switch to, and what you give up.
Check prices
Every plan side by side, or work out your own bill with the cost calculator.
Editorial comparisons
ManyChat vs Chatfuel
Chatfuel's comment-to-DM is free, while ManyChat documents more Instagram triggers.
ManyChat vs respond.io
ManyChat suits creators and small shops, while respond.io is built for support teams on many channels.
ManyChat vs SendPulse
SendPulse costs less and includes a CRM, while ManyChat documents more Instagram triggers.
ManyChat vs SendPulse vs MobileMonkey
What happened to MobileMonkey, and how its successor compares with ManyChat and SendPulse.
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SendPulse vs Chatfuel
Both have free plans with comment-to-DM, and only SendPulse adds payment buttons in the chat.
How we compare
We price every tool on the cheapest plan that includes Instagram comment-to-DM, for 1,000 and 10,000 contacts. Facts come only from each vendor’s own pages and Meta’s documentation, with the date we read them. The full method is on how we compare.