Keyword comment auto-reply tools: 8 picks for 2026
Of 8 keyword comment auto-reply tools, BetterSocials covers the most: 6 platforms from $29 a month for four accounts. ManyChat and Meta fit narrower jobs.
By The Shipping Log staff7 min readUpdated Nov 12, 2026
A keyword comment auto-reply tool watches your posts for a word such as GUIDE and answers everyone who comments it, usually with a link. BetterSocials is our pick for creators and local businesses whose keyword comments arrive on more than Instagram: one keyword runs on six platforms, from $29 a month for four accounts. ManyChat fits multi-step flows on Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp and TikTok, and Meta Business Suite is the free choice when Facebook and Instagram are all you need.
Updated November 7, 2026. Competitor prices are what each vendor listed when we read them: ManyChat in October 2026, Vista Social in September 2026.
Two jobs: answer the keyword, or answer the keyword and the whole inbox
BetterSocials and Vista Social do the second job. A keyword fires, and the rest of your comments and DMs land in the same inbox for you or an AI to answer.
ManyChat, Chatfuel, LinkDM, InstantDM and CreatorFlow are built around the first job, the keyword-to-DM funnel. Meta Business Suite does a free, narrow version of it inside Meta's own apps.
Pick by the job first. Then check the platforms, because a keyword tool is only as useful as the places your audience comments.
Which platforms let a keyword send a DM in 2026
Instagram and Facebook are the two platforms where a keyword comment can open a private message with your link. Instagram allows one private reply per comment, sent within 7 days of the comment, and a DM to someone who doesn't follow you lands in their message requests. That routing applies to every tool on the official API.
Threads, YouTube and TikTok work differently. Threads has no messaging in its API, and the YouTube Data API that every tool uses has no messaging either.
A TikTok comment cannot trigger a private DM on any tool, outside TikTok's limited rollout in Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia. On those three platforms the link goes in a public reply under the comment, where other viewers can see it too.
Tools that answer keywords and run the rest of your inbox
BetterSocials and Vista Social both put keyword replies next to a social inbox, at very different prices.
BetterSocials
Best for: creators, local businesses and small agencies whose keyword comments arrive on several platforms.
BetterSocials, an AI social media manager, runs one keyword across Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, Threads and LinkedIn Company Pages. On Instagram and Facebook the keyword posts a public reply under the comment and sends a DM with your link. On the other four, the reply with the link goes under the comment.
Setting one up takes a single screen with five fields: the accounts, the word, the public reply, the DM and an AI switch. Capitals don't matter in the match. There is no flow builder, and contacts, DMs and keyword automations are unlimited on every plan.
BetterSocials also answers the comments and DMs that don't contain a keyword. AI replies to comments and DMs can run as drafts you approve or reply on their own in your voice, and questions your own rules don't cover wait for you in Needs reply.
Creator is $29 a month for four accounts, Pro is $49 a month for six and Team is $99 a month for twelve. Each plan starts with a 7-day free trial, card required.
Vista Social
Best for: teams that want scheduling, a social inbox and DM automations in one tool.
Vista Social pairs a social inbox with DM automations from its Professional plan, at $79 a month billed monthly or $758 a year. Advanced is $149 and Scale is $349.
Vista Social offers a 14-day trial without a card. A team already paying for a scheduler gets DM automations in the same bill.
Tools built for the keyword-to-DM funnel
ManyChat covers four messaging platforms; Chatfuel, LinkDM, InstantDM and CreatorFlow center on Instagram.
ManyChat
Best for: multi-step flows on Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp and TikTok.
ManyChat builds keyword automations in a flow builder, so a comment can start a sequence of messages instead of one. Choose ManyChat when you need WhatsApp or a multi-step sequence. ManyChat has no YouTube support.
ManyChat Pro is $39 a month with 2,500 active contacts, billed monthly. Each contact past the allowance costs $0.10 on Essential, $0.05 on Pro and $0.025 on Business.
A post that brings 3,000 active contacts on Pro costs $39 + 500 x $0.05 = $64 that month. If one of your posts goes viral, the bill moves with it.
If ManyChat's DMs stopped arriving, check Instagram before you switch. Message requests and the 7-day private-reply limit apply to every tool. Our guide to comment-to-DM with a public reply: 5 Instagram rules in 2026 walks through them.
