ReplyKaro and UnlockDM both send an Instagram DM when someone comments a keyword, and both use Meta's official API. They are priced for very different calendars. ReplyKaro is one of the cheapest subscriptions in the category, starting at ₹99 a month with a free plan of 1,000 DMs a month. UnlockDM charges once per campaign and nothing between campaigns.
The decision rule: if you want comment-to-DM running all the time at the lowest monthly cost, ReplyKaro wins. If you run a handful of giveaways or launches and want each one built around a checked follow and personal referral links, UnlockDM fits better. This is a researched comparison from ReplyKaro's own pages, not a hands-on test.
Billing side by side
| ReplyKaro | UnlockDM | |
|---|---|---|
| How you pay | Monthly subscription | Once per campaign |
| Free path | 1,000 DMs a month, every month | First Spark campaign free, 50 unlocks over 7 days |
| Paid entry | ₹99 a month in India, $3 globally | Spark, Drop, or Viral per campaign |
| Instagram and Facebook | Pro Bundle, ₹399 a month ($15) | Instagram only |
| Quiet month | Your plan price if you stay subscribed | Nothing |
At ₹99 a month, ReplyKaro is hard to undercut for steady use. If you post a keyword Reel most weeks, that is the honest comparison, and ReplyKaro comes out ahead.
UnlockDM's tiers are priced by campaign length and capacity instead. Spark runs 7 days with room for 500 unlocks, Drop has no time limit and 2,000 unlocks, and Viral has no cap. Our per-campaign pricing guide works through when that model costs less than a subscription.
Follow gates
Both tools gate the reward behind a follow, and ReplyKaro does it on the free plan, which many tools charge for.
The detail worth asking about is whether the follow is checked. Meta's messaging API has an is_user_follow_business field that reports whether a person follows your account, once they have interacted in the DM. UnlockDM checks it when the participant taps the confirm button and delivers only to real followers. ReplyKaro's pricing page lists the follow gate without saying how it confirms the follow.
What a checked gate looks like in practice: in our own data, about half of the people who comment on a follow-gated campaign end up as verified followers. We broke that number down in the UnlockDM vs ChatAutoDM comparison.
Delivery speed on a busy Reel
ReplyKaro's Pro Bundle lists up to 300 Instagram DMs an hour. Meta's documented ceiling for private replies to post and Reel comments is higher, at 750 calls an hour, so this is a pacing choice rather than an Instagram rule. It only matters when a Reel pulls hundreds of comments in its first hour. Our fact check on DM rate limits explains where those numbers come from.
Fan Mode points versus referral links
This is where the two products think differently about growth.
ReplyKaro's Fan Mode gives existing fans loyalty points for comments, link clicks, and story tags, with tier rewards on top. It rewards activity from people who already follow you, which suits an account that wants its regulars to keep engaging.
UnlockDM gives every participant a personal referral link. You can set a bonus reward for participants who bring a set number of friends, and Drop and Viral campaigns add a leaderboard and a winner picker. It credits people only for new entrants, which suits a giveaway or launch meant to reach beyond your current audience.
Neither is a growth guarantee. A referral bonus works only when the reward is worth sharing and the friend count is low enough to feel reachable. Our guide to running a giveaway with referral links covers how to set the threshold.
Who should pick which
Pick ReplyKaro if you:
- Want comment-to-DM on all the time for the lowest monthly price
- Will stay within 1,000 DMs a month on the free plan
- Also run a Facebook Page and want both in one bundle
- Want to reward regular fans for ongoing activity
Pick UnlockDM if you:
- Run giveaways, drops, or launches in bursts
- Want the follow checked before the reward goes out
- Want participants to bring new people through personal referral links
- Need a leaderboard or winner picker for the giveaway
For the full feature breakdown, see our ReplyKaro review, and the UnlockDM vs ReplyKaro page for a side-by-side plan view.
Sources checked
Checked on 2026-10-06. Vendors revise pricing pages without notice.
- ReplyKaro pricing (plans from ₹99 a month, follow gate included on Free and Starter, Pro Bundle ₹399 a month covering Instagram and Facebook, Fan Mode on all plans)
- ReplyKaro homepage (free plan up to 1,000 DMs a month, $3 a month globally, Fan Mode points for comments, link clicks, and story tags)
- Meta for Developers: Graph API rate limits (750 calls an hour for private replies to post and Reel comments)
- Meta for Developers: Instagram messaging User Profile API (
is_user_follow_business)
UnlockDM charges once per campaign, checks the follow before the reward, and gives every participant a referral link. Your first Spark campaign is free.
