Instagram Automation: Best Tools and How to Use Them

Building up your social media profiles, engaging with your audience, and consistently posting content takes a lot of work. One great way to minimize the time it takes is through business efficiency and automation. 

Social media automation, or—what we’re talking about more specifically here—Instagram automation, takes simple or repetitive tasks and uses a tool to automate them so that you or your team don’t have to do them manually.

Throughout this article, learn more about Instagram automation, what you can automate, and the top tools to help you get started.

What is Instagram automation?

Instagram automation puts different tasks on autopilot so you don’t have to complete them manually. You can automate front-facing tasks like interacting with users or content on the platform or behind-the-scenes ones like publishing posts.

Pros of Instagram automation

• Focus your time on more important tasks. Automating tedious tasks allows you to focus on the bigger picture. Those time-consuming tasks are still essential to building your Instagram presence. Still, they take you away from other important projects, like content creation or building out your social media strategy.

• Build your Instagram faster. Small actions, like engaging with people and content, can significantly impact your growth speed. By automating some of these tasks, you free up time and accelerate your progress toward your Instagram growth goals.

• Keep up with your Instagram presence. You can use workflow automation for tasks like scheduling content to auto-publish ahead of time.

• Track Instagram analytics more easily. Automation helps you gather data surrounding your audience and performance to analyze and build better reports. This improves your Instagram marketing strategy.

Cons of Instagram automation

• Some automation “hacks” appear spammy. You want to be conscious of what and how you’re automating so that it still feels authentic. Otherwise, the platform might take action against your account.

• Risk missing out on key customer interactions. While automation can help you reach and engage with more people on the platform, you might miss out on key interactions that a human touch would impact more than a bot.

Can I automate on Instagram?

In short, yes, you can automate tasks on Instagram. The platform even has certain automation features, like automated chats, to make this easy for users.

Good automation helps you engage better. Bad automation feels spammy. If you use a bot, make sure it creates real connections, not useless comments.

Things you could automate:

• Likes: Bots can help you like more posts to get noticed. But don't like too many too fast,  Instagram might limit your account. Make sure your bot works at a normal human pace.

• Comments: Bots can leave comments to start conversations. Be careful these don't look fake or off-topic. You can also set up automatic replies to common questions on your own posts.

• Direct messages: Use chatbots to answer basic DMs, especially for customer service. They can handle common questions and collect information when you need to step in personally.

• Follows: Follow accounts in your field to get noticed. Again, don't follow too many accounts too quickly, or Instagram might flag you.

• Publishing: Schedule your posts and captions to go live when your audience is most active online.

Top Instagram automation tools

Want to start automating some of your Instagram marketing tasks? These seven tools can help.

1. Sprout Social

Sprout Social

Sprout Social is a social media management tool that can help brands manage their entire social media presence from a single dashboard. 

From social publishing to social listening, the tool aims to be the end-all, be-all for social media managers. And within its arsenal of tools, Sprout also offers a few ways to automate your Instagram.

What can be automated:

• Schedule content to publish automatically at optimal times.

• Generate AI-powered captions instantly.

• Set up auto-replies for comments and direct messages.

• Send performance reports to key stakeholders automatically.

• Receive content suggestions to strengthen your social media strategy.

• Auto-route priority Instagram DMs for faster responses.

Pricing: Free trial for 30 days. Premium plans start at $249/seat/month.

2. SocialPilot

SocialPilot

SocialPilot is another social media management software that offers solutions for everything from publishing to engagement to analytics and reporting. And many of those tasks can be done with the help of SocialPilot’s AI and marketing automation features.

Connect your Instagram account to start taking advantage of SocialPilot’s management features. In addition to automating certain tasks, this tool can be extremely useful for boosting Instagram engagement and consistently putting out content.

What can be automated:

• Add social posts to an automated queue for publication.

• Curate content automatically from trusted sources.

• Use AI tools to write captions effortlessly.

• Automate Instagram analytics and reporting for real-time insights.

Pricing: Free trial for 14 days. Paid plans start at $50/month for up to three users.

3. Kicksta

Kicksta

Kicksta is a tool built to help Instagram users grow their follower count. While Instagram follower count doesn’t necessarily mean anything, the goal is to build an engaged community from those followers.

You can do this by taking advantage of some of the other Instagram automation software on this list, consistently posting new content, increasing engagement rates, and appealing to the algorithm.

Be careful with tools that claim to perform some of Kicksta's automated tasks. You need to find a tool that meets Instagram’s terms and conditions and automates engagement without being spammy.

