Want to skyrocket your Instagram growth? You may be tempted to try a service like Kicksta, which promises to provide organic growth services. But is their service worth it?
It’s no secret that Instagram is one of the top social platforms and the place where so many influencers got their start. Growing your account opens doors to lucrative brand deals and sponsorships.
The problem? Gaining new followers takes time. Despite having 2.3 billion active users, only 19.63% of Instagram accounts have over 10,000 followers.
Growth services like Kicksta aim to help users grow their follower count using artificial intelligence (AI) and other strategies. But do they work? How much does it cost? And do people actually like the service?
Let’s take a closer look in our honest Kicksta review.
Pros
Cons
How Does Kicksta Work?
Kicksta is a tool that promises two things:
- Real Instagram followers
- Powerful growth
They achieve this by using a mix of AI technology and trusted strategies for growing social followings.
Here’s how it works:
- You provide locations, hashtags, genders and influencers you want to target.
- Kicksta gets to work finding and following accounts that match your preferences.
The platform has other features that also help ensure you’re getting the right followers (more on that soon).
Kicksta’s service is straightforward. Just choose a monthly plan, and you’re ready to “kickstart” your account. New users start with a free trial, allowing you to take their service for a test drive.
How Does Kicksta Offer Real Followers?
Kicksta works by finding Instagram users that match your preferences for location, hashtags, etc. Next, they follow these targeted accounts on your behalf (using your Instagram account) with the hope that they’ll follow you back.
Kicksta’s Key Features
You know how Kicksta works on a basic level. But the platform does have some extra features that help promote organic growth, including:
1. Whitelist and Blacklist
Kicksta’s whitelist and blacklist feature helps you avoid certain accounts and protect others.
- Blacklisting a User Excludes them from Your Growth Campaign. For example, if you’re a skincare brand, you may want to blacklist other skin care companies (your competitors). People also use this feature to ensure they’re only targeting accounts with specific beliefs or interests.
- Whitelisting Also Excludes Certain Accounts from Your Kicksta Activities But in a Different Way. Instead, Kicksta avoids taking actions that may cause whitelisted accounts to unfollow you.
Having the option to whitelist or blacklist accounts is helpful if you want more precise follower targeting.
2. Automatic Whitelist
Along with manual whitelist and blacklist features, Kicksta has an automatic whitelist. Accounts that have already been engaged with you will be added to your whitelist automatically, which can help prevent these followers from unfollowing you.
3. Clean Home Feed
Kicksta’s whole growth strategy revolves around following accounts that match your preferences and hoping that they follow you back.
To keep your home feed from being bombarded with content you don’t want to see, Kicksta automatically mutes new accounts it follows.
4. Automated Welcome Message
To help you forge new connections with the people you’re following, Kicksta gives you the option of sending out Welcome DM’s with the highest subscription tiers.
Automated welcome messages may sound like a perk, but they can seem spammy or unnatural if you’re not using them carefully.
What Will You Pay To Use Kicksta?
Following up on outdated Instagram tips as a creator is tiring. You want to create content and not focus on the latest growth strategies. Kicksta promises to deliver real followers to your account so that you can do what you like most – make amazing content.
Kicksta’s platform is designed to avoid outdated Instagram tips and build your following using three main tiers of service:
1. Starter Tier $99 $69/mo
A basic starter tier is what most users start with on the platform because it empowers you to try Kicksta without a major upfront commitment. Under this plan, you can expect:
- Low growth speed
- 400 guaranteed followers per month
Users who want steady account growth from targeted, relevant users will appreciate the low growth speed. You may receive more than 400 followers per month, but you can be certain that you’ll add 400 followers.
Starter is the barebones package that offers:
- Account Targeting
- Hashtag Targeting
- Competitor targeting
- Real followers and organic growth
- Analytics
- White and blacklist options
- Follow and unfollow features
- “Like” after follow options
If 400 followers a month is too low for you, an upgrade to the advanced tier may be the better option for you.
2. Advanced Tier $149 $129/mo
Kicksta’s most popular tier includes all of the features in the Starter tier, but key changes may be worth the higher cost:
- Welcome DM’s to new followers
- Story likes
- Gender filtering
- Targeting suggestions
- 1,000 guaranteed followers per month
Story Likes are “coming soon,” so we can’t vouch for this feature at this time. Sending welcome DM’s to new followers and a boost to the 1,000 guaranteed followers per month are game-changing options for anyone serious about account growth.
3. Ultimate Tier $338 $219/mo
Ultimate is the latest and most expensive tier available. You’ll enjoy the same features in the Advanced tier, but you’ll notice two key differences:
- 2,500 guaranteed followers per month (read more below!!!)
- Diversified audience from global influencers
Does Kicksta Have a Free Trial?
Monthly tiers are a great start that allow users to try Kicksta and see if the platform is worth the money. You can sign up for a 7-day free trial of any plan and can cancel at any time.
I do want to point out a Trustpilot review from Natalie Manifold, left on October 17, 2023. Kicksta replied to her complaint and the response shows that:
- Guaranteed followers are not available for trial periods.
- Not all functions are activated during the trial period.
If you sign up for the 7-day free trial, just be aware that it’s not a 100% representation of the level of quality that a paid plan offers.
Is There a Guarantee?
Guarantees always include text that you need to read diligently. As you may have noticed, on the pricing tier page, the Ultimate Tier states it offers 2,500 guaranteed followers. Right underneath this claim is the frequently asked question page that states:
Our top-tier plan gets you 2,000 followers/month guaranteed
Since the messaging on the pricing copy and FAQ section differ, it’s hard to know the true limit on guaranteed followers.
User reviews can help clarify some of your concerns and questions.
Kicksta Reviews Around the Internet
Kicksta’s reviews online are mixed. The main site states 100,000+ happy customers and social proof is provided under this claim. No company is willing to put up the bad reviews because they don’t build trust.
What are real users across the Internet saying about Kicksta?
Reddit Posts on Kicksta
Reddit users have honest, reliable reviews. Voampangara states that Kicksta is one of the worst growth agencies and they ignore following targeted accounts. Users Dry_Frosting8154 claims:
- Their account was temporarily banned after using the service.
- They view their results as “disastrous.”
Users on Reddit are also uncomfortable giving over their account details to Kicksta. Let’s see what reviewers on other platforms are saying about Kicksta.
2.3 out of 5 Stars on Trustpilot
Trustpilot gives Kicksta a 2.3-star review, with 479 people reviewing the platform. Kicksta does reply to reviews and says, “We have no influence over the people who choose to follow you.” Users often complain that the accounts that follow you back are shady or bots.
Reviewers are notorious for leaving poor reviews and forgetting to leave great reviews for companies that they love working with.
Some users on Trustpilot do state:
A common trend in positive reviews is that reviewers state it takes time to see results, so stick with it. Poor reviews may be from users who expect overnight results.
2.0 out of 5 Stars on G2
Fifteen users on G2 left reviews on the platform, with the most common issues being:
- Platform randomly fails, causing user frustration.
- A user didn’t receive their expected results, but the team at Kicksta replied rapidly and even gave the unhappy customer a $25 credit.
Do you want to achieve Instagram growth but don’t want to use Kicksta? We have a great article that lists 10 services that you’ll love – read it here. We saw surprising results with the platform that are not reflected in the reviews above.
We like that there’s a free trial for seven days for new users who want to build their Instagram following. You can cancel at any time, but there is one thing we didn’t like: a strong limit on the maximum number of followers offered on the Ultimate plan.
