Metricool alternatives with AI replies: 2026 prices from $29
BetterSocials answers comments and DMs with AI from $29 a month for four accounts. Metricool costs a few dollars less, and Agorapulse is $79 per user.
By The Shipping Log staff7 min readUpdated Nov 8, 2026
Of the Metricool alternatives below, the one with the lowest entry price that lets AI answer both comments and DMs is BetterSocials. We'd pick it for local businesses, creators and small agencies whose comments and DMs bring in customers. BetterSocials is an AI social media manager whose AI replies answer both in the owner's voice, and Creator costs $29 a month for four accounts. Agorapulse suits a team that shares one inbox, and Vista Social suits two people who want an AI Assistant on replies.
What an inbox with AI replies costs once you leave Metricool
Metricool is the price to beat. Every price in this piece is what the vendor's own page listed in October 2026, and Metricool's Starter plan costs $25 a month, or $20 a month billed yearly, for up to five brands, according to Metricool's pricing page.
A brand there holds one business's social networks, so a shop on four networks counts as one brand.
We priced each alternative at the plan where its inbox and its AI on replies begin, then did the sums for one person and for a two-person team. What you pay comes down to this:
- Whether DMs land in the same inbox as comments.
- Whether the AI drafts replies to both, and who presses send.
- How the plan counts you: by account, by brand or by user.
The entry price for an AI inbox, tool by tool
BetterSocials has the lowest entry price of the alternatives below. Metricool's own plan sits in the second row for reference.
| Tool | Price a month | Counts by | AI feature |
|---|---|---|---|
| BetterSocials | $29 | Four accounts, one login | AI replies to comments and DMs |
| Metricool | $25, or $20 yearly | Up to five brands | AI social media assistant |
| Agorapulse | $79 per user | Each user | AI reply suggestions in the inbox |
| Vista Social | $99, or $80 yearly | Two users | AI Assistant for messages and comments |
For one business, Metricool is cheaper than BetterSocials.
Metricool Starter undercuts BetterSocials Creator by a few dollars a month. For those few dollars more, BetterSocials Creator includes AI replies to Instagram, Facebook and TikTok DMs as well as comments, plus keyword comment-to-DM on Instagram and Facebook.
A second person changes the sums. Creator and Pro are one login each, so two people on BetterSocials need Team. That plan runs $99 a month, for 12 accounts and unlimited teammates.
Agorapulse for two users is twice its $79 per-user price each month, and Vista Social Professional covers two users at $99 a month, or $80 billed yearly.
Agorapulse: AI reply suggestions, priced per user
Agorapulse's pricing page lists AI reply suggestions in its all-in-one social inbox. The same inbox lists saved replies, sentiment detection, assignment of comments and messages, and reply collision detection.
Agorapulse tiers its automated moderation. The lower plans include one free rule per social profile with one trigger condition, and the top plan allows unlimited rules that combine conditions with AND and OR. That suits a team that sorts a lot of comments before anyone answers them.
Agorapulse's price is per seat: $79 per user a month, and each new seat adds another $79, so two or three people pay two or three times that. One login on BetterSocials Creator, with four accounts, costs well under half of that first seat.
NapoleonCat and Vista Social: AI on replies, and the cost of two seats
On NapoleonCat, a reply can start from an AI suggestion too; the company publishes a guide to creating and using AI reply suggestions. NapoleonCat calls itself a social media management tool for engagement, which fits a shortlist built around replies first.
Vista Social's help center explains how to reply to messages and comments with AI Assistant. Vista Social Professional is $99 a month, or $80 billed yearly, with two users. It also reads TikTok comments.
For a two-person team, Vista Social and BetterSocials cost the same: $99 a month for Vista Social Professional and for BetterSocials Team. At that price, BetterSocials Team includes 12 accounts, unlimited teammates, AI answers to DMs in the owner's voice and keyword comment-to-DM on Instagram and Facebook.
Hootsuite and Sprout Social: inbox prices for care teams
Hootsuite includes its inbox from Standard at $99 per user a month, billed annually. Sprout Social puts its inbox on Standard at $199 per seat a month, also billed annually.
Those prices are built for teams with a customer care desk. Two people pay twice $99 a month on Hootsuite Standard, and twice $199 a month on Sprout Social Standard.
