Every Instagram DM automation tool does the same core job: someone comments a keyword, they get your link in a DM. What differs is what you pay per person, what the free plan holds back, and whether the tool does anything else. Kadenzo is the one here that also schedules your posts, with comment-to-DM on every plan from $19 a month.
We make Kadenzo. In October 2026 we set up the same comment-to-DM in Kadenzo, Manychat, Chatfuel, LinkDM and CreatorFlow, and priced every tool on one unit: people reached a month.
Where to go
Best overall: DMs plus everything else
Kadenzo
Comment-to-DM with follow and email gates on every plan, plus scheduling to 11 networks, an inbox and listening. $19 to $49 a month.
If you only send DMs, on a tight budget
ReplyRush or LinkDM
The cheapest price per DM, with free plans. You’ll need a separate tool to schedule posts.
If you build long, branching bots
Manychat
The deepest flow builder, with conditions and many channels, billed per contact.
Watch the short version
2:54
What it costs
Tools count in people, in DMs sent or not at all. Pick how many people you reach a month and whether you schedule posts too.
Kadenzo
Professional, 3,000 people. Scheduling, inbox and listening included
Lowest$29
ReplyRush
Lite, 7,500 DMs + Buffer for 4 channels $24. DMs only
$34
CreatorFlow
Pro, 5,000 DMs + Buffer for 4 channels $24. Instagram only
$39
LinkDM
Pro, 25,000 DMs + Buffer for 4 channels $24. DMs only; Free adds “Sent with LinkDM”
$43
Chatfuel
Business, unlimited contacts + Buffer for 4 channels $24. No button step; AI replies use a monthly credit
$44
Manychat
Pro + Buffer for 4 channels $24. DMs only
$63
Monthly billing, USD before tax. Tools that cap DMs sent are converted at two DMs per person (the opening DM and the link after the tap), our assumption. Manychat bills by contact, so its figure includes overage at its published rate.
Counted at 2 DMs per person for tools that cap messages. If you only send DMs, ReplyRush and LinkDM cost less. Once you schedule posts too, one plan usually beats two tools.
The tools
Five tested on our own Instagram account in October 2026, one from its pricing page. Best for, price, and what we liked and didn’t.
Best for
Creators and small brands who also schedule posts
Price
$19, $29 or $49 a month for 500, 3,000 or 20,000 people
What’s good
Watch out for
Best for
Long, branching bots across many channels
Price
From $17 for 250 contacts, then a charge per extra contact
What’s good
Watch out for
Best for
High DM volume on a small budget
Price
Free for 1,000 DMs; Pro $19 for 25,000 DMs
What’s good
Watch out for
Best for
Instagram creators starting out
Price
Free for 500 DMs; Pro $15 for 5,000 DMs
What’s good
Watch out for
Best for
The lowest price per DM
Price
Free for 1,500 DMs; Lite $10 for 7,500 DMs
What’s good
Watch out for
Best for
AI conversations rather than link drops
Price
$20 a month, unlimited contacts
What’s good
Watch out for
How it works
The same four steps happen in every tool. Here they are in Kadenzo, set up on our own account.
Pick the keyword and the link
Choose the account, the word people comment (like GUIDE) and what they should receive. Apply it to all posts, one post or the next one you publish.
Someone comments the word
The tool replies under the comment so others see it works, and sends one private DM. That’s the single message Meta allows per comment.
They tap the button
The DM asks them to tap. The tap is their reply, which opens a 24-hour window. Without it, the tool couldn’t send anything else.
The link arrives, or a gate first
Send the link straight away, or first ask for an email or check they follow you. A follow-up can go out later that day if they don’t open it.
Meta’s rules
Every DM tool works inside the same five rules from Meta. Follow one comment from start to finish and you’ll see all of them.
They comment
A comment with your keyword starts everything.
One private reply1
The tool gets one DM per comment, no more. That’s why it carries a button.
A 24-hour window3
The tap counts as their reply, so the tool may now keep talking for 24 hours.
The link, a gate, a nudge
Email or follow gates and follow-ups all fit inside the window. A reminder days later doesn’t.
4 750 private replies an hour
Per account, whatever the tool. A post with 5,000 keyword comments takes about 7 hours to answer.
5 Professional accounts only
Switching is free in Instagram’s settings. With Instagram login you don’t need a Facebook Page.
Personal
Can’t be automated
Business or creator
Works with every tool here
Source: Meta’s private replies documentation, read October 2026.
