Most social media APIs only cover publishing. If you need to read and respond to comments, DMs, and reviews through code, only three providers support it today: SocialAPI.ai (from $0/mo), Zernio (from $0/mo for 2 accounts), and Ayrshare (from $149/mo). Here is what each costs at 10, 50, and 200 brands, with the full arithmetic shown so you can verify every number.
Why inbox access matters
An agent or SaaS that only publishes is a half product. Customers want to reply to comments, manage DMs, and monitor reviews. The actual jobs people pay for, like community management, lead capture from Instagram DMs, and reputation monitoring on Google Business Profile, all require reading and writing on the inbox side, not just creating posts.
If your API of choice does not cover the inbox, you have two options: leave that capability out (and lose the customer) or integrate a second API. The second path doubles your real expense, splits authentication across two providers, and forces you to reconcile webhook formats from two systems. Picking an API with native inbox support from day one avoids the rebuild that almost every team eventually has to do.
The 3 APIs with full inbox access
SocialAPI.ai is a unified API covering 8 platforms (Instagram, Facebook, Threads, TikTok, Google Business, LinkedIn, X/Twitter, YouTube) with comments, DMs, reviews, and mentions included on every plan. Pricing is flat per brand, regardless of how many platforms each brand connects. The free Hobby tier ($0/mo) includes 2 brands and 50 interactions per month, with the full inbox available. Paid plans: Side Hustle ($29, 10 brands), Full Send ($109, 50 brands), Empire ($349, 200 brands).
Zernio is a 15-platform social API with per-account graduated pricing. The first 2 connected social accounts are free, accounts 3 to 10 cost $6/mo each, accounts 11 to 100 cost $3/mo each, and accounts 101 to 2,000 cost $1/mo each. Inbox features (comments, DMs, reviews) are bundled with every connected account, no add-on required. The cost depends on how many platforms each brand connects, since each platform connection counts as one billable account.
Ayrshare is a 13-platform publishing API with per-profile pricing. Inbox access is available through their messaging endpoints on the higher tiers. Premium ($149/mo) covers 1 profile, Launch ($299/mo) covers up to 10 profiles, and Business ($599/mo) includes 30 profiles plus overage fees of $8.99 per profile (for profiles 31 to 100), $3.49 per profile (101 to 500), and $2.49 per profile (501+). DM support is partial: Facebook, Instagram, and X only.
Sources: SocialAPI.ai pricing · Zernio pricing · Ayrshare pricing
Social media API pricing comparison at 10, 50, and 200 brands
The table below is the core of this article. Every number is calculated from each provider's public pricing page (verified May 2026). The Zernio rows reflect the per-account model, since each connected platform counts as a separate billable account. The Ayrshare row uses the cheapest plan that covers the required profile count, plus overage fees.
| Provider | 10 brands | 50 brands | 200 brands |
|---|---|---|---|
| SocialAPI.ai | $29/mo | $109/mo | $349/mo |
| Zernio (1 platform/brand) | $48/mo | $168/mo | $418/mo |
| Zernio (4 platforms/brand) | $138/mo | $418/mo | $1,018/mo |
| Ayrshare | $299/mo | $778.80/mo | $1,577.30/mo |
| Savings vs Ayrshare | 90.3% | 86.0% | 77.9% |
| Savings vs Zernio (4 platforms) | 79.0% | 73.9% | 65.7% |
SocialAPI.ai is the cheapest of the three providers at every scale tested. Against Ayrshare, the savings range from 77.9% (at 200 brands) to 90.3% (at 10 brands). Against Zernio, the gap depends on how many platforms each brand connects: at 1 platform per brand, SocialAPI.ai is still cheaper at every scale (39.6% cheaper at 10 brands, 35.1% cheaper at 50, 16.5% cheaper at 200). At 4 platforms per brand, the savings widen to 65.7% to 79.0%.
The arithmetic is transparent. For Zernio at 50 brands × 4 platforms = 200 accounts: 2 free + 8 × $6 + 90 × $3 + 100 × $1 = $48 + $270 + $100 = $418/mo. For Ayrshare at 50 brands: Business plan ($599) + 20 overage profiles at $8.99 each = $599 + $179.80 = $778.80/mo. SocialAPI.ai's Full Send plan is a flat $109/mo regardless of how many platforms each brand uses.
Cost breakdown at 200 brands
SocialAPI.ai's flat per-brand model produces 65.7% to 77.9% savings vs Zernio (4 platforms) and Ayrshare at scale. Numbers calculated from public pricing pages, May 2026.
What is included at each price
Cost only matters if the providers ship the same feature set. The table below compares what each API includes for inbox, integration, and developer features. SocialAPI.ai bundles every capability in every paid plan (and most of them on the free tier), with no add-ons.
| Feature | SocialAPI.ai | Zernio | Ayrshare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Comments (read + reply) | Yes (all plans) | Yes (all accounts) | Yes (Premium+) |
| DMs (read + send) | Yes (all plans) | Yes (all accounts) | Partial: FB, IG, X only |
| Reviews (read + reply) | Yes (Google, FB) | Yes (all accounts) | Yes (Google, FB) |
| Mentions | Yes (all plans) | Yes (all accounts) | No |
| Webhooks | Yes (all plans) | Yes (all accounts) | Yes (Business+) |
| MCP server | Yes (75 tools) | Partial (scheduling) | Docs only |
| OAuth 2.1 | Yes | No | No |
| Free tier with inbox | Yes (2 brands, 50 int./mo) | Yes (2 accounts) | No (Premium = $149/mo) |
Three feature-level differences are worth flagging. First, Ayrshare's DM support is partial: only Facebook, Instagram, and X are covered. If you need DMs on TikTok, Threads, or LinkedIn, Ayrshare cannot do the job. Second, only SocialAPI.ai ships OAuth 2.1 for end-user agent authentication, which matters if you are building AI agents that act on behalf of users. Third, the free tiers differ: SocialAPI.ai and Zernio both let you test inbox access at $0/mo, while Ayrshare requires the $149/mo Premium plan to access any meaningful API capability.