Hootsuite's inbox product doesn't list YouTube, so YouTube there is publishing and analytics.
For an owner who runs social alone, BetterSocials Creator covers four accounts on one login. It also puts YouTube comments in the same inbox as Instagram and Facebook DMs, with AI replies to both.
When staying on Metricool costs less
Metricool is the better buy when you run many brands and answer comments yourself. Advanced covers up to 15 brands from $53 a month billed yearly, or $67 billed monthly, and adds team and client management, role management and a post approval system.
Clients widen the gap. An agency with three clients on four networks each needs 12 accounts, which is BetterSocials Team at $99 a month. The same three brands fit Metricool Starter at $25 a month, so Metricool costs about a quarter as much.
Metricool's MCP server, which connects Claude and other assistants, works on every Metricool plan. Free included. Its limits page says "Inbox messages, post comments, Smartlinks, Google Business Profile reviews, autolists, Canva or Drive files, and the management of Ads campaigns (the Ads tab) are not available through the MCP at the moment." So an assistant can plan posts through Metricool, and the replies stay with you.
What BetterSocials shipped for DMs on October 23
Since October 23, 2026, BetterSocials' AI replies cover DMs as well as comments. Settings, then AI voice, holds two sections, Comments and DMs, each with Off, Draft for me and Reply in my voice.
Draft for me writes a draft in your voice the moment a comment or DM arrives, and nothing posts until you approve it. Reply in my voice answers everyday comments 1 to 5 minutes later and DMs about a minute after they arrive. Questions wait in Needs reply unless you turn on Answer questions too, which only switches on once you've written at least one AI rule.
AI rules are plain sentences you write, such as your prices, hours and booking link. When your rules don't cover what someone asked, the AI doesn't guess.
The message waits for you in Needs reply. DM replies run on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok, with TikTok limited to accounts outside the UK and Europe.
Instagram only lets a business reply to a DM within 24 hours of the person's last message, so a reply in about a minute lands well inside it.
Keyword comment-to-DM is a separate feature. A keyword in an Instagram or Facebook comment sends the person a DM with your link, and on TikTok, YouTube, Threads and LinkedIn Company Pages the keyword posts a public reply with the link instead.
Claude connects to BetterSocials through its hosted MCP connector and can read the inbox, then draft and send replies in your voice. In a normal ChatGPT chat, the connector reads the inbox and drafts, and sending stays in the app.
Each AI reply or draft uses one AI credit. Creator is $29 a month for four accounts, one login and 1,000 AI credits. Pro is $49 a month for six accounts and 2,000 credits, and Team is $99 a month for 12 accounts, unlimited teammates and 4,000 shared credits.
Every plan has a 7-day free trial with a card required, and nothing is billed per contact. BetterSocials' pricing page lists all three plans.
FAQ
Can AI answer DMs as well as comments?
Yes. In BetterSocials, AI replies have a Comments section and a DMs section, each with Off, Draft for me and Reply in my voice. On Reply in my voice, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok DMs get an answer about a minute after they arrive. When your AI rules don't cover a question, it waits for you in Needs reply.
Does Agorapulse have an AI assistant in its inbox?
Yes. Agorapulse's pricing page lists AI reply suggestions in its all-in-one social inbox, beside saved replies, sentiment detection and automated moderation rules. Agorapulse costs $79 per user a month, so the bill grows with each teammate.
Does NapoleonCat have AI reply suggestions?
Yes. NapoleonCat publishes a guide to creating and using AI reply suggestions. Compare the plan that includes them with BetterSocials Creator, which is $29 a month for four accounts.
Is Metricool cheaper than BetterSocials?
Yes. Metricool Starter is $25 a month for up to five brands, and BetterSocials Creator is $29 a month for four accounts. For those few dollars more, BetterSocials Creator includes AI replies to DMs and comments, and keyword comment-to-DM on Instagram and Facebook.
Can a comment send someone a DM with my link?
Yes, on Instagram and Facebook. In BetterSocials, a keyword in a comment sends the person a DM with your link, with no flow builder and no per-contact billing. ManyChat does this too, with Pro at $39 a month for 2,500 active contacts as of October 2026. On TikTok and YouTube, the keyword posts a public reply with the link.