Upgrow Alternative: why people switch from Upgrow to Kicksta
Kicksta puts your profile in front of people who follow the accounts and hashtags you choose. Try it free for 7 days on a monthly or quarterly plan.
Upgrow vs Kicksta: side by side
Eight things to compare, side by side.
Each Upgrow cell links the page or reviews it comes from, with the date we checked it.
Upgrow pricing vs Kicksta pricing
Both start at $69 a month billed monthly. Upgrow's yearly Basic Plan is $34/month for the first year; Kicksta's yearly Growth Plan is $39/month, and Kicksta adds a quarterly plan.
Kicksta
- Growth$69/mo billed monthly · $49/mo billed quarterly · $39/mo billed yearly
- Advanced$129/mo billed monthly · $99/mo billed quarterly · $79/mo billed yearly
Upgrow
- Basic Plan$69/month their pricing page, October 13, 2026
- Pro Plan$99/month their pricing page, October 13, 2026
- Turbo Plan$129/month their pricing page, October 13, 2026
- Basic Plan$34/month for 1 year their pricing page, October 13, 2026
- Pro Plan$49/month for 1 year their pricing page, October 13, 2026
- Turbo Plan$64/month for 1 year their pricing page, October 13, 2026
“We bring attention of real users to your feed, but we can't protect you from spam, fake, inactive followers.”
“UpGrow offers a 1-day free trial period for all new users.”
“New accounts also get a 1-day free trial to explore the dashboard, connect Instagram, and see your AI analytics before any growth begins.”
Why people leave Upgrow
In public reviews on Trustpilot and Reddit, these are the problems people raise about Upgrow most often.
Complaints are quoted verbatim from public reviews and threads; counts are what we collected, not a share of all customers.
- 🚩
Billing and cancelling
592 of the 821 complaints we collected
“The subscription cancellation simply does not work.”
Deminin · Reddit · December 29, 2025 “they refuse to cancel account fake followers”
qassem yafai · Trustpilot · October 7, 2026 - 🚩
How it is marketed
346 of the 821 complaints we collected
“This app is misleading and a trick. It falsely claims to grow Instagram followers but delivers nothing real. Just spam and lies—don’t trust it.”
Halame · Trustpilot · April 28, 2026 “They start to ask fake review.”
Michael Kenway · Trustpilot · January 8, 2026 - 🚩
Support
261 of the 821 complaints we collected
“I cancelled my subscription two years ago and they continued to charge my card. No response from the Chat function or from the support email. Now looking at other avenues to escalate this and re-claim funds”
Anna Mason · Trustpilot · April 21, 2026 “I Stopped my subcription and they still charge my credit card with 49$ each month allmost, dont trust them, they dont answer on their support mail . UPDATE: AS A RESPONSE for you Jessica: I did send the email with also the invoices. 2 days ago, no answer.”
Coșa Eusebio · Trustpilot · February 17, 2026 - 🚩
Results
220 of the 821 complaints we collected
“Waste of money and completely unethical account management practices. Would not cancel my account. Kept billing me. no response from support. They should be criminally investigated.”
Todd Newman · Trustpilot · December 6, 2025 “Good but if you stop paying for any reason then they slowly start taking away followers from your account that you have been paying for months so it becomes a complete waste of money.”
Sophie B · Trustpilot · July 21, 2025 - 🚩
Bugs and outages
21 of the 821 complaints we collected
“Very bad website not working.”
Shivam · Trustpilot · June 27, 2026 “I had tried out a subscription at first, then had canceled it because their product stopped working - nothing was happening on my account.”
Amber · Trustpilot · March 31, 2026 - 🚩
Account safety
20 of the 821 complaints we collected
“I no longer even have the option to message them through their platform, which makes it feel as though I have been blocked from contacting support.”
Daniel · Trustpilot · June 12, 2026 “Not yet charged, now That I realized the scam I have blocked them by my bank.”
YdM · Trustpilot · March 24, 2026
What Kicksta customers say
Five-star reviews from Kicksta customers, with the date and where each one was posted.
“I like it because it is interesting; I receive daily, constant support from the support team, as well as instruction.”
“until now my experience has been good. Although more issues might come up i am confident that they will be able to fix them effectively the quick answer to resolve my issue was outstanding. i have no complaints whatsoever towards this tool.”
“I like that Kicksta is helping me build an audience without taking time away from the rest of my business. The best part for me is that I don't have to think about Instagram all day. It works in the background, and I've seen my account become much more active over the last couple of months. The initial setup was easy.”
“I mainly wanted another source of leads besides my website. Kicksta helped me get in front of people who were actually interested in my niche, and my follower count kept growing every week. Nothing crazy overnight, just steady growth.”
“I run a small business, so I don’t have a lot of time to focus on Instagram. I wanted another way to get leads and wasn’t expecting much, but Kicksta actually helped me grow my account with real followers and potential buyers. It was easy to set up and didn’t require much work from me.”
“I appreciate that Kicksta automates my Instagram and helps with engagement by ensuring the accounts followed are real and not fake. It supports my organic growth by finding a target audience related to my account, which I find beneficial. Also, the initial setup was very easy.”
Where Upgrow does well
Upgrow is an Instagram growth service with