Hootsuite for Instagram DM automation
Updated:
Social media management suite whose Nest inbox adds Instagram keyword comment-to-DM automation, saved replies and auto-responders on per-seat plans starting at $199 per user per month (annual billing) for the Professional tier. Comment-to-DM costs $199 a month for 1,000 contacts and $199 for 10,000 on monthly billing.
- 1K contacts
- $199
- 10K contacts
- $199
- Free plan
- No
- Billing
- Per seat
- Meta status
- Official API
- Type
- Social media suite
Instagram features
| Feature | Hootsuite |
|---|---|
| Send a DM when someone comments | Yes |
| Keyword triggers | Yes |
| Public reply under the comment | Yes |
| 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 | No |
| Multi-step flow builder | No |
| Broadcast messages | No |
| AI agent that replies on its own | Paid add-on |
| Hand the chat to a person | Yes |
| Shared team inbox | Yes |
Pricing
| Plan | Per month | Contacts included | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | $99 | Yes | |
| Professional | $199 | Yes | |
| Advanced | $399 | Yes | |
| Enterprise | Sales quote | Yes |
Free plan. No free plan. 14-day free trial without credit card, with daily posting limits (10-20 posts per organization).
Trial. 14-day free trial, no credit card, daily posting limits during 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, WhatsApp, LinkedIn, X (Twitter), TikTok, YouTube.
- AI agent
- Paid add-on
Generative AI chatbot ('automate up to 80% of message replies', FAQ-trained, hands over to humans with a summary) is sold with Hootsuite Enterprise only. AI smart-reply suggestions are on Professional and above. 'Wisdom' AI assistant is included in every plan. Model provider not disclosed.
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We do not publish our own star ratings.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 4.4 out of 5 | 3,803 |
| G2 (opens in a new tab) | Rated 4.3 out of 5 | 7,484 |
| Trustpilot (opens in a new tab) | Rated 1.3 out of 5 | 556 |
Strengths and limits
Where it is strong
- Keyword-triggered Instagram comment-to-DM with multiple reply variations and a delay before the public comment reply, inside the same inbox used for Facebook, WhatsApp, LinkedIn, X and TikTok.
- Team features (assignment, skill-based routing, agent chat, notes, CSAT surveys, PII masking) and Salesforce/Zendesk integrations for customer-care teams.
- Publishing, scheduling, listening and analytics in one subscription, so DM automation does not require a separate tool.
Where it falls short
- Entry price for any inbox automation is $199 per user per month on annual billing. The $99 Standard plan has an inbox but no automation, and monthly-billing prices are not shown.
- Only post/Reel comment keyword triggers are documented for Instagram. Story reply, story mention, Live and follow triggers are not mentioned.
- The generative AI chatbot, SLA tracking, sentiment and language routing are Enterprise-only (Advanced Inbox add-on, custom pricing).
- Trustpilot score is 1.3 from 556 reviews as of 2026-10-06.
Skip it if you are a solo creator who only needs comment-to-DM. A $199/month seat is priced for marketing teams. Or if you need story-reply or Live-comment triggers, follow gates or email capture inside DMs. Or if you want an AI agent without an Enterprise contract.