Instagram and Facebook inboxes, compared
Meta Business Suite
alternatives for your inbox.
The best Meta Business Suite alternative depends on what you need beyond its free inbox, which takes Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp but no email. To add more networks and Google reviews: Agorapulse, Hootsuite, Metricool, NapoleonCat, Sprout Social or Vista Social. To add email in a team inbox: Chatwoot, Missive or respond.io. For Gmail, Instagram and Messenger with AI drafts on your own server: the Inbox Machine.
Updated October 4, 2026. We make the Inbox Machine, one of the ten alternatives here. Every fact about the others is from its maker's own website, checked that day, and each one links to where we read it. They're listed A to Z: we don't rank ourselves first.
The ten alternatives side by side
What each one puts in one inbox, how its AI replies, and the lowest price of a plan that includes the inbox. For comparison, Meta Business Suite is free and takes Instagram DMs, Messenger and WhatsApp, with no email.
| App | Instagram DMs | Messenger | AI replies | Lowest price with the inbox | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agorapulse | No | Yes | Yes | No | Suggests DM replies (Custom plan) | $79 per user/mo, billed yearly |
| Chatwoot | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Drafts, plus a chatbot that answers on its own | $19 per agent/mo |
| Hootsuite | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Suggests replies (Professional plan and up) | $99 per user/mo, billed yearly |
| Inbox Machine | Gmail | Yes | Yes | Not yet | Drafts every reply; a person approves each one | $499 once, with the Base Machine |
| Metricool | No | Yes | Yes | No | Not stated | Free |
| Missive | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Drafts (Productive plan and up) | $14 per user/mo, billed yearly |
| NapoleonCat | No | Yes | Yes | No | Drafts for comments, not DMs (beta) | $89/mo billed yearly, 2 users |
| respond.io | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Drafts, plus AI agents that reply on their own | $79/mo billed yearly, 5 users |
| Sprout Social | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Suggests alternative replies (Advanced plan) | $199 per seat/mo, billed yearly |
| Vista Social | No | Yes | Yes | No | Drafts; answers on its own on Advanced | $950/yr, 2 users |
Prices are each maker's lowest price for a plan that includes the inbox, as shown on its site on October 4, 2026, before tax. Some have a cheaper plan without the inbox; each app's notes below say which. Not stated means the maker's site didn't say either way.
If you mostly schedule posts
The six social media tools here schedule posts to your accounts as well as answering messages: Agorapulse, Hootsuite, Metricool, NapoleonCat, Sprout Social and Vista Social. The Inbox Machine doesn't schedule posts. It answers the messages and emails that come in, so if most of your time goes on posting, one of those six is the better fit.
Each alternative, A to Z
Six social media tools and four customer inboxes. What each one is, who it's best for, what to watch out for, and what it costs.
Agorapulse
Best for social media managers and agencies who answer comments, DMs and Google reviews in one inbox
A social media management tool for scheduling posts, with one inbox for comments, DMs and Google reviews.
- Watch out for
- Priced per user, with no WhatsApp or email, and AI reply suggestions only on the custom-priced plan.
- Price
- From $79 per user a month, billed yearly ($99 billed monthly), on Standard, which includes the inbox. A 30-day free trial.
Chatwoot
Best open-source pick, if you can run your own server
An open-source customer support inbox for email, live chat, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp and SMS. Use their cloud, or deploy it on your own infrastructure.
- Watch out for
- You deploy and run the self-hosted edition yourself, and its free edition has no AI. The free cloud plan is live chat only.
- Price
- Free cloud plan for live chat, and a free self-hosted edition. Paid plans start at $19 per agent a month.
Hootsuite
Best for small and medium businesses that want scheduling and an inbox with WhatsApp in one tool
A social media management tool for scheduling posts, with one inbox for comments, DMs and reviews across Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, LinkedIn, X and TikTok.
- Watch out for
- Priced per user, with no email. AI smart replies and automatic responses need the Professional plan, at $199 per user a month.
- Price
- From $99 per user a month, billed yearly, on Standard, which includes the inbox and WhatsApp. A 14-day free trial.
Inbox Machine
Best if you also answer customers by email, with AI drafts you approve, on a server you own
Our own, from Ownbox: an add-on machine for an Ownbox, which runs on a server in your name. It puts Gmail, Instagram DMs and Facebook Messenger in one queue and drafts a reply to every message. Nothing sends until a person approves it.
- Watch out for
- Gmail, Instagram and Messenger only today: WhatsApp isn't live yet. The AI runs on your own Claude or ChatGPT plan, and it's built for one business, not a large help desk team.
- Price
- Free with the Base Machine for a limited time. The Base Machine is $499 once, plus about $12 a month to your host and your own AI plan. No per-seat fees.
