Blotato for Instagram DM automation
Updated:
Blotato is a social media publishing API and web app for nine platforms that added Instagram and Facebook comment-to-DM automation, metered by monthly active contacts, with no free plan. Comment-to-DM costs $29 a month for 1,000 contacts and $499 for 10,000 on monthly billing.
- 1K contacts
- $29
- 10K contacts
- $499
- Free plan
- No
- Billing
- Flat price
- Meta status
- Official API
- Type
- DM automation app
Instagram features
| Feature | Blotato |
|---|---|
| Send a DM when someone comments | Yes |
| Keyword triggers | Yes |
| Public reply under the comment | No |
| Auto-reply to incoming DMs | Yes |
| Trigger on replies to your stories | No |
| Trigger on story mentions | No |
| Trigger on live video comments | No |
| Message new followers | Yes |
| Multi-step flow builder | No |
| Broadcast messages | No |
| AI agent that replies on its own | No |
| Hand the chat to a person | No |
| Shared team inbox | No |
Pricing
| Plan | Per month | Contacts included | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | $29 | 1,000 | Yes |
| Creator | $97 | 6,000 | Yes |
| Agency | $499 | 15,000 | Yes |
Free plan. No free plan. 7-day free trial on every plan. Card required. Trial covers the web app but excludes the API/MCP.
Trial. 7-day free trial on all plans, card required, API excluded from trial.
The 1,000 and 10,000 contact figures use the cheapest plan that includes comment-to-DM, on monthly billing. The method is on how we compare.
Meta status
- Uses the official Instagram API
- Yes
- Claims Meta Business Partner status
- No
- Listing confirmed in Meta's partner directory
- No
CRM and payments
- Built-in CRM
- No
- Payment links
- No
- Take payment inside the chat
- No
Channels and AI
Channels. Instagram, Facebook Messenger.
- AI agent
- No
AI providers. ElevenLabs.
AI credits (1,250 / 5,000 / 28,000 per month by plan) are consumed by AI image, video and voice generation for content. AI writing is unlimited. DM automations send fixed text with up to 3 link buttons. AI-written DM replies are only possible by connecting an external agent (Claude, ChatGPT) through Blotato's MCP server or REST API, which starts a paid plan.
Reviews elsewhere
We do not publish our own star ratings. These are the public scores we could read in October 2026.
| Site | Score | Reviews |
|---|---|---|
| Capterra (opens in a new tab) | Rated 4.8 out of 5 | 128 |
| G2 (opens in a new tab) | Rated 4.6 out of 5 | 121 |
| Trustpilot (opens in a new tab) | Rated 4.8 out of 5 | 387 |
Strengths and limits
Where it is strong
- DM automation and publishing to 9 platforms are on one subscription and one API key. No separate scheduler is needed.
- The REST API and hosted MCP server can create, update and delete DM automations, so an AI agent can build and bulk-edit comment-to-DM flows.
- Flat tier pricing with no per-contact overage: the bill does not change with posting volume or follower count below the cap.
- Follow gate (Instagram), email gate and webhook steps are available on every paid plan.
Where it falls short
- No free plan. The 7-day trial excludes the API and MCP, so agent-based setups require a paid plan from day one.
- Each automation sends one DM with up to 3 link buttons. The vendor states there is no multi-step branching flow builder.
- Hard stop at the monthly active-contact cap (1,000 on the $29 Starter): sends fail until the monthly reset, with no top-up option.
- Messaging and DM automation cover Instagram and Facebook Pages only. Comments and messages are retained 45 days with no history import.
Skip it if you want a free tier or a sub-$20 entry price for Instagram DMs only. Or if you need branching conversational flows, AI-held conversations or a team inbox with assignment. Or if you expect more than 6,000 unique contacts a month but do not want the $499 Agency tier.