Your Instagram profile is more than a social staple – it is a goldmine for brands, influencers, and performers. Instagram growth is now more appealing than ever.
You cannot rely on a static tactic, though. You need to diversify your connections, engage with your followers, and publish consistently. But if you don’t have enough time, it can be hard to do.
So, how can you succeed without being online 24/7?
There are tons of high-quality Instagram tools that can help you, but there are also some that only want to trick you into buying their services.
Was that the case with SocialDrift? Why was it shut down? Are there any SocialDrift alternatives?
I’ll cover all of that in this SocialDrift review.
What Is SocialDrift?
Are you looking for the answer to the question: What is Social Drift for Instagram?
Let’s see.
SocialDrift was an Instagram growth service that was shut down in 2017. It has probably rebranded since, although I cannot say for sure who they are now.
This may seem as bad news if you were interested in using SocialDrift, but after you hear what happened, you may even be relieved that you didn’t buy their services.
Also, there are multiple SocialDrift alternatives – but more on that a bit later.
So, why did SocialDrift shut down?
Most likely, there was more than one reason.
Firstly, they claimed to be a completely different growth Instagram service from what they really were.
They promised to grow your Instagram organically but functioned as an Instagram bot. Bots use automated activity – such as auto-likes, comments, and follows to boost your account.
Consequently, bots bring you the traffic, but it mostly comes from fake accounts that are also bots.
And here’s the main thing: Instagram’s Terms and Conditions are strongly against automated activities and fake people.
Therefore, even before the service got canceled, the accounts that were using it were often banned and blocked due to bot activity.
From what I can see, when people complained to the customer service, SocialDrift refused to provide them with refunds, which is another reason that contributed to the cancelation.
Top SocialDrift Alternatives
| Service | Rating | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Flock Social | 4.8 | Check Price |
| Upleap.com | 4.6 | Check Price |
| Nitreo.com | 4.3 | Check Price |
| SocialFollow | 4.2 | Check Price |
| KENJI.AI | 4 | Check Price |
| Stim Social | 3.9 | Check Price |
How Does SocialDrift Work?
As noted, SocialDrift doesn’t work anymore. But what was it like before? Was it reliable?
No, quite the opposite.
They weren’t upfront about their strategy of growing your Instagram account, so it was a huge scam.
Namely, SocialDrift was described as a tool that brings real and organic people to your account, whereas they acted as a classic Instagram bot that automated your activity.
This brings us to the next question: Does Instagram automation still work? Or does Instagram (Facebook, Inc.) always shut down the tools that use it?
Instagram bots are not always canceled per se, but those that are aggressive, or claim they aren’t bots (like SocialDrift) are frowned upon for a good reason.
Popular reviews you should also read:
- Nitreo Review: Is It Really One Of The Best Instagram Growth Services?
- Upleap Review: Is It Safe To Grow Your Instagram Faster?
- Kenji Instagram Review – Is It Legit? All You Need to Know
How to Use SocialDrift?
Using SocialDrift was simple, and it had a nice interface:
- You had to buy a plan that worked for you. It worked online, without a need to download it.
- After you completed your registration, you’d be taken to the dashboard.
- From there, you could tweak the settings, such as type of media, speed, filters, etc.
- That was it – the bot would then automate your activities on its own.
Features of SocialDrift
Here is what you could do with SocialDrift:
Automated Activity
SocialDrift was a classic Instagram bot (although they claimed not to be) with a couple of extra features.
So, its main strategy was to automate a range of Instagram activities.
It could automatically like, comment, follow, and unfollow other users instead of you. These were the so-called “quick features” that you could turn on with a flip of a switch, which was handy.
They could be tweaked in two ways.
Firstly, you could choose the speed of interactions (lower speed would limit the chances of getting your account blocked, which was a frequent occurrence with SocialDrift). Secondly, you could choose the type of media that the bot should like – photos or videos.
Filters
You could add different filters that would direct the bot to your target audience. These were: gender, age, and hashtags.
Artificial Intelligence
Now, this is an interesting one.
SocialDrift was amongst the first tools that used AI systems to improve its performance and adapt to the way you use your account.
It’s a shame that they had shady practices because it would have been interesting to see how it developed.
Stats & Info
SocialDrift could deliver weekly and monthly reports that showed the progress of your account.
In addition to the insights, it also provided suggestions, such as when to post your content, what people like the most, etc.
SocialDrift Pricing
SocialDrift had two tariff plans:
- $13 a week
- $39 a month
It wasn’t exactly a cheap tool, but it wasn’t expensive, either. Nowadays, there are some alternatives that are easier on your wallet.
They offered a free three-day trial, so you could try out its services before you made the decision about the purchase.
Is SocialDrift Legit?
The debate surrounding the use of Instagram automation aside, SocialDrift was not legit because they didn’t tell you that it was a bot.
So, the whole point is not whether bots are good for your Instagram growth strategy, but rather the fact that they lied to their customers. That’s always a sign that something’s iffy about the company.
Also, some reviewers on Trustpilot.com claimed that they contacted customer service about the issues they were having and were met with rude answers. Some were completely ignored. Others claimed they couldn’t get a refund.
Is SocialDrift Safe?
As SocialDrift doesn’t exist anymore, I cannot tell whether their website and payment gateway is safe.
According to what I read on websites such as Trustpilot.com and Sitejabber.com, customers’ info was not stolen, and payments were verified.
However, there’s the part that wasn’t safe. It could get your Instagram account banned or blocked, especially with the “Turbo” mode on. It interfered with Instagram’s interaction limit rules.
Plus, they refused to issue refunds, so there was a risk of getting charged even after you canceled the subscription.
PROS and CONS
| PROS | CONS |
|---|---|
| Had an intuitive interface | Doesn’t work anymore |
| Posed a risk to your account | |
| Aggressive bot activity | |
| Fake claims | |
| Refused to refund people or continued to charge them after the cancelation | |
| Target filters didn’t always work |
SocialDrift Review: Final Verdict
Now you know everything about the Social Drift scam and why the tool doesn’t work anymore.
When I read about its former practices, I wasn’t surprised that they got canceled. The cutting criticism over its shady behavior is justified.
Ideally, all similar tools that disclose any information about their services, and steal money from their customers, should be banned.
Developing organic Instagram growth is not easy, but it’s not unattainable. If you find the right tools, you will definitely get trending posts and a strong follower base. I mentioned a couple of good Instagram growth tools that will get the job done in the table above.
Top 10 Instagram Growth Tools
If you’re looking for a reliable and safe way to grow your Instagram account, do look into organic growth services. Check out the table below for our favorite ones!
| Service | Rating | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Flock Social | 4.8 | Check Price |
| Upleap.com | 4.6 | Check Price |
| Nitreo.com | 4.3 | Check Price |
| SocialFollow | 4.2 | Check Price |
| KENJI.AI | 4 | Check Price |
| Stim Social | 3.9 | Check Price |