Metricool
Best free pick: the free plan includes the inbox, for one brand
A social media planner and analytics tool, with an inbox for comments, DMs and Google reviews.
- Watch out for
- A basic inbox: no automatic replies, no message assignment, and no push or email alerts for new messages. No WhatsApp or email.
- Price
- Free plan with the inbox, for one brand and 20 scheduled posts a month. Paid plans start at $20 a month billed yearly ($25 billed monthly), for up to 5 brands.
Missive
Best for a small team sharing email, SMS and social DMs
A shared team inbox for email that also takes SMS, WhatsApp, Messenger and Instagram, with team chat and tasks on every conversation.
- Watch out for
- No free plan, the AI assistant needs the Productive plan or higher, and SMS needs your own Twilio account.
- Price
- From $14 per user a month, billed yearly ($18 billed monthly). A 30-day free trial.
NapoleonCat
Best for brands and agencies with busy comment sections to moderate
A social media tool built for engagement: one inbox for comments, DMs and reviews, rules that hide or answer comments by keyword, scheduling and reports.
- Watch out for
- The inbox isn't in the first plan, Standard; it starts on Pro. AI reply suggestions work on comments only, not DMs. No WhatsApp or email.
- Price
- The inbox starts on Pro, at $89 a month billed yearly ($109 billed monthly), for 2 users and 5 profiles. Standard, without the inbox, is $79 a month billed yearly. Prices exclude VAT. A 14-day free trial.
respond.io
Best for businesses that sell over WhatsApp and Instagram, with AI agents
A customer conversation platform that puts WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, TikTok, email and SMS in one team inbox, with AI agents for sales and support.
- Watch out for
- A higher starting price, and WhatsApp's own messaging fees are charged on top.
- Price
- From $79 a month billed yearly ($99 billed monthly), with 5 users included. A 7-day free trial.
How we compared them
- Channels in one queueWhich of email, Instagram DMs, Messenger and WhatsApp land in the same inbox, and on which plan.
- The price with the inboxThe lowest price of a plan that includes the inbox, since some tools leave it off their cheapest plan.
- How the AI repliesWhether it drafts a reply for a person to approve, or answers customers on its own.
- Social tool or customer inboxA social media tool covers more networks, with comments, Google reviews and scheduling. A customer inbox adds email, in a queue a team shares.
- How you payPer person every month, a flat price for a few users, or once.
- Only the maker's own wordsEvery fact is from the maker's own site. Where a site didn't say, we say so.
Questions about Meta Business Suite alternatives
What is the best alternative to Meta Business Suite?
It depends on what Meta Business Suite is missing for you. It's free and puts Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp in one inbox, but has no email. To add more networks and Google reviews: Agorapulse, Hootsuite, Metricool, NapoleonCat, Sprout Social or Vista Social. To add email in a team inbox: Chatwoot, Missive or respond.io. For Gmail, Instagram and Messenger with AI drafts on a server you own: the Inbox Machine.
Is there a free alternative to Meta Business Suite?
Yes, with limits. Metricool's free plan includes its inbox, for one brand: Instagram and Facebook messages and comments, and Google reviews, with no WhatsApp. Chatwoot's self-hosted edition is free if you run your own server, without its AI; its free cloud plan is live chat only. Meta Business Suite itself is free.
Which alternatives include email?
Four of the ten: Chatwoot, Missive, respond.io and the Inbox Machine, which takes Gmail. The six social media tools (Agorapulse, Hootsuite, Metricool, NapoleonCat, Sprout Social and Vista Social) don't take email, and neither does Meta Business Suite.
Can I answer Instagram DMs and email in one place?
Yes, with a customer inbox rather than a social media tool. Chatwoot, Missive, respond.io and the Inbox Machine each put Instagram DMs and email in one queue. On the Inbox Machine, the AI drafts a reply to every message and nothing sends until a person approves it.
Which alternatives handle WhatsApp?
Five of the ten: Chatwoot, Hootsuite, Missive, respond.io and Sprout Social. Agorapulse, Metricool, NapoleonCat and Vista Social don't list WhatsApp, and on the Inbox Machine it isn't live yet. Meta Business Suite takes WhatsApp for free.
Can AI answer my customers for me?
Some of these can. Vista Social's AI answers messages and comments on its own on the Advanced plan, respond.io has AI agents that reply on their own, and Chatwoot has a chatbot that answers customers. Agorapulse, Hootsuite and Sprout Social suggest replies on higher plans, and NapoleonCat drafts replies to comments only. On the Inbox Machine, the AI drafts every reply and a person approves each one.
Changes
- First published: ten alternatives, every fact checked on its maker's site that day.
Instagram, Messenger and email, in one place you own.
Gmail, Instagram and Messenger in one queue. A drafted reply on every message. Nothing sends until you approve it.