The best Beacons alternative for creators automating Instagram DMs
Beacons puts your link in bio, store, media kit, and Smart Reply auto-DMs in one app. Its advanced DM automations, with follow-ups, a request to follow, and email capture, carry Beacons branding until Creator Plus at $30 a month. Hypello focuses on Instagram and Facebook DMs, never adds its name to your messages, and includes AI agents.
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Hypello vs Beacons in short
Choose Hypello if Instagram DMs are how you collect leads and make sales. Follow-ups and email capture come with no branding from $4.90 a month billed yearly, and Ask to Follow is free, while Beacons lists all three with its branding until Creator Plus at $25 a month on the same billing. Hypello also covers Story mentions, Live and ad comments, Facebook, and AI agents for DMs, which Beacons doesn't list. Choose Beacons if you want your link in bio, store, media kit, and email list in the same app as your auto-DMs.
Hypello vs Beacons at a glance
| Feature | Hypello | Beacons |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes, 1,000 DMs a month | Yes, advanced DMs carry Beacons branding |
| Paid plans from | $4.90/mo billed yearly ($8 monthly) | $8.33/mo billed yearly ($10 monthly) |
| Follow-ups and email capture without branding | Creator, $4.90/mo billed yearly | Creator Plus, $25/mo billed yearly |
| Branding in your DMs on the free plan | None | “Sent with Beacons” when the opening DM is on |
| Monthly DM cap on the free plan | 1,000 DMs | None listed |
| Instagram triggers | Posts, Reels, Stories, mentions, Live, ads, and DMs | Posts, Reels, Stories, and DMs, by keyword |
| Replies to comments from before you went live | Paid plans, past 7 days | Not listed |
| Facebook Page comments and Messenger | Yes | Not listed |
| AI | Sales, support, and leads agents for DMs | Beam assistant for content and brand deals |
| Link in bio, store, and media kit | No | Built in |
| Support | WhatsApp and email, every plan | Personalized support, under 48 hours on Free |
Why creators move their auto-DMs from Beacons to Hypello
- Unbranded follow-ups for $8, not $30
- Beacons lists its advanced DM automations, which add follow-ups, a follow request, and email capture, “with Beacons branding” on Free and Creator. Removing it takes Creator Plus at $30 a month, or $25 billed yearly. Hypello Creator includes follow-up DMs and email and phone collection for $8 a month, or $4.90 billed yearly.
- Only your name in the DM
- With the opening DM on, Beacons Free and Creator add a “Sent with Beacons” line after your message. Hypello never adds its name to a DM on any plan, and Ask to Follow is part of the free plan.
- More ways to start a conversation
- Beacons sends keyword DMs from Reels, posts, Stories, and incoming DMs. Hypello also replies to Story mentions, Instagram Live comments, people who share your post with you in a DM, and comments on boosted posts and ads once your Facebook Page is connected. Beacons doesn't list these triggers.
- Reach the early commenters
- A Reel can pick up comments before your automation is ready. On paid plans, Hypello's Re-Trigger replies to eligible comments from the past seven days. Beacons doesn't list a way to reach comments posted before a Smart Reply went live.
- AI that works your inbox
- Beacons' Beam assistant focuses on content strategy, brand outreach, and deal tracking. Hypello's Sales, Support, and Leads agents answer questions in your Instagram and Facebook DMs from your website and documents, collect contact details, offer discount codes, and transfer the chat to your team.
- Pacing built for viral posts
- Hypello is a Meta Tech Provider and paces sending with reply delays, a DM Safety Queue that holds messages when Instagram's hourly or daily limit is hit, and Slow-Down Mode during cool-off periods. Beacons doesn't list a comparable sending queue.
