Best overall
Kicksta
Monthly billing and the most engaged followers we measured.
ALTERNATIVES · INSTAGRAM GROWTH
SimplyGram alternatives: 4 tools we'd try instead
SimplyGram promises growth through micro-influencer shoutouts. The followers we got didn't behave like interested people, and the weekly bills added up fast.
Why people switch from SimplyGram
It delivered bot followers
14,737 followers arrived, but engagement dropped to 0.4% and reach went down instead of up.
Weekly billing is expensive
The smallest plan costs $276 every four weeks, more than three times a month of Kicksta.
A history of account networks
A 2022 press release described creating 25 to 100 Instagram accounts per client. Our SimplyGram review has the background.
Refunds don't match the promise
The FAQ mentions 30 days; the terms cover only the latest week.
Quick picks by reason
SimplyGram vs the alternatives
| # | Tool | Our score | Price from | Best for | Review |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The one you're leaving | SimplyGram | 1/5 | $69/week | Nobody who wants real, engaged followers | Read review of SimplyGram |
| 1 | Kicksta | 5/5 | $69/month | Creators and small brands who want real growth | Read review of Kicksta |
| 2 | Flock Social | 4.5/5 | $39/month | Creators and small businesses on a budget | Read review of Flock Social |
| 3 | Upleap | 4.5/5 | $39/month | First-timers and local businesses | Read review of Upleap |
| 4 | Kenji | 4/5 | $39/month | Busy people who want growth on autopilot | Read review of Kenji |
1. Kicksta: monthly billing and followers who interact
5/5Why pick it over SimplyGram?
SimplyGram bills every week and filled our account with followers who didn't react. Kicksta bills monthly at $69, and its followers lifted our engagement to the best level we recorded.
Best for: Creators and small brands who want real growth
Kicksta vs SimplyGram, head to head
| SimplyGram | Kicksta | |
|---|---|---|
| Our score | 1/5 | 5/5 |
| Price from | $69/week | $69/month |
| Best for | Nobody who wants real, engaged followers | Creators and small brands who want real growth |
| New followers in 30 days | +14,737 | +248 |
| Engagement after 30 days | 0.4% | 5.5% |
| Lost within 14 days of stopping | 362 | 6 |
| Billing | Weekly | Monthly |
| Price from | $69/week ($276 for 4 weeks) | $69/month |
| Free trial | 3 days | 7 days on monthly plans |
How Kicksta compares to SimplyGram
What you pay. SimplyGram's cheapest plan is $69 a week, or $276 over four weeks. Kicksta's first plan is $69 for the whole month.
Engagement. Under SimplyGram our engagement sank from 2.6% to 0.4%. With Kicksta it went from 4.1% to 5.5%.
Reach. SimplyGram's thousands of followers coincided with reach falling, from 12,040 to 11,473. Kicksta's growth pushed reach from 7,613 to 12,611.
Transparency. With Kicksta you choose the accounts and hashtags it targets and see its activity in a dashboard. SimplyGram's method has changed over the years, so the method you'd be buying isn't clear.
Switch to Kicksta if
You want the best follower quality we found and a bill that arrives once a month, not every week.
Stay with SimplyGram if
You only want the biggest possible number on your profile, whatever those accounts do.
What we liked
- Pro: Most engaged followers in our test
- Pro: 98% still following two weeks later
- Pro: Ten-minute setup
What we didn't like
- Con: Growth starts slower in week one
- Con: Advanced plan needed for 30 sources
Price from $69/month
2. Flock Social: a real community instead of an account network
4.5/5Why pick it over SimplyGram?
SimplyGram once described running networks of 25 to 100 Instagram accounts per client. Flock Social's growth-pods network connects you with real creators, and the followers it brought stayed.