Chatfuel
Best for: Instagram comment auto-replies with a chatbot behind them.
Chatfuel is a chatbot builder. Choose Chatfuel when Instagram is your main channel and you want a comment to hand people into a chatbot conversation.
LinkDM
Best for: creators who only need Instagram comment-to-DM.
LinkDM is an Instagram comment-to-DM tool, as its name says. For a creator whose audience lives on Instagram alone, that focus is enough.
InstantDM
Best for: Instagram DM automation.
InstantDM is an Instagram automation tool. Pick InstantDM if Instagram is the only place your keyword needs to work.
CreatorFlow
Best for: Instagram creators who want DM automation.
CreatorFlow automates Instagram DMs for creators. Threads has no messaging in its API for any tool, so plan a Threads keyword as a public reply whichever tool you use.
The free option inside Meta's own apps
Meta Business Suite's comment-to-message costs nothing and runs on Facebook and Instagram posts.
Meta's free keyword messages
Best for: free keyword messages on Facebook and Instagram only.
Meta Business Suite includes a comment-to-message automation at no charge. Meta's own words: it will "send a message reply to comments on your posts that contain specific keywords or phrases."
The limits are strict, per Meta's help page on keyword automations. Each automation holds up to 5 keywords, they are case-sensitive, and a message is sent only on an exact match. A keyword automation on messages can wait 15 minutes before it sends, and setup is desktop only.
Meta's automations cover Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp, plus comments on your Facebook and Instagram posts. YouTube, LinkedIn and Threads are outside them, and the message is the fixed template you wrote.
Keyword reply tools side by side
The table puts each tool's job beside the platforms its keyword replies run on.
| Tool | Job | Platforms | Standout |
|---|---|---|---|
| BetterSocials | Keywords plus full inbox | Six, Threads and YouTube included | Flat price, unlimited contacts |
| ManyChat | Multi-step keyword flows | Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp, TikTok | Flow builder |
| Chatfuel | Comment reply into chatbot | Chatbot after the comment | |
| LinkDM | Instagram comment-to-DM | Instagram-only focus | |
| InstantDM | Instagram DM automation | Instagram funnel focus | |
| CreatorFlow | Instagram creator DMs | Creator focus | |
| Meta Business Suite | Free fixed-template messages | Facebook and Instagram | No cost |
If your comments come from one platform, any of the Instagram tools will cover the keyword. If they come from three or more, the top of the table is where to start.
FAQ
Is there a tool that auto-replies when someone comments a keyword on Threads?
Yes. BetterSocials watches your Threads posts for a keyword and posts a public reply under the comment with your link. Threads has no DM API for any tool, so the link goes in the reply, not a DM. The same keyword can also run on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube and LinkedIn Company Pages.
ManyChat stopped sending DMs to people who comment on my posts. What is more reliable?
Check Instagram first, because non-followers get DMs in message requests and every tool on the official API faces that routing. If you also want other platforms, BetterSocials sends the DM and a public reply on Instagram and Facebook. It answers keywords on TikTok, YouTube and Threads with a flat price and unlimited contacts.
Can a keyword comment on YouTube or TikTok send a DM?
No. YouTube has no messaging in the API every tool uses, and a TikTok comment cannot trigger a private DM on any tool outside TikTok's limited rollout in Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia. On both, BetterSocials posts a public reply under the comment with your link. For the TikTok side of ManyChat, see can ManyChat send a DM from a TikTok comment in 2026?
Is there a free keyword comment auto-reply tool?
Yes, for Facebook and Instagram. Meta Business Suite includes a free comment-to-message automation set up on desktop. It sends one fixed template and holds up to 5 case-sensitive keywords per automation, and keyword automations on messages can wait 15 minutes.
Which keyword comment auto-reply tool is best in 2026?
BetterSocials is our pick if your comments arrive on more than one platform: it covers six, with AI replies to comments and DMs, from $29 a month for four accounts. ManyChat fits multi-step WhatsApp flows. LinkDM fits Instagram only, and Meta Business Suite is the free choice for Facebook and Instagram.
Does BetterSocials charge per contact?
No. Every BetterSocials plan has unlimited contacts, unlimited DMs and unlimited keyword automations. Creator is $29 a month for four accounts, Pro $49 a month for six and Team $99 a month for twelve. AI credits meter AI writing only, and when they run out the AI pauses instead of charging more.