Hypello vs Beacons features for Instagram DMs
| Feature | Hypello | Beacons |
|---|---|---|
| Instagram automations | ||
| Comment-to-DM on posts and Reels | Yes | Yes |
| Story reply triggers | Yes | Yes |
| Keyword auto replies in the inbox | Yes | Yes |
| Story mention replies | Yes | Not listed |
| Instagram Live comments | Yes | Not listed |
| Comments on boosted posts and adsNeeds a connected Facebook Page on Hypello | Yes | Not listed |
| Reply to comments from before you went live | Re-Trigger, paid plans | Not listed |
| Growth and lead capture | ||
| Ask to Follow before sending the link | Free, no branding | With branding on Free and Creator |
| Follow-up DMs to people who didn't click | Paid plans | With branding on Free and Creator |
| Collect emails in DMs | Paid plans | With branding on Free and Creator |
| Collect phone numbers in DMs | Paid plans | Not listed |
| Link click tracking | Yes | Yes |
| Where captured emails go | Mailchimp or Klaviyo | Beacons audience and email tool |
| AI | ||
| AI agent that answers DMs from your website and documents | Yes | Not listed |
| AI assistant for content ideas and brand outreach | No | Yes |
| Channels and creator tools | ||
| Facebook Page comments and Messenger | Yes | Not listed |
| Link in bio and website | No | Yes |
| Store for digital products, courses, and memberships | No | Yes |
| Auto-updating media kit | No | Yes |
| Email campaigns | No | 50 sends a month on Free |
| Plans, safety, and support | ||
| Meta status | Meta Tech Provider | Not listed |
| Queue DMs when Instagram's hourly limit is reached | DM Safety Queue | Not listed |
| Branding in DMs on the free plan | None | “Sent with Beacons” with the opening DM on |
| Instagram accounts | 2 on Free, up to 15 on paid plans | Not listed |
| Support | WhatsApp and email, every plan | Under 48 hours on Free, under 6 on Creator Max |
Hypello vs Beacons pricing
Beacons plans change your seller fees, email sends, AI credits, and DM branding, which comes off at Creator Plus. Hypello's plans cover DM automation and AI agents, and the price grows with the number of Instagram and Facebook accounts you connect, not with DMs or contacts.
Hypello
FreeFree forever
Every core automation, with 1,000 DMs a month.
Creator$4.90/mo billed yearly, $8 monthly
Unlimited DMs and growth features for creators and small brands.
Pro$14.90/mo billed yearly, $18.90 monthly
AI agents that answer, qualify, and sell in your DMs.
Business$25/mo billed yearly, $35 monthly
Unlimited AI agents and the most AI credits for teams and agencies.
Beacons
Free$0
Smart Reply auto-DMs, link in bio, media kit, 50 email sends a month, and a 9% seller fee. Advanced DM automations carry Beacons branding.
Creator$8.33/mo yearly, $10 monthly
$100 a year. Adds a custom domain and 500 email sends a month. Still a 9% seller fee, and advanced DM automations keep Beacons branding.
Creator Plus$25/mo yearly, $30 monthly
$300 a year. Advanced DM automations without branding, 0% seller fees, unlimited email sends, unlimited courses with video hosting, and memberships.
Creator Max$83.30/mo yearly, $100 monthly
$1,000 a year. Adds Google Workspace, white glove onboarding, prioritized support, and an NFC card.
Source: Beacons pricing page, checked October 30, 2026.
What you would pay
| Feature | Hypello | Beacons |
|---|---|---|
| Follow-ups and email capture with no brandingCheapest plan that fits, billed yearly | $4.90/mo on Creator | $25/mo on Creator Plus |
| The same, paying month to monthCheapest plan that fits, monthly billing | $8 on Creator | $30 on Creator Plus |
| A full year of unbranded follow-upsBilled yearly, total for 12 months | $58.80 on Creator | $300 on Creator Plus |
| Basic keyword auto-DMs onlyFree plans | $0, up to 1,000 DMs a month | $0, no DM cap listed |
Hypello or Beacons?
Choose Hypello if you
- Treat Instagram DMs as your main source of leads and sales
- Want follow-ups and email capture without a branding line, for $8 a month instead of $30
- Want DMs from Story mentions, Live comments, and ad comments, not just posts, Reels, and Stories
- Want to reply to comments that came in before your automation was live
- Run Facebook Page comments and Messenger alongside Instagram
- Want AI agents that answer product questions in your DMs
- Are in India and want to pay ₹249 a month billed yearly, with UPI
Choose Beacons if you
- Want your link in bio, store, media kit, and auto-DMs under one login
- Sell digital products, courses, or memberships and want 0% seller fees on Creator Plus
- Send email campaigns and a welcome email to the addresses Smart Reply collects
- Only need keyword DMs on posts and Stories, with no DM cap listed on the free plan
- Use Beam's AI for content ideas, brand outreach, and deal tracking
How to switch from Beacons to Hypello
- 1
List your Smart Replies
For each one, write down the trigger word, the post or trigger type, the DM text and link, and whether the follow-up, request to follow, or email capture step is on.