What about publishing-only APIs?
If you only need to publish posts and never read interactions, cheaper options exist. Outstand starts at $5/mo plus $0.01 per post, and Post for Me starts at $10/mo. Both are valid choices for pure publishing workloads. The trade-off: adding inbox capability later means integrating a second API, paying for two providers, and reconciling two webhook formats. SocialAPI.ai's free tier lets you test both publishing and inbox in the same SDK before committing. For the full publishing-only comparison, see the 7 best social media APIs for developers in 2026.
Pricing model explained: per-brand vs per-account vs per-profile
The three providers use different billing units, which is why the totals diverge so sharply at scale. Understanding the model is the difference between predictable monthly spend and a surprise invoice.
Per-brand (SocialAPI.ai). A brand is one billable unit, regardless of how many platforms it connects to. One brand on 4 platforms costs the same as one brand on 1 platform. Adding LinkedIn or YouTube to an existing brand does not change the bill. This is the most predictable model: you forecast spend by counting brands, not platform connections.
Per-account (Zernio). An account is one connected social platform. A brand on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and LinkedIn equals 4 billable accounts. Adding a new platform to an existing brand adds a billable account every time. The graduated rates ($6 to $1 per account depending on volume) keep the per-unit cost low at scale, but the multiplier still applies. With 4 platforms per brand, you pay 4x the accounts compared to per-brand billing.
Per-profile (Ayrshare). A profile is one connected social account, similar to Zernio's model. Each plan includes a fixed number of profiles (1 on Premium, 10 on Launch, 30 on Business), and additional profiles cost $2.49 to $8.99 each per month. The per-profile rate decreases with volume, but the total still grows linearly with each new connection. Above 30 profiles, the overage fees become the dominant cost.
The practical takeaway: per-brand billing favors agencies and SaaS products where each customer connects multiple platforms. Per-account and per-profile billing favor cases where each customer uses one or two platforms only. The break-even point varies, but the comparison table above shows SocialAPI.ai is the cheapest of the three across all tested scales.
Affordable social media inbox API: the bottom line
Of the three APIs that offer full inbox access (comments, DMs, and reviews), SocialAPI.ai is the cheapest at 10, 50, and 200 brands. The savings range from 16.5% (vs Zernio at 1 platform per brand at 200 brands) to 90.3% (vs Ayrshare at 10 brands). For most real-world cases where brands connect 2 to 4 platforms, the savings against Zernio are 35% to 80%, and against Ayrshare 78% to 90%.
If you want to verify the math on your own scale, start with the free tier (2 brands, 50 interactions/mo, full inbox included) or read the documentation. For a deeper breakdown of all 7 leading APIs, see the best social media APIs guide. For the publishing-only pricing comparison, see the true cost of social media APIs.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the cheapest social media API with DM access?
- SocialAPI.ai is the cheapest. The free Hobby tier ($0/mo) includes DM read and send across Instagram, Facebook, Threads, TikTok, LinkedIn, and X for 2 brands and 50 interactions per month. Paid plans start at $29/mo for 10 brands. Zernio is the second cheapest with 2 free accounts. Ayrshare requires the $149/mo Premium plan and only supports DMs on Facebook, Instagram, and X.
- How much does Ayrshare cost for 50 brands with inbox access?
- Ayrshare costs $778.80/mo at 50 brands: the Business plan ($599) covers 30 profiles, plus 20 overage profiles at $8.99 each ($179.80). For the same 50 brands, SocialAPI.ai's Full Send plan is $109/mo, which is 86.0% cheaper for equivalent inbox functionality.
- Which social media APIs support comments, DMs, and reviews?
- Three APIs cover all three: SocialAPI.ai (8 platforms, comments + DMs + reviews + mentions on all plans), Zernio (15 platforms, all features bundled per account), and Ayrshare (13 platforms, partial DM support on FB/IG/X only). SocialAPI.ai is the cheapest of the three at every scale tested (10, 50, and 200 brands).
- Is there a free social media API with inbox access?
- Yes. SocialAPI.ai's Hobby tier ($0/mo) includes 2 brands, 50 interactions per month, and the full inbox (comments, DMs, reviews, mentions). Zernio offers a free tier of 2 connected accounts with all features bundled. Ayrshare's free plan does not include API or inbox access; the entry point with API capability is the $149/mo Premium plan.
- What is the difference between per-brand and per-account pricing?
- Per-brand billing (SocialAPI.ai) treats one brand as a single billable unit regardless of how many platforms it connects to. Per-account billing (Zernio) counts each platform connection as a billable account, so one brand on 4 platforms costs 4 accounts. The result: per-brand pricing produces flat, predictable monthly spend, while per-account pricing scales with each new platform you add. At 50 brands × 4 platforms, SocialAPI.ai is $109/mo versus Zernio's $418/mo for equivalent coverage.
- Can I manage Google Reviews through an API?
- Yes, two APIs support Google Reviews: SocialAPI.ai (read and reply on all plans, including the free Hobby tier) and Ayrshare (read and reply on Premium plans and above). Zernio also handles review replies as part of its bundled feature set. SocialAPI.ai is the cheapest option for Google Reviews access at every scale.