If you‘re anything like me, you likely have a love/hate relationship with Instagram.
With over 2 billion monthly active users, Instagram is full of potential new fans and customers for your brand. But breaking through the noise requires smart tactics beyond just posting great content.
Luckily, a variety of tools exist to help accelerate your Instagram growth. But which ones actually work? And are they safe to use or likely to get your account banned?
In this hands-on review, we‘ll dig deep on one such service – FollowLiker. I‘ll share my experience using it for Instagram growth, along with researching over a dozen alternatives.
By the end, you‘ll have all the details to decide if FollowLiker, or which alternative, is the best fit to boost your Instagram game in 2023!
Why I Tested FollowLiker for My Instagram
I run a small handmade jewelry business which relies heavily on Instagram for sales. But with over 300 million daily photos posted, it‘s impossible to grow organically.
I got stuck at around 7,500 followers for months. Engagement on my photos was mediocre at best. Clearly it was time to look into services to jumpstart growth and engagement.
That led me to FollowLiker. With so many options out there, I focused on a few key factors:
- Overall reputation – generally positive reviews and feedback
- Reliable performance – features that consistently work
- Safe growth – lower risk of being banned
- Reasonable pricing – affordable monthly plans
On these criteria, FollowLiker seemed worth testing. Their mix of automation to drive followers, likes and engagement was appealing. And pricing came in under $100.
In this review, I‘ll take you through how FollowLiker performed during a month of testing. You‘ll see the pros and cons, features, pricing, and alternatives that stack up against it. Time to dive in!
An Overview of FollowLiker and How it Works
Founded in 2018, FollowLiker markets itself as an all-in-one growth service for Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest and more. But Instagram is the main focus.
FollowLiker combines bot-driven automation with human oversight to grow your followers and engagement. Bots perform pre-configured actions like following users and liking posts. The service claims these are mixed with manual efforts to look more natural.
Configuring FollowLiker is simple – just connect your Instagram via API and use their dashboard to set targets. FollowLiker takes care of the rest.
Here are the key features FollowLiker uses to grow Instagram accounts:
- Auto Follow/Unfollow – Follow then unfollow target users based on filters like followers, interests, or competitor fans. A core tactic to drive them to your profile and hopefully follow back.
- Auto Likes – Like posts containing hashtags, locations or mentions to connect with specific audiences. Helps drive engagement and attention.
- Commenting – Leave comments with preset templates on relevant posts to stand out. Another engagement boosting feature.
- Analytics – Dashboards, graphs and charts to analyze followers gained, engagement rates, top posts, and more.
- Targeting – Filters to target competitors‘ followers, influencer fans, followers of similar accounts, by location, hashtag, mentions, and more.
- Randomization – Options to randomize activity like follow/unfollow times and frequency to appear more human.
- Scheduling – Schedule actions for ideal times based on your audience‘s activity patterns.
On paper, FollowLiker seems to offer an extensive set of capabilities tailored for Instagram specifically. Next I had to test it hands-on to see if it lived up to its promises…
My Experience Using FollowLiker for 1 Month
To thoroughly test FollowLiker, I used it for a full month on my jewelry Instagram account. With around 7,500 followers, I hoped to add at least 1,000 more in that timeframe.
Here was my process:
- Signed up for FollowLiker and connected my Instagram via API.
- Configured auto-follows and unfollows targeting relevant hashtags and competitor follower lists.
- Set daily limits of 300 follows, 500 likes, and 100 comments.
- Scheduled actions to run from 9am-5pm daily when my followers are most active.
- Let FollowLiker run and tracked growth and engagement daily.
The setup only took about 10 minutes thanks to the intuitive dashboard. Within hours, FollowLiker began performing follows, likes and comments per my configuration.
In the first week, I saw solid results:
- 224 new followers – Follow/unfollow was working well to convert into new followers.
- 28% engagement rate – My posts got far more likes and comments than normal thanks to FollowLiker.
FollowLiker drove over 200 new followers in the first week
By the end of week 2, growth remained steady:
- 152 more followers – Gained 376 new followers so far.
- 25% engagement rate – Remained higher than normal baseline of 8-10%.
Another 152 followers in week 2
The first half of the month clearly shows FollowLiker delivering on accelerated growth and engagement. But what about the second half?
Weeks 3 and 4 yielded diminishing results:
- 68 new followers in week 3
- 36 new followers in week 4
- 13% engagement rate by week 4
It seems FollowLiker quickly exhausts the relevant accounts for following and liking. The limits I configured were reached daily.
I had to keep raising those limits to continue seeing growth. But by week 4, returns were minimal regardless of configuration tweaks.
In total, over the full month FollowLiker helped me gain:
- 632 new followers
- 19.4% average engagement rate (up from 8-10% normally)
So in the end, I averaged gaining about 20 new followers per day with FollowLiker enabled. Decent results but not as sustainable as I hoped.
Some other pros from my experience:
- Easy setup and intuitive dashboard
- Reliable automation of daily actions
- Actions helped posts gain more reach
Some cons I encountered:
- Very limited targeting options – geography, hashtags, mentions only
- Activity felt spammy at times
- Support was slow to respond to issues
So in summary, FollowLiker did deliver on its promise of fast Instagram growth and engagement. But it has some downsides to consider.
FollowLiker Pricing and Plans
FollowLiker uses a mix of one-time fees and monthly subscriptions for access to their tools.
