theZio vs ReplyKaro: Instagram Auto DM Compared

Side by side

theZio vs ReplyKaro, checked 27 Sep 2026
	ReplyKaro	theZio
Billing currency	Rupees in India (from ₹99 a month); US dollars elsewhere (from $3 a month)	Indian rupees, billed through Razorpay
Free plan	1,000 DMs a month, 1 account, 3 active automations, no card	Up to 1,000 auto DMs a month, no card needed, with no cap on the number of automations
Paid plan from	Starter at ₹99 a month for 30,000 DMs and 10 automations; Pro at ₹299 a month for unlimited automations and DMs	Pro at ₹499 a month, or ₹399 a month billed yearly, with unlimited DMs
Several accounts	Growth at ₹449 a month for 5 accounts, Agency at ₹799 a month for 10	Team access on Pro: 2 team seats for a manager or agency, each with their own login. One Instagram account per plan; agencies with many accounts write to us
Official Instagram API	Yes; its site says it is Meta API verified	Yes, with Instagram Login; theZio is not a Meta partner
Comment to DM on posts and Reels	Yes	Yes
Story reply automation	Yes, story replies and story mentions, on every Instagram plan	Yes: keyword replies on every plan, including Free; any reply and Story mentions on Pro
Email capture in the DM	Not listed in its plans; one example on its story page mentions it. Check their site	Every plan, including Free
Follow step	Follow-Gate on every plan: the link is held until the fan follows	Ask For Follow on every plan; the freebie is still delivered if the fan does not follow
Sending a file	Attach a PDF, voice note or video to the DM; 100 MB of storage on Free	Upload a PDF, ebook or preset once; each fan gets a private download link. 3 products on Free, unlimited on Pro
Keyword matching	Says it understands Hinglish keywords like "Link dedo"	Your keywords, plus Smart match on Pro to catch typos and variations
Replies to comments posted before setup	Not mentioned on its site	Last 24 hours on every plan; all old comments on Pro
AI replies under comments	Not on its site; its AI Studio answers DMs, and public replies are ones you write	Yes on Pro: the Comment Agent writes short public replies to comments your automations skip, following rules you write; criticism comes to you

When ReplyKaro is the better pick

Price. ReplyKaro Starter is ₹99 a month and its Pro, with unlimited DMs, is ₹299 a month. theZio Pro is ₹499 a month, or ₹399 a month billed yearly. If price is the only test, ReplyKaro wins.
Story mentions on every plan. ReplyKaro can send an automatic DM when someone replies to your story or mentions you in theirs, on every Instagram plan. theZio answers keyword Story replies on Free too, but keeps replies without a keyword and Story mention DMs on Pro.
Many accounts on one plan. ReplyKaro's Growth plan covers 5 Instagram accounts for ₹449 a month and Agency covers 10 for ₹799, which suits agencies and creators with several pages.
Hinglish keywords out of the box. ReplyKaro says it understands keywords like "Price btao" and "Link dedo". On theZio you add those words yourself, or turn on Smart match on Pro.
Meta badge. ReplyKaro says it is Meta API verified. theZio uses the official Instagram API but is not a Meta partner.

When theZio fits better

Email capture on every plan. theZio asks for the fan's email inside the DM on Free and Pro and saves it for you. ReplyKaro does not list email capture as a plan feature.
More automations on Free. ReplyKaro Free allows 3 active automations. theZio Free has no cap on how many automations you run; the limit is the monthly DM allowance.
One automation, several freebies. Each keyword of one theZio automation can deliver its own product or link, and every file goes out as a private download link, with up to 200 MB a file on Pro.
A follow step that still delivers. theZio's Ask For Follow invites the fan to follow you in the DM, and the freebie arrives either way. Holding the link until a fan follows can clash with Meta's spam policy.
Old comments. theZio can answer comments that came in before you switched an automation on: the last 24 hours on every plan, and all old comments on Pro, with a public reply where Instagram no longer allows a DM.
Pro extras for growing creators. Smart match catches typos of your keyword, a brand deal inbox flags collab enquiries, and "any comment on this post" mode answers every real comment on one post.

How to switch without double DMs

List what is live on ReplyKaro. Note each post, keyword, the DM text and the link it sends. Note your story automations too; theZio can run those as well.
Create a free theZio account and connect Instagram through Instagram Login. You need a professional (Business or Creator) account.
Pause the ReplyKaro comment automation for one post. Two tools watching the same post would send a fan two DMs for one comment.
Recreate it in theZio with the same post, keywords and DM. Add Hinglish spellings of your keyword, upload your file as a product, and add email capture or a follow invite if you want them.
Test with a second Instagram account. Comment the keyword and check that exactly one DM arrives with the right link.
Move the rest of your comment and story automations one at a time, then disconnect ReplyKaro from Instagram settings under apps and websites if you no longer need it. Never leave both tools answering your Stories, or a fan gets two DMs.

Frequently asked questions

Is ReplyKaro cheaper than theZio?

Yes, clearly. ReplyKaro is ₹99 a month for Starter and ₹299 a month for Pro with unlimited DMs, while theZio Pro is ₹499 a month or ₹399 a month billed yearly. Prices change, so check their pricing page. The question is whether you need what theZio adds: email capture on Free, per-keyword file delivery and old-comment replies.

Do both tools have a free plan?

Yes. ReplyKaro's free plan gives 1,000 DMs a month on 1 account with 3 active automations. theZio Free gives up to 1,000 auto DMs a month with no card and no cap on automations, and includes email capture, a follow invite and up to 3 digital products.

Does theZio reply to Instagram story replies like ReplyKaro?

Yes. A fan replies to any of your Stories with your keyword and theZio sends the DM with your link, file or image, plus email capture or a follow invite if you switch them on. One DM per fan per Story. Keyword replies work on every plan, including Free. Answering every Story reply without a keyword, and a thank-you DM when a fan tags you in their Story, are on Pro. ReplyKaro lists story replies and mentions on every Instagram plan, so if you want mention DMs without paying for Pro, it covers that.

Are both tools safe for my Instagram account?

Both use the official Instagram API, so you sign in through Meta's own screen and never share your password. Keep the DM useful and on-topic, avoid making the freebie depend on a follow, and let the tool pace sends within Instagram's limits.

Can I use ReplyKaro and theZio at the same time?

Yes, but never on the same post. Meta allows one private reply per comment, so two tools on one post means a fan gets two DMs or one tool fails. Split your posts between them.

theZio vs ReplyKaro