Erica
Kicksta is a paid Instagram growth service that follows, likes and messages people on your behalf, so that some of them follow you back. This Kicksta review covers what the provider’s own pages say as of 21 October 2026, what it costs, and the risks of giving a growth service your Instagram login.
We do desk research only. We did not sign up for, pay for or run Kicksta. Everything below comes from Kicksta’s own pages and the independent sources listed at the end, all read on 21 October 2026.
Quick answer: Kicksta is still operating. It sells two plans, Growth at $69 a month and Advanced at $129 a month, with a 7-day free trial on monthly and quarterly billing (card required). It needs your Instagram password to act for you, and automated activity can lead to action blocks. Kicksta says a ban is “highly unlikely”, but that is its own claim.
Status: active. Price from: $69 a month ($39 a month if billed yearly). Safety: password required, risk of action blocks.
What Kicksta is
Kicksta describes itself as a service that helps creators and brands get followers and engagement on Instagram. You pick source accounts and hashtags that match your audience, and Kicksta engages with the people behind them. It belongs in our Growth Services category, alongside the service in our Stim Social review, which automates follows and welcome messages.
The site loaded normally on 21 October 2026, and we found no closure or rebrand notice. The footer is dated 2025 and names CMT. Older articles, including earlier versions of this one, call the company Kickstagram. We could not find an official source for a rename, so we do not repeat the earlier claim that Instagram forced the change.
How Kicksta works
You choose up to 10 sources on Growth or up to 30 on Advanced. A source is an Instagram account, such as a competitor or influencer, or a hashtag. Kicksta then likes, follows and unfollows, and can send welcome messages (see our guide to managing Instagram DMs), running around the clock. According to Kicksta’s FAQ, it also likes up to 3 posts of users who follow you back.
The FAQ says new accounts go through a 72-hour warm-up, and that activity is slowed and randomized to avoid blocks. It also says Kicksta uses real mobile devices and a proxy network with real mobile IPs (for what proxy providers sell, see our Blazing SEO review). These are all Kicksta’s own statements, and its pages offer no independent verification. The FAQ says you may see first new followers within a few days of the warm-up and does not promise follower numbers.
Features
Growth plan
- Up to 10 sources (accounts or hashtags)
- Competitor, influencer and hashtag targeting
- Smart niche filters (account size, activity, privacy, content type)
- Like after follow, up to 3 posts
- Weekly Instagram audit
- Real-time growth analytics by source
- 24/7 live support
Advanced plan
- Everything in Growth
- Up to 30 sources
- Gender filter
- Welcome DM
- Close Friends Adder
The homepage lists the gender filter, Welcome DM and Close Friends Adder under both plans, while the pricing page assigns them to Advanced only. We follow the pricing page.
Kicksta pricing (read on 21 October 2026)
| Plan | Monthly | Quarterly | Yearly |
|---|---|---|---|
| Growth | $69 a month | $49 a month ($147 per quarter) | $39 a month ($468 a year) |
| Advanced | $129 a month | $99 a month ($297 per quarter) | $79 a month ($948 a year) |
- Free trial: monthly and quarterly plans start with a 7-day trial that includes every Advanced feature. A credit card is required, and you are not charged if you cancel before it ends. Yearly plans start paid. Agencies get a 14-day trial for up to 5 accounts.
- No-growth guarantee: if you see no growth in the first 7 days, the trial is extended. That is an extension, not a refund.
- Cancelling: the pricing page says you can cancel from Settings, and the FAQ says there are no cancellation fees.
- Refunds: Kicksta’s pages do not state a refund policy, and its terms page did not load for us, so we could not confirm one. The 14-day money-back guarantee mentioned in earlier reviews is not on the pages we read.
Earlier versions of this page quoted $49 and $99 plans. Those figures are out of date.
Safety and risks
Kicksta needs your Instagram password. Its FAQ says Instagram has no official way for a service to engage on your behalf without it, and that the password is stored encrypted and hidden from everyone, including the Kicksta team. Handing a password to any third party is a risk by itself.
The activity is automated, and Instagram has said it acts against that kind of activity. In November 2018, Instagram announced that it would remove fake likes, follows and comments received through third-party apps and ask affected accounts to set a new password, and that accounts which keep using such apps may see their experience affected.
Kicksta’s FAQ calls a ban “highly unlikely” and warns against running another growth service alongside it, because Instagram could flag the account. The FAQ does not address Instagram’s terms of service. Independent opinion is mixed. Review sites such as G2 show low overall ratings from a small number of reviews, with some users reporting fake-looking followers and others reporting real ones, so treat any single review with care.
Businesses should also know that the US Federal Trade Commission’s rule on fake reviews and testimonials bans selling or buying fake indicators of social media influence, such as bot-generated followers, when the buyer knew or should have known they were fake and used them to misstate their influence commercially. Kicksta does not say its followers are fake, and it describes its method as engaging real accounts. This is not legal advice.
If you try it, use an account you can afford to have limited, switch on two-step verification, use a unique password, and do not stack another tool on the same account. Flock Social is another service of this kind, and our review covers its risks.
Pros and cons
Pros
- A 7-day free trial on monthly and quarterly plans, with all Advanced features.
- Targeting by account, hashtag and niche filters.
- A weekly audit and growth analytics by source.
- Cancelling from the dashboard settings, with no cancellation fees stated.
- A clear plan structure with two tiers.
Cons
- It needs your Instagram password.
- Automated activity carries a risk of action blocks.
- Monthly prices are higher than the $49 and $99 older reviews quoted.
- No stated refund policy, and a card is needed for the trial.
- Safety and “real mobile device” claims are unverified.
Who it suits
Kicksta suits people who want hands-off growth, understand the account risk and will test it on the free trial before committing. It does not suit anyone who will not share a password or who relies on one account for their income. If you want to see what free options look like first, read our free Instagram followers comparison, or compare paid options in our best Instagram followers app roundup.
Alternatives
Similar services include Upleap and Nitreo, which also automate engagement on your account and need your login. SocialSteeze is another review in the same category.
Another one we reviewed: our Blastup review (formerly Gramblast; no password asked); the SNS Growth review (from $12.29; 14-day refund).
Kicksta FAQ
Is Kicksta safe?
Kicksta says a ban is highly unlikely, but it needs your password and automates actions, which carries a risk of action blocks. None of its safety claims is independently verified.
How much does Kicksta cost?
Growth is $69 a month and Advanced is $129 a month. Quarterly and yearly billing lower the monthly rate, to $39 a month for Growth billed yearly.
Does Kicksta have a free trial?
Yes, 7 days on monthly and quarterly plans, with a credit card required. Cancel before it ends to avoid a charge.
Does Kicksta need my Instagram password?
Yes. Its FAQ says it needs the password to perform interactions on your behalf.
Is Kicksta the same as Kickstagram?
Older articles use that name for what appears to be the same company, but we found no official confirmation of a rename.
Can I get a refund?
Kicksta’s pages do not state a refund policy. The trial is its stated way to test the service first.
Further reading
Pages read on 21 October 2026.