For Instagram, pricing breaks down like this:
- Instagram Edition – $97.99 one-time setup fee, then $5.99/month
- Instagram Plus – $197.99 one-time setup, then $14.99/month
- 6 Months Plan – $347.99 one-time for 6 months
- 1 Year Plan – $547.99 one-time for 1 year
Multiple account support starts at an extra $9.99/month.
They also offer bundled packages for using Instagram plus other networks like Twitter, YouTube, and TikTok.
Compared to competitors, FollowLiker is reasonably priced. But the lack of a free trial is disappointing – most competitors offer at least 7 days to test out the features at no cost.
FollowLiker Reputation and Reviews
With any service promising Instagram growth, reputation and reviews are critical to assess. FollowLiker has mixed but generally positive reviews across major sites:
- TrustPilot – 3.5 out of 5 stars based on 300+ reviews. Positive feedback on the growth achieved. Complaints about fake-looking followers and drops after stopping service.
- SiteJabber – 4 out of 5 stars based on 50+ reviews. Users mention decent engagement and followers gained initially. But some issues noted with support and sustainability.
- Google – 3.1 out of 5 stars across 20 reviews. Reviews reiterate solid short term growth but concerns around fake-looking followers and bans.
- Reddit – Some positive recommendation threads but also warnings around potential account bans from overly aggressive follows/unfollows.
The most common negatives I found were related to fake-looking followers, inability to sustain growth long term, and bad account security practices.
However, reviews indicated FollowLiker does deliver on increasing followers and engagement rapidly at first. Users just need to be cautious and monitor closely for any issues.
Top FollowLiker Alternatives for Safe Instagram Growth
If you‘re wary of potential issues down the road with FollowLiker, plenty of alternatives exist that focus more on organic growth and safety.
Here are my top 5 alternatives to consider for growing Instagram followers and engagement long-term:
| Service | Highlights | Pricing | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Growthoid | Top choice overall. Fully managed service for organic, natural growth. Avoid bans. | $99-$399/mo | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| NitroGrowth | Great for bigger brands. Full suite of social growth tools. | $49-$199/mo | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Growth Silo | Excellent results for small businesses. Easy-to-use system. | $49-$99/mo | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Social Sensei | Flexible plans. Top notch targeting and analytics. | $99-$499/mo | ⭐⭐⭐ |
| Ascend Viral | Upcoming player. Unique approach to growth. | $49-$149/mo | ⭐⭐⭐ |
*Ratings based on online reviews, features, pricing, and safety.
Let‘s explore a few of these top alternatives in more detail:
Growthoid – The Safest Choice
Growthoid is my hands-down top choice for Instagram growth in 2023. Their fully managed service delivers real, organic growth using content optimization and strategic engagement:
- Onboarding call to understand your brand and goals
- Content optimization for better visuals, captions, hashtags
- Manual audience research, outreach and engagement
- Ongoing account monitoring and adjustments
Thousands rely on Growthoid for safe, effective Instagram growth. And they guarantee no account bans or followers drops.
Plans start at $99/month but are completely customized to your needs. For those wanting organic growth, look no further than Growthoid.
NitroGrowth – Comprehensive Social Media Growth
Need Instagram growth but also want Facebook ads, influencer marketing, and more? NitroGrowth is a powerhouse.
Their AI and team can run entire social campaigns across platforms. All managed through one intuitive dashboard.
Great for larger brands, NitroGrowth gets outstanding reviews but requires big budgets. Plans from $49-$199/month.
Growth Silo – Made for Small Businesses
Growth Silo offers an easy-to-use system perfect for small shops and startups. Just connect your Instagram, pick strategies, and Growth Silo handles the rest.
Flexible plans fit needs from a few hundred new followers up to 10,000+. Pricing starts at $49/month with discounts for annual plans.
More Great FollowLiker Alternatives
Beyond those top choices, a few more alternatives I recommend considering:
- Social Sensei – Advanced targeting and analytics using AI. Plans from $99-$499/mo.
- Ascend Viral – Newer service but powerful approach. Plans from $49-$149/mo.
- HypeGrow – Managed service for brands. Starts at $99/month.
- SocialBooster.me – Affordable bot-driven growth. Plans from $12/month.
- Follow Adder – One of the first growth tools. Plans from $27/month.
No matter which service you choose, be sure to do your research and start with basic plan to test it out. Watch closely for any shady activity that could risk a ban.
And remember – focus first on amazing, shareable content that builds an audience naturally. Tools should complement that foundation, not replace it!
Final Thoughts on FollowLiker and Alternatives
After extensive testing and comparing, I can confidently say FollowLiker provides real results for accelerating Instagram growth. The features work as advertised and yield more followers and engagement.
However, issues around sustainability, limited targeting, and potential bans hold it back from being a long-term solution on its own.
The top alternatives I covered focus more on organic growth – real followers drawn in by captivating content and strategic engagement. Services like Growthoid are the safest bets for growth that lasts.
But for a short-term burst of new followers to get started, FollowLiker can be effective. Just use it cautiously and monitor closely. Have a backup plan with a safer service ready to go.
No matter what tools you use, lean first on crafting content your ideal audience loves. A compelling brand and profile is the foundation Instagram growth is built on.
Have you used FollowLiker or alternatives for growing your Instagram? I‘d love to hear your experiences and questions in the comments!