Best for: Creators and small businesses on a budget
Flock Social vs SimplyGram, head to head
| SimplyGram | Flock Social | |
|---|---|---|
| Our score | 1/5 | 4.5/5 |
| Price from | $69/week | $39/month |
| Best for | Nobody who wants real, engaged followers | Creators and small businesses on a budget |
| New followers in 30 days | +14,737 | +523 |
| Engagement after 30 days | 0.4% | 3.9% |
| Lost within 14 days of stopping | 362 | 6 |
| How it grows you | Micro-influencer shoutouts (per its site) | Growth pods and targeted engagement |
| Price from | $69/week | $39/month |
| Free trial | 3 days | 7 days |
How Flock Social compares to SimplyGram
Who you meet. Flock Social's pods network links you with other real accounts in its community, alongside targeted engagement on higher plans.
Retention. Flock Social kept 517 of its 523 new followers two weeks after we stopped. SimplyGram lost 362 in the same period.
Price. At $39 monthly, Flock Social costs around a seventh of SimplyGram's four-week bill.
Trial. Flock Social offers a 7-day free trial, more than double SimplyGram's 3 days.
Switch to Flock Social if
You want followers from a genuine community at a budget price.
Stay with SimplyGram if
You've prepaid a SimplyGram week and want to use it up before switching.
What we liked
- Pro: Full targeting toolkit from $69 a month
- Pro: Flexible account, hashtag and location targeting
- Pro: 7-day free trial and 24/7 live support
What we didn't like
- Con: Cancelling goes through support
- Con: Needs your Instagram login
Price from $39/month
3. Upleap: an account manager you can actually reach
4.5/5Why pick it over SimplyGram?
SimplyGram's plans include an account manager, but at a weekly price. Upleap gives you a dedicated manager for $39 a month, plus 24/7 live support, and our reach doubled while it ran.
Best for: First-timers and local businesses
Upleap vs SimplyGram, head to head
| SimplyGram | Upleap | |
|---|---|---|
| Our score | 1/5 | 4.5/5 |
| Price from | $69/week | $39/month |
| Best for | Nobody who wants real, engaged followers | First-timers and local businesses |
| New followers in 30 days | +14,737 | +448 |
| Engagement after 30 days | 0.4% | 4.3% |
| Reach after 30 days | 11,473 (down) | 26,470 (up) |
| Account manager | Yes | Yes, plus 24/7 live support |
| Price from | $69/week | $39/month |
| Free trial | 3 days | 7 days |
How Upleap compares to SimplyGram
Managed growth. Your Upleap manager sets up your targeting and adjusts it as results come in.
Reach. Upleap doubled our reach, taking it from 13,346 to 26,470 accounts, the largest rise we recorded.
Engagement. Engagement rose from 3.0% to 4.3%, and 96% of new followers were still there after a fortnight.
Refunds. SimplyGram's FAQ promises a 30-day refund, but its terms cover only the latest paid week. Upleap avoids the guesswork with a 7-day free trial before you pay.
Switch to Upleap if
You want a person guiding your growth without paying weekly rates.
Stay with SimplyGram if
You specifically want paid shoutouts from micro-influencers.
What we liked
- Pro: Account managers guide your targeting
- Pro: Target by hashtag, account or location
- Pro: Free week to try it before paying
What we didn't like
- Con: Basic plan leaves out targeting
- Con: Cancelling goes through support
Price from $39/month
4. Kenji: low-effort growth at a low monthly price
4/5
Why pick it over SimplyGram?
If SimplyGram appealed because you didn't have to do anything, Kenji is the cheaper, cleaner way to get that. Its AI picks targets for you, and our engagement went up, not down.
Best for: Busy people who want growth on autopilot
Kenji vs SimplyGram, head to head
| SimplyGram | Kenji | |
|---|---|---|
| Our score | 1/5 | 4/5 |
| Price from | $69/week | $39/month |
| Best for | Nobody who wants real, engaged followers | Busy people who want growth on autopilot |
| New followers in 30 days | +14,737 | +220 |
| Engagement after 30 days | 0.4% | 5.3% |
| Lost within 14 days of stopping | 362 | 8 |
| Setup | Account manager onboarding | AI picks targets |
| Price from | $69/week | $39/month |
| Free trial | 3 days | 3 days |
How Kenji compares to SimplyGram
Effort. Kenji needs only a short setup. After that, its AI handles who to engage with.