Free plans
We opened each tool’s builder on its free plan. The basic comment-to-DM works everywhere; the parts that grow a list are usually locked.
Manychat Free
25 contacts a month
Included
Locked on free
LinkDM Free
1,000 DMs a month
Included
Locked on free
CreatorFlow Free
500 DMs a month
Included
Locked on free
Kadenzo Starter
$19 a month, 500 people
Included
Higher plan
Read in each tool’s builder and plan page on the free plans in October 2026; Kadenzo from its rule settings. Kadenzo has no free plan, so its card shows the cheapest paid plan.
Feature by feature
From each tool’s builder and pricing page, October 2026. Amber means a paid plan or a partial version.
| Kadenzo | Manychat | LinkDM | CreatorFlow | ReplyRush | Chatfuel | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keyword comment → DM | Every plan | One post per rule on Free | Free | Free | Free | AI or fixed text, no button |
| Public reply under the comment | Every plan | Free | Pro | Not stated | Lite and up | AI or fixed text |
| Follow gate | Every plan | Paid plans | Not listed | Pro | Lite and up | No |
| Email capture | Every plan | Paid plans | Lead capture on Pro | Pro | Lite and up | Not stated |
| Story replies | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Not stated |
| Facebook as well | Yes | Yes | Yes | Instagram only | Yes | Yes |
| Schedule posts | 11 networks | No | No | No | No | No |
| Brand listening | 2 to 15 keywords | No | No | No | No | No |
Schedulers with DMs
A few social media schedulers now send comment-to-DM themselves. We tested each one.
Kadenzo
From $19
Instagram and Facebook, every plan, with follow and email gates
Metricool
From $25
Flows on paid plans, free for now; X is a $10 add-on
Planoly
From $16
Instagram Auto DMs, set up inside its Creator Store
Hootsuite
$299 a person
Instagram DM automations from Professional
Sprout Social, Agorapulse, Loomly and Buffer don’t send comment-to-DM. Loomly’s AI can reply to comments and DMs, but not with a link on a keyword. Read our tests: Metricool, Planoly, Manychat.
How to choose
Answer these and the right tool is usually obvious.
1.Will you schedule posts as well?
Then a DM tool plus a scheduler is two bills. A scheduler with comment-to-DM built in is usually cheaper below a few thousand people a month.
2.How many people comment on a good post?
Price the tool on your best month, not your average. Per-contact billing grows with every new person; capped plans just stop.
3.Do you need the email or the follow?
Gates are where list growth happens, and most free plans lock them. Check the plan you’d actually use.
4.Instagram only, or Facebook too?
Some tools cover Instagram only. If you run a Facebook Page, check both are included.
5.Do you have a Facebook Page?
Tools that connect through Instagram login don’t need one. Others do.
For most creators and small brands, one that also schedules: Kadenzo includes comment-to-DM with follow and email gates on every plan from $19 a month. If you only need DMs at the lowest price, ReplyRush and LinkDM are cheaper per message. Manychat suits long, branching bots.
Yes, through Meta’s official API, for professional accounts. Replies must start from something the person did (a comment, a story reply, a DM), one private reply per comment within 7 days, and follow-ups only within 24 hours of their reply.
It depends on how the tool counts. Manychat bills per person (from $17 for 250), LinkDM, CreatorFlow and ReplyRush cap DMs sent, and Kadenzo includes 500 to 20,000 people a month in a flat plan. Use the calculator on this page for your volume.
Meta allows one private reply per comment. The button turns the next step into a reply from the person, which opens a 24-hour window to send the link, ask for an email or check a follow.
Not with tools that connect through Instagram login, including Kadenzo. Tools that use Facebook login need the Instagram account linked to a Facebook Page.
Yes: LinkDM (1,000 DMs a month), ReplyRush (1,500), CreatorFlow (500) and Manychat (25 contacts) have free plans. Each locks something useful, usually the follow gate, email capture or the public reply.
No. Meta’s API only serves professional accounts. Switching to a business or creator account is free and takes a minute in Instagram’s settings.
Some can. Kadenzo includes it on every plan, Metricool on paid plans, Planoly through its Creator Store and Hootsuite from Professional. Sprout Social, Agorapulse, Loomly and Buffer don’t.
Meta allows 750 private replies to comments an hour per account. Claims of thousands an hour refer to follow-up messages, which only go to people who already replied.
Kadenzo sends the DM, schedules to 11 networks and tracks your brand, from $19 a month. 3,000 people a month on Professional.