- 2
Pause them in Beacons
Beacons lets you pause an automation without losing its settings or stats. Pause each one before you rebuild it, so a comment never triggers two DMs.
- 3
Connect Instagram to Hypello
Sign up free with Google or email, connect your Instagram professional account through Meta, and add your Facebook Page if you want Facebook and ad comments covered.
- 4
Rebuild each automation
Use the DM from Comments template, pick the post or Any post or reel, add the trigger word and a few public reply variations, and point the DM buttons at your Beacons page or products. Turn on Ask to Follow, and on Creator add follow-up DMs and email collection.
- 5
Go live and check from a second account
Click Go Live and comment the keyword from another account to see the DM arrive. On a paid plan, Re-Trigger can answer eligible comments from the past seven days that came in while you switched.
The verdict
Beacons suits creators who run their whole business from one link. The bio page, store, media kit, email list, and Smart Reply sit together, and the free plan lists no DM cap. If you sell digital products, Creator Plus also removes the 9% seller fee along with the DM branding.
If your sales and sign-ups start in Instagram DMs, Hypello gives you follow-ups and email and phone collection with no branding from $4.90 a month billed yearly, compared with $25 for Beacons Creator Plus, and Ask to Follow is free. It also covers Story mentions, Live and ad comments, and Facebook Pages, and its AI agents answer questions in your DMs. Check the Hypello plans or start on Free.
FAQs
Frequently asked questions
What creators ask before moving their auto-DMs from Beacons to Hypello.
For branding-free Instagram DM automation, yes. Hypello Creator costs $4.90 a month billed yearly, or $8 monthly, and includes follow-up DMs, email and phone collection, and unlimited DMs. Beacons lists follow-ups, asking for a follow, and email capture with its branding on Free and Creator, so removing it means Creator Plus at $25 a month billed yearly or $30 monthly. That plan also drops Beacons' 9% seller fee, which matters if you sell through its store.
Beacons has four plans. Free is $0, Creator is $10 a month or $100 a year, Creator Plus is $30 a month or $300 a year, and Creator Max is $100 a month or $1,000 a year. Free and Creator take a 9% seller fee on store sales, while Creator Plus and Creator Max take 0%.
Yes. Smart Reply is on Beacons' free plan and sends keyword-triggered Instagram DMs from Reels, posts, and Stories. Its advanced DM automations, which open a two-way chat and add follow-ups, a request to follow, and email capture, are listed with Beacons branding on Free and Creator. With the opening DM on, those plans show a “Sent with Beacons” line after your message. You can turn the opening DM off on any plan, which removes the line and sends a direct private reply instead.
Hypello Free automates comments on posts and Reels, Story replies and mentions, Live comments, and inbox keywords for up to 2 accounts, with Ask to Follow and no branding. It sends up to 1,000 DMs a month, while Beacons doesn't list a DM cap on its free plan. Follow-up DMs and email collection start on Hypello Creator.
Yes. Hypello has no link in bio, store, or media kit, so you can keep those on Beacons and point Hypello's DM link buttons at your Beacons page or products. Hypello tracks the clicks. Pause Smart Reply on the same posts first, because Beacons notes that other DM automation tools can interfere with it.
There is no direct import. Pause each Smart Reply in Beacons, which keeps its settings and stats, then connect your Instagram account to Hypello through Meta. Rebuild each trigger word and DM with the DM from Comments template, go live, and test it from a second account. Hypello's support team can help on WhatsApp and email.
Yes. Hypello automates Facebook Page comments and Messenger, and with your Facebook Page connected it sends DMs to people who comment on your boosted posts and ads. Beacons describes Smart Reply as Instagram DM automation for Reels, posts, and Stories, and doesn't list Facebook or ad comments.
Hypello is a Meta Tech Provider, connects only through Meta's official API with the permissions you approve, and never stores your Instagram password. Beacons also connects through Instagram's API. Instagram can still limit an account that sends too fast, so Hypello paces DMs with reply delays, a DM Safety Queue, and Slow-Down Mode.
Keep reading
Move your Smart Replies to Hypello
Rebuild your Beacons auto-DMs with no branding line, and keep your link in bio where it is.