SendPulse vs Chatfuel for Instagram DM automation
Updated:
Pick Chatfuel if you only need comment-to-DM, because it is free with no stated contact limit. Pick SendPulse if you sell through DMs. It takes payments in the chat through 13 providers and keeps buyers in a CRM, at $22 a month for 1,000 contacts.
Side by side
| Fact |  SendPulseRated 4.4 out of 52,870 reviews on Trustpilot (opens in a new tab) |
 ChatfuelRated 3.2 out of 514 reviews on Trustpilot (opens in a new tab) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | ||
| 1K contacts | $22 | Free |
| 10K contacts | $74 | Free |
| Billing basis | Per contact | Plan plus usage |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Send a DM when someone comments | Yes | Yes |
| Keyword triggers | Yes | Yes |
| Public reply under the comment | Yes | Yes |
| Auto-reply to incoming DMs | Yes | Yes |
| Trigger on replies to your stories | No | Yes |
| Trigger on story mentions | Yes | Yes |
| Trigger on live video comments | Yes | No |
| Message new followers | No | No |
| Multi-step flow builder | Yes | Yes |
| Broadcast messages | Yes | Yes |
| AI agent that replies on its own | Yes | Yes |
| Hand the chat to a person | Yes | Yes |
| Shared team inbox | Yes | Yes |
| Meta, CRM and payments | ||
| Meta status | Business Partner | Business Partner |
| Built-in CRM | Yes | Yes |
| Payment inside the chat | Yes | No |
| Payment providers | Stripe, PayPal, Klarna, Mercado Pago, Flutterwave, Cryptomus, Whitepay, plata by mono, RozetkaPay, NovaPay, LiqPay, Fondy, WayForPay | None |
| Other | ||
| Channels | Instagram, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Telegram, Viber, TikTok, Email, SMS, Website chat, LinkedIn | Instagram, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, TikTok, Website chat |
Price
On price alone, Chatfuel wins at every size. Its full platform is $20 a month with unlimited contacts, and comment-to-DM on its own costs nothing.
SendPulse prices by subscribers stored: $22 at 1,000 and $74 at 10,000. What the extra money buys is the selling side, covered below.
Selling inside the DM
This is the real difference. SendPulse takes payments in the chat through 13 providers, among them Stripe and Mercado Pago. Every buyer lands in a CRM with deal stages, which is free for up to five team members.
Chatfuel’s help center says payment processors cannot be connected. Its CRM tracks contacts, but sales happen outside the chat.
Instagram triggers
Each one documents a trigger the other does not. Chatfuel covers replies to your stories, which SendPulse’s help center does not describe. SendPulse covers live video comments, which Chatfuel’s pages do not mention. Neither offers a follow-to-DM trigger.
AI replies
SendPulse lists its ChatGPT integration on the Pro plan, and its pricing page shows no separate AI fee. Chatfuel’s AI spends a monthly credit wallet, and the bot pauses when the credit runs out.
Free plans
SendPulse’s free plan covers 500 subscribers, with flows and a CRM across three bots. Chatfuel’s free plan only replies to comments, but with no stated limit.
Which to pick
Pick SendPulse if you sell through DMs, or if you also want email and SMS campaigns in the same account.
Pick Chatfuel if you only send links after comments, or if a price that never grows matters more than payments.
Questions people ask
Is SendPulse cheaper than Chatfuel?
No. Chatfuel’s full platform is $20 a month at any size, while SendPulse costs $22 at 1,000 subscribers. SendPulse costs more because it includes payments in the chat and a sales CRM.
Which one takes payments in Instagram DMs?
SendPulse, through 13 providers on its paid plans. Chatfuel’s help center says payment processors cannot be connected.