10 tools that schedule posts and answer comments (2026)
SocialPilot vs Metricool and 8 more tools that schedule posts and answer comments, with what each inbox covers and costs in 2026.
By Stack & Funnel staff8 min readUpdated Nov 8, 2026
Pick Metricool if you want a free plan with an inbox and you'll type your own replies. Pick SocialPilot if your replies are mostly Instagram comments and messages, handled next to your posting calendar. Pick BetterSocials if comments and DMs bring in your customers: it posts to six platforms, answers comments and DMs in your voice from one inbox, and sends a DM with your link when someone comments a keyword on Instagram or Facebook, from $29 a month for four accounts.
The other seven tools each take a different share of the reply work, from Buffer's comments-only inbox to Sprout Social's per-seat inbox for bigger teams.
The job we judged: one login that posts and answers
SocialPilot and Metricool both pair a scheduler with an inbox, so either one can replace two apps in your stack. We took the job angle: which tool lets one login post the week's content and also answer what comes back. An inbox here means one screen that collects comments and DMs from every connected account.
We checked four things for each tool. The platforms its inbox reads, whether it answers DMs as well as comments, whether it can send a keyword DM, and the price at the account count you'd run.
A keyword DM, also called comment-to-DM, is an automation. Someone comments a word like GUIDE and the tool sends them a private message with your link. For each tool we also say what it would replace in your stack.
BetterSocials: posting, comments, DMs and keyword DMs together
BetterSocials is best for businesses that sell through comments and DMs. It posts and schedules to Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, Threads and LinkedIn. Its inbox collects comments from all six platforms and DMs from Instagram, Facebook and TikTok.
AI replies have two sections, Comments and DMs, each with Off, Draft for me and Reply in my voice. Draft for me writes a reply in your voice to every new comment or DM and waits for your approval. Reply in my voice answers everyday comments 1 to 5 minutes later and DMs in about a minute.
Questions wait in Needs reply unless you switch on Answer questions too. That switch only works once you've written at least one AI rule, such as your prices, hours or booking link. When your rules don't cover what someone asked, the message waits for you.
A keyword comment on Instagram or Facebook sends a DM with your link, with no flow builder and unlimited contacts on every plan. On TikTok, YouTube, Threads and LinkedIn Company Pages, the keyword posts a public reply with the link instead. In stack terms, BetterSocials replaces a scheduler plus a separate comment-to-DM tool.
Creator is $29 a month for four accounts and one login. Pro is $49 a month for six accounts. Team is $99 a month for twelve accounts and unlimited teammates.
Where it falls short: there's no free plan, only a 7-day trial with a card. Creator and Pro have one login each. TikTok DMs are reply-only, and there's no X or email inbox.
SocialPilot: Instagram replies handled beside the calendar
SocialPilot is best for teams whose replies are mostly Instagram comments and messages. Its help center walks through replying to Instagram comments and messages from its inbox, next to the scheduler.
If your team already plans posts in SocialPilot, the inbox keeps Instagram replies in the same tool you schedule from. The comparison to run against BetterSocials is the reply side: AI replies in your voice and keyword DMs on Instagram and Facebook.
Metricool: an inbox on the free plan
Metricool is best for a free start with an inbox. Metricool's help center explains how to manage messages and comments from Metricool in its Inbox.
The inbox starts on the free plan, which reads YouTube comments too, and LinkedIn joins it on Starter. Paid plans start at $20 a month per brand, as of October 2026. That's cheaper than BetterSocials, and free is cheaper still.
BetterSocials adds the keyword DM on Instagram and Facebook, where a comment sends a DM with your link. If typed replies are enough, Metricool replaces your phone apps at no cost. If you want the keyword DM, you'd add a second tool or pick BetterSocials.
Agorapulse: assignment for a team that splits replies
Agorapulse is best for teams that hand replies to different people. Agorapulse puts one combined inbox on every tier. Its pricing page lists comment and message assignment, reply collision detection, Google reviews moderation and AI reply suggestions.
It costs $79 per user a month on annual billing, as of July 2026, so a team of three pays a little over two hundred dollars a month. We priced those suggestions against other schedulers in AI reply suggestions in a social media scheduler: what they cost in 2026.
Buffer: the lowest price per account, comments only
Buffer is best for teams that mostly schedule and answer a few comments by hand. Buffer charges $5 a channel a month on annual billing, as of October 2026, so four channels run 4 x $5 = $20. That's cheaper than BetterSocials at four accounts.
Buffer's inbox covers comments on every plan and reads YouTube comments. It covers comments only, so Instagram and Facebook DMs stay in the phone app.
BetterSocials Creator is $29 a month for the same four accounts, $9 more. That difference buys the DM side of the inbox, AI replies and keyword DMs.
Later: Instagram, Facebook and TikTok conversations
Later is best for brands whose replies sit on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. Later's Conversations inbox covers Instagram DMs and comments, Facebook DMs and comments, and TikTok comments.
Conversations start on Growth, at $37.50 a month billed yearly or $50 monthly, as of October 2026. Later has no YouTube or LinkedIn conversations.
