Instagram DM limits per hour
750 an hour.Here's the source.
Meta's documented limit for comment-to-DM is 750 private replies per hour per Instagram professional account, for comments on posts and reels. Each comment gets one private reply, sent within 7 days.
Updated
Private replies · posts and reels
750
per hour, per account
Source: Meta's Graph API rate limits page, Instagram messaging section. Checked 9 November 2026.
Instagram comment to DM limit, and the rest
Every limit.With its source.
These are the numbers Meta publishes for the calls a comment-to-DM tool makes. Each row links to the Meta page it comes from.
| Feature | Number | Applies to | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Private replies on posts and reels | 750 an hour | Per Instagram professional account. This is the DM sent because someone commented. | Meta: Rate limits |
| Private replies on Instagram Live | 100 a second | Per account, for comments on a Live. Only while the broadcast is on. | Meta: Rate limits |
| Time to send a private reply | 7 days | From when the comment was made. Live comments: during the broadcast only. | Meta: Private replies |
| Private replies per comment | 1 | One message to the commenter, from any tool or campaign. | Meta: Private replies |
| Messaging window | 24 hours | After the person messages you (or replies to your private reply), for most actions. | Meta: Messaging API |
| Messages in an open conversation | 100 a second | Text, links, reactions and stickers, per account, on the Instagram API with Instagram Login. Audio and video: 10 a second. | Meta: Rate limits |
From Meta's developer documentation, checked 9 November 2026. Meta can change these. The Messenger API for Instagram (the older setup through a Facebook Page) lists 300 a second for text messages instead of 100. DMpop is not affiliated with Meta or Instagram.
Why vendors say 200, 600 or 750
Three numbers.One is Meta's.
Search “Instagram automation DM limit” and you'll see 200 an hour, 600 an hour and 750 an hour, each stated as fact. Here is what we could and couldn't trace.
750 private replies per hour: Meta's figure
Meta's Graph API rate limits page gives 750 calls per hour per Instagram professional account for private replies to comments on posts and reels. That is the exact call a comment-to-DM tool makes, so it's the number that matters for “comment GUIDE and get the link”.
200 per hour: from automation blogs
Many tools and blogs say 200 an hour, and some say Meta cut the limit to 200 in 2024. We couldn't find 200 on any current Meta developer page. A tool is free to send slower than Meta allows, so a vendor's own cap can be lower than Meta's. That may be what some of these numbers describe.
600 per hour: no source found
We couldn't trace 600 to any Meta page either. If a tool quotes it, ask them for the link.
DMpop uses 750, the number on Meta's page, counted per Instagram account across all your campaigns.
Private replies vs messages vs the 24-hour window
Three kinds of DM.Three sets of rules.
1. The private reply (comment-triggered DM)
This is the DM someone gets because they commented. It's sent in reply to the comment, so the person doesn't need to have messaged you first. Meta's rules: 750 an hour per account, within 7 days of the comment, and only one per comment. In Meta's words, “Only one message can be sent to the Instagram user who commented.”
2. Messages in an open conversation
Once the person writes back, or taps a button in your private reply, the conversation is open. From then on you're sending ordinary messages. Meta lists these under separate per-second limits (100 a second for text and links on the Instagram API with Instagram Login), not the 750 an hour.
3. The 24-hour messaging window
Meta's messaging docs say a conversation starts when the Instagram user messages the account, and for most actions the window lasts 24 hours. After it closes, an automated message can't go out until they message again. A separate 7-day window exists for replies from a human agent, not for automation.
Why DMpop's opening message has a button
The private reply is your one message before the person responds. That's why DMpop can send a short opener with a button first. Tapping it counts as the person messaging you, so the conversation opens and the link can follow. The follow gate's “I'm following” button works the same way.
Worked example
2,000 commentsin one hour.
Your reel takes off. 2,000 people comment your keyword in the first hour, and nothing else on the account is sending. Here's what DMpop does.
- The first 750 get their DM as they come in. That fills the hour for this Instagram account.
- Comment 751 onwards waits. Each waiting DM is tried again 30 minutes later. Its DM log entry shows as Pending until then.
- Up to 3 retries, 30 minutes apart. When the hourly count resets, retries go out until the next 750 are used. Comments still coming in compete for the same room.
- Still over after the third retry? Skipped and logged. The DM log marks it “Waited for hourly limit”, so you can see exactly who missed out.
- Older than 7 days? Out of reach. Meta won't accept a private reply to a comment older than 7 days, so no tool can catch those up later.
How many of the 1,250 extra go out depends on when the comments land and whether comments keep coming. In a burst that stops after an hour, most of the overflow goes out over the next hour or two. A rush that keeps going for hours will skip more.
Your plan's monthly DMs count too. On the Free plan (1,000 DMs a month), a 2,000-comment hour hits the monthly cap first. Paid plans start at ₹99. See pricing.
Some people say they never got the DM even below the limit? That usually isn't the hourly cap. See why an auto DM doesn't send for the full checklist.
Stay inside the limits
Four habits.Fewer skipped DMs.
One per post01
One keyword campaign per post.
Two campaigns on the same post both want the same comment's one private reply. Only the first can send. Put all your keywords in one campaign instead. DMpop skips the extra one and logs it as “Already replied”.
Stagger02
Space out big posts.
The 750 is per account, not per post. Two launches in the same hour share it. If you expect a rush, post them a few hours apart.
One tool03
Don't run two tools on one post.
Whichever tool replies first uses up the comment's private reply. The other one fails, and your follower may get the wrong message. Pick one tool per post.
Monthly cap04
Check your plan too.
On DMpop's Free plan you get 1,000 DMs a month. A viral reel can use that up before the hourly limit matters. See plans.
Sources
Read it yourself.
- Meta: Graph API rate limits (Instagram messaging section)
- Meta: Instagram Platform, private replies
- Meta: Instagram messaging, private replies
- Meta: Instagram API with Instagram Login, messaging
Building your own automation? DMpop's REST API and MCP server create campaigns that follow these limits for you.
Questions
Good to know.
How many Instagram DMs can I send per hour with automation?
For comment-to-DM, Meta's documented limit is 750 private replies per hour per Instagram professional account, for comments on posts and reels. Messages in a conversation that's already open have separate, per-second limits.
Is the Instagram DM limit 200 per hour?
Not according to Meta's current developer docs. The 200 figure is repeated on many automation blogs, but we couldn't find it on any Meta developer page. Meta's rate-limits page lists 750 an hour for private replies to comments on posts and reels. A tool can still choose to send slower than that.
Is the 750 limit per post or per account?
Per Instagram professional account. All your posts and campaigns on one account share it. DMpop counts it per account across every campaign.
Can I DM people who commented more than 7 days ago?
Not with a private reply. Meta allows a private reply only within 7 days of the comment, so no tool can go back and DM last month's commenters.
Can I send two automated DMs for one comment?
Only one private reply per comment. Once the person replies or taps a button in that DM, the conversation is open and more messages can follow within the 24-hour window.
What happens on DMpop when I hit 750 in an hour?
Nothing is lost straight away. Extra DMs wait and are retried every 30 minutes, up to 3 times. If the account is still over the limit after that, the DM is skipped and the DM log marks it "Waited for hourly limit".
Do Story replies and DM keywords count toward the 750?
The 750 an hour is Meta's limit for private replies to comments. A reply to someone who DMed you or replied to your Story is a message in an open conversation, which Meta lists under its separate send limits.
Free to start
Post the reel.Let the DM pop.
Connect your Instagram, pick a keyword, write the message. The Free plan includes 1,000 DMs a month, and paid plans start at ₹99.