LinkedIn Comment to DM Cost (2026): Free vs Paid

LinkedIn comment to DM is free if you do it by hand, costs your build and upkeep time if you make your own workflow, and starts at $39/mo with LeadShark after a 7-day free trial with no card. By hand works for a handful of comments; once a post pulls more than you can answer the same hour, a tool costs less than your time.

In short:

Free: reply and DM each commenter yourself. No software, all your time.
Build your own: a workflow you assemble and keep running. Low software cost, ongoing upkeep.
A tool: LeadShark plans are $39/mo (Pro), $59/mo (Pro+) and $119/mo (Apex), with 2 months free on yearly billing.
Try before you pay: 7-day free trial, no card, capped at 50 DMs a day.

Free vs build your own vs a tool

	By hand	Build your own workflow	LeadShark
Software cost	Free	Usually low, plus whatever services you connect	From $39/mo
Setup	None	Hours to days, depending on your skills	Pick the post, set the keyword, write the reply and DM
Upkeep	Every post, every comment	You fix it when something changes	None on your side
Time to answer each commenter	Whenever you get to it	Depends on your build	Under 10 minutes on average
Public reply under each comment	You type it	You build it	Included
Commenters who aren't connections	You send each request and come back later	You build it	Connection request, then the DM once they accept
Pacing and daily limit	Up to you	You build it	0 to 250 DMs a day (150 recommended max), with human-like pacing
Email capture and tracking	No	You build it	Click tracking and email-gated pages
Best for	A few comments a week	Builders who enjoy maintaining it	Anyone posting lead magnets regularly

What LeadShark costs

Plan	Monthly	Yearly	Running automations	Highlights
Pro	$39/mo	$390/yr	Up to 10	Auto reply and DM to commenters, connection handling, click tracking, one follow-up DM
Pro+	$59/mo	$590/yr	100	Auto-like every comment, rotating DM templates, a separate DM for people who repost, Company Page posts
Apex	$119/mo	$1,190/yr	Unlimited	DMs to commenters you're not connected with, the full Apex MCP
APEX+	From $186/mo		Unlimited	3 LinkedIn profiles: 1 Apex + 2 Pro+ for $186/mo, or all 3 on full Apex for $249/mo

Every plan starts with a 7-day free trial, no card, and yearly billing gets you 2 months free. Email-gated pages: 1 on Pro, 100 on Pro+, unlimited on Apex. The full comparison is on pricing.

One automation usually covers one post, so the running automations limit is how many posts can answer commenters at the same time.

Work out your own break-even

Take your last lead magnet post and fill this in:

Comments on the post.
Minutes per comment to reply, open the DM, paste the link and send.
Comments x minutes = time per post. Add the people you never reached, and the ones who waited a day.
Posts per month x time per post = your monthly cost in hours.

Example, with illustrative numbers: a post with 150 comments at about a minute each is two and a half hours of copy and paste. At one such post a week, that's ten hours a month, against $39/mo for Pro.

Can you do LinkedIn comment to DM for free?

Yes, by hand, and it's the right call for a few comments a week. It stops working when a post takes off: the first commenters wait, some get missed, and people who aren't connections need a request first and a DM later.

If you're looking at free tools, check:

Does it run in the cloud, or only while your browser is open?
Does it reply under the comment, or only send a DM?
Can it reach commenters who aren't connections?
Can you set your own daily limit and pacing?
Do you write the messages, or does it generate them?

LeadShark runs in the cloud after a one-time connect with our Chrome extension, every reply and DM is a template you write, and you set the pace. How that keeps sending careful is in is LinkedIn comment to DM automation safe?.

What happens after the free trial?

The trial lasts 7 days and needs no card, so you're never charged automatically. When it ends, your LinkedIn is disconnected and running automations pause until you pick a plan. During the trial you can send up to 50 DMs a day.

Which plan fits

If you...	Start with
Post a lead magnet now and then, or want to test it	The 7-day free trial, then Pro
Run lots of posts at once, or want rotating DMs and Company Page posts	Pro+
Want to DM commenters you aren't connected with, or the full Apex MCP for Claude, ChatGPT and Cursor	Apex
Manage up to 3 LinkedIn profiles	APEX+

Get the most from what you pay

Write posts that pull requests: 8 comment GUIDE post templates.
Pick the right keyword: how to pick and set keyword triggers.
Set the right daily number: LinkedIn DM limit per day.
Know what to automate: LinkedIn DM automation.
Founders: comment to DM for SaaS founders. Creators: comment to DM for creators.

Try it on your next post

LeadShark has captured 3M comments and delivered 2.7M+ DMs for 1,500+ creators, across 26K+ automations, live since September 2024. See the LinkedIn comment to DM tool or compare plans.

FAQ

How much does LinkedIn comment to DM cost?

It's free by hand, and LeadShark plans cost $39/mo for Pro, $59/mo for Pro+ and $119/mo for Apex, with 2 months free on yearly billing. Every plan starts with a 7-day free trial, no card.

Is there a free LinkedIn comment to DM tool?

You can do it free by hand, and LeadShark has a 7-day free trial with no card, capped at 50 DMs a day. After the trial, plans start at $39/mo.

Do I need a credit card for the free trial?

No. The trial is 7 days with no card, so you're never charged automatically. When it ends, automations pause until you pick a plan.

Is yearly billing cheaper?

Yes. Yearly billing gets you 2 months free: $390/yr for Pro, $590/yr for Pro+ and $1,190/yr for Apex.

What's the cheapest way to automate LinkedIn comment to DM?

LeadShark Pro at $39/mo covers up to 10 running automations, including the public reply, the DM, connection handling, click tracking and one follow-up. Start with the 7-day free trial, no card.

Is it cheaper to build my own comment to DM workflow?

The software can cost less, but you pay in build time and upkeep, and you have to build the public reply, connection handling, pacing and tracking yourself. LeadShark includes all of that from $39/mo.

Which plan can DM commenters I'm not connected with?

On every plan, LeadShark sends them a connection request and delivers the DM once they accept. Apex can also DM them without waiting.