Vista Social: DM automations for two people
Vista Social is best for two-person teams that want DM automations. Vista Social pairs a social inbox with DM automations from its Professional plan, which includes two users.
Professional is $99 a month, or $80 billed yearly, as of October 2026. You can try it for 14 days without a card.
Pallyy: a low price with Google reviews in the inbox
Pallyy is best for a low-priced inbox that also holds Google reviews. Pallyy's inbox starts on Pro, at $25 a month or $20 billed yearly, as of October 2026.
Pro covers Instagram DMs and comments, Facebook messages and comments, LinkedIn comments, TikTok comments and Google reviews. Pallyy has no YouTube.
Hootsuite: an inbox on per-user seats
Hootsuite is best for teams already paying per user. Hootsuite includes its inbox from Standard, at $99 per user a month billed annually, as of October 2026.
The inbox doesn't include YouTube comments, so on Hootsuite YouTube stays publishing and analytics.
Sprout Social: a consolidated inbox for larger teams
Sprout Social is best for larger teams with a per-seat budget. Sprout Social puts its consolidated inbox on Standard, at $199 per seat a month billed annually, as of October 2026.
Two seats come to just under four hundred dollars a month. That price is built for a team, not one owner.
What each tool covers and costs, side by side
BetterSocials, Metricool, Buffer and the rest below differ most on the reply side. Prices are each tool's entry point for its inbox.
| Tool | Reply job | Entry price | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| BetterSocials | Comments, DMs, keyword DMs, AI replies | From $29/mo, 4 accounts | Selling through comments and DMs |
| Metricool | Inbox from the free plan | From $0, paid $20/brand | A free start |
| Agorapulse | Inbox with reply assignment | From $79/user, annual | Teams that split replies |
| Buffer | Comments only, YouTube included | From $5/channel, annual | Cheap scheduling |
| Later | Instagram, Facebook DMs, TikTok comments | From $37.50/mo, annual | Instagram and TikTok replies |
| Vista Social | Inbox plus DM automations | From $80/mo, annual | Two-person teams |
| Pallyy | Comments, DMs, Google reviews | From $20/mo, annual | Low price with reviews |
| Hootsuite | Inbox without YouTube comments | From $99/user, annual | Teams on per-user seats |
| Sprout Social | Consolidated inbox on Standard | From $199/seat, annual | Larger per-seat teams |
At four accounts, Buffer runs $20 a month on annual billing for comments only. Add ManyChat Pro for keyword DMs at $39 a month with 2,500 active contacts, as of October 2026, and the stack costs close to sixty dollars a month.
ManyChat then bills $0.05 for each active contact past 2,500. BetterSocials Creator covers the same four accounts for $29 a month, with unlimited contacts. We broke down what a comment and DM inbox costs on each social media scheduler in 2026 in an earlier piece.
FAQ
Is SocialPilot or Metricool better for scheduling and comment replies?
Metricool is the easier start, because its inbox comes on the free plan and reads YouTube comments. SocialPilot's help center covers replying to Instagram comments and messages from its inbox, which suits a team that lives on Instagram. Pick BetterSocials if you want a keyword comment on Instagram or Facebook to send a DM with your link.
What is the best tool for scheduling posts and replying to comments in one place?
BetterSocials, if comments and DMs bring you customers. It schedules to Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, Threads and LinkedIn, then answers comments and DMs in your voice from one inbox, from $29 a month for four accounts. Metricool suits a free start, and Agorapulse suits teams that assign replies at $79 per user a month on annual billing.
Does Metricool have a free plan with an inbox?
Yes. Metricool's inbox starts on the free plan and reads YouTube comments there too. LinkedIn joins the inbox on Starter, and paid plans start at $20 a month per brand. For a keyword comment that sends a DM with your link, BetterSocials does that on Instagram and Facebook.
Can a scheduler send a DM when someone comments a keyword?
Some can. BetterSocials sends a DM with your link when someone comments a keyword on Instagram or Facebook, with no flow builder and unlimited contacts. Vista Social adds DM automations from Professional. On TikTok and YouTube no tool can turn a comment into a private DM, so the keyword posts a public reply with your link.
Which schedulers answer YouTube comments from the same inbox?
BetterSocials, Metricool and Buffer all read YouTube comments in their inbox, and Metricool does it on the free plan. Later's Conversations inbox covers Instagram, Facebook and TikTok, and Pallyy's covers Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and TikTok. YouTube has no DM API for any tool, so on YouTube every tool works with comments and public replies.
How much does a scheduler with a comment and DM inbox cost?
For four accounts, Buffer runs 4 x $5 = $20 a month on annual billing, with comments only. BetterSocials Creator is $29 a month for four accounts with comments, DMs and AI replies. Later's inbox starts at $37.50 a month billed yearly, and Agorapulse is $79 per user a month on annual billing.
Can AI answer comments and DMs for me inside a scheduler?
In BetterSocials, yes. Draft for me writes a reply in your voice to every new comment or DM and waits for your approval. Reply in my voice answers everyday comments 1 to 5 minutes later and DMs in about a minute. Anything your AI rules don't cover waits for you in Needs reply.