What can be automated:

• Follow and unfollow users automatically based on your target audience.

• Like content from accounts you follow without manual effort.

• Send automated welcome DMs to new followers.

Pricing: Free trial for 7 days. Paid plans start at $49/month for a monthly growth of 600-800 followers and go up from there.

4. Hootsuite

Hootsuite

Hootsuite is a social media marketing platform that can help with your Instagram management and automation goals. From Instagram scheduling to analytics, Hootsuite is perfect for any small business looking to streamline its Instagram content creation process.

In addition to automation, Hootsuite also offers an entire suite of AI-powered tools that can help you and your team members create even more engaging content. From caption generators to hashtag generators, Hootsuite’s AI tools are user-friendly and make the process go much more quickly and seamlessly.

What can be automated:

• Generate captions, hashtags, usernames, and bios with AI-powered tools.

• Set up social listening alerts to track mentions and trends automatically.

• Get AI-generated content ideas to keep your content calendar full.

• Schedule Instagram posts at the best times for maximum engagement.

• Compile Instagram metrics into a single, easy-to-view dashboard.

• Auto-assign Instagram DMs to the right teams for faster customer support.

• Create instant auto-responses for common DM inquiries.

Pricing: Free trial for 30 days. Paid plans start at $149/month for a single user.

5. Later

Later

Later is a social media and influencer marketing platform that offers a wealth of features for entrepreneurs, business owners, and marketers to use to boost their social media platforms. 

Later works particularly well for visual businesses that want to take advantage of its visual Instagram content planner and other features.

What can be automated:

• Schedule and auto-publish Instagram posts, reels, and stories on set days and times.

• Get AI-generated caption ideas and hashtag suggestions to expand your reach.

Pricing: Free trial for 14 days. Paid plans start at $25/month for a single user.

6. Agorapulse

Agorapulse

Agorapulse is another management tool that works with any social media network, but we’re focusing on its Instagram integration. 

With Agorapulse, brands can schedule any kind of Instagram content, interact with Instagram messages, track results, and more within a single, easy-to-use dashboard.

What can be automated:

• Schedule Instagram content to auto-publish on a set day and time.

• Automatically post the first comment to add hashtags or extra context.

• Compile Instagram data into a single reporting dashboard.

• Auto-organize your Instagram inbox for easier message management.

Pricing: Free trial for 30 days. Paid plans start at $99/user/month.

7. Buffer

Buffer

Buffer is the last Instagram automation tool on our list and is another great option for automating certain tasks that come with Instagram account management. Take advantage of all-in-one tools that help you automate, manage, and streamline your strategy.

What can be automated:

• Queue up content on an automated schedule for effortless publishing.

• Use AI Assistant to generate content ideas, repurpose posts, and rewrite captions automatically.

• Analyze your Instagram presence and generate reports with key insights automatically.

Pricing: Buffer offers a free forever plan for up to three social media channels, perfect if you’re only looking for help with your Instagram account. Paid plans start at $6/channel/month after a free 14-day trial.

How to choose an Instagram automation tool

Now that we’ve listed seven great Instagram automation tools, you might be wondering how on earth you could choose. Use these tips to help you find the perfect Instagram automation software for your needs:

• Check Instagram API compliance – Make sure the tool integrates directly with Instagram, avoiding workarounds that could put your account at risk.

• Evaluate additional features – Look for tools that align with your social marketing strategy and needs.

• Read reviews and case studies – See real success stories and confirm users haven’t had their accounts flagged.

• Avoid follower-buying tools – Focus on organic growth, even when using automation.

• Consider pricing – Choose a tool that fits within your marketing budget.

• Steer clear of deceptive bots – Automation is fine, but it should be transparent and ethical.

Get help with your Instagram automation strategy today

Ready to start with Instagram automation? Get professional help choosing and setting up your tools. Fiverr has tons of available options for social media management to ensure you find the perfect professional for your needs.

Instagram automation FAQs

What is automation on Instagram?

Automation on Instagram refers to the use of third-party tools and bots to put certain tasks on auto-pilot. This is a great way to streamline your processes and grow your account faster.

Is Instagram automation illegal?

Instagram automation is not illegal. However, using spam bots is against Instagram’s policies and could result in your account being flagged.

What is the best Instagram automation tool?

The best Instagram automation tool depends on your needs. If you want to grow your followers, you might choose a tool like Kicksta. If you need help automating content creation, Hootsuite and its AI assistants might be best.

Can I automate my Instagram post?

There are a few things you can automate regarding your Instagram posts: publication, hashtag generation, copywriting your caption, and analyzing your post’s performance.