Engagement. Kenji lifted engagement to 5.3% from 4.2%. SimplyGram's fell to 0.4%.
Cost. Kenji costs $39 a month. SimplyGram's smallest plan costs that in under four days.
Followers kept. Only 8 of Kenji's new followers left after we stopped, against 362 for SimplyGram.
Switch to Kenji if
You want growth to run on its own for a small monthly price.
Stay with SimplyGram if
You'd rather pay for named influencers to promote you, whatever the results.
What we liked
- Pro: AI targeting that keeps improving
- Pro: Real phones and a warm-up for safety
- Pro: Clear plans from $39 a month
What we didn't like
- Con: Follow and unfollow can not be switched off
- Con: Mixed free trial information
Price from $39/month
Should you switch from SimplyGram?
Yes. SimplyGram delivered bot followers in our test, and at $69 a week it was one of the more expensive ways to damage our engagement. The refund rules are also narrower than its FAQ suggests.
Kicksta is the replacement we'd choose first: monthly billing, the highest engagement we recorded and almost no followers lost. Flock Social is best if keeping followers matters most, Upleap if you want a manager, and Kenji if you want it automatic. Our Kicksta review shows the full test.
Cancel SimplyGram at least a day before the next weekly charge, then start your new service's free trial.
What weekly billing adds up to
Weekly prices look small but add up quickly. Here's SimplyGram's cheapest plan next to a month of each alternative.
| Service | Billed | Four weeks / one month | Engagement after 30 days |
|---|---|---|---|
| SimplyGram | Weekly | $276 | 0.4% |
| Kicksta | Monthly | $69 | 5.5% |
| Flock Social | Monthly | $39 | 3.9% |
| Upleap | Monthly | $39 | 4.3% |
| Kenji | Monthly | $39 | 5.3% |
Over a year, SimplyGram's entry plan comes to about $3,600. The same year of Kicksta costs $828, and its followers engaged more than ten times as much in our test.
Real followers versus follower networks
Big numbers mean little unless the accounts behind them actually see and respond to your posts. When thousands of new accounts never interact, your engagement rate falls and each post reaches a smaller share of your audience. Instagram also publishes its recommendation standards for what it will and won't suggest to new people.
That's what happened under SimplyGram. The four alternatives here took the slower route of putting you in front of real people, and our follower growth guide explains why that compounds over time.
Whichever service you choose, keep Instagram's two-factor setting switched on, and change your password when you leave a service that had access.
How we picked these alternatives
We paid for every tool. We bought each plan with our own card, just like you would.
We ran each one for 30 days. On real accounts we actually run, one tool at a time.
We measured the results. New followers, how many stayed, safety, support and real cost.
We scored and ranked them. The order follows our score out of 5, nothing else.
FAQ
What is the best alternative to SimplyGram?
Kicksta. It bills monthly rather than weekly and its followers out-engaged every other service in our test, with only six leaving afterwards.
Is there a SimplyGram alternative with monthly billing?
All four alternatives here bill monthly: Flock Social, Upleap and Kenji from $39, and Kicksta from $69.
Does SimplyGram use real influencers?
It says micro-influencers recommend your profile. Our test results looked like bot followers instead: nearly 15,000 arrived while engagement fell to 0.4% and reach dropped.
How do I get a refund from SimplyGram?
Under its terms, only the latest paid week can be refunded, despite the 30-day promise in its FAQ. Cancel at least a day before your next weekly charge.
Which SimplyGram alternative is cheapest?
Flock Social, Upleap and Kenji all start at $39 a month. Our budget growth picks compare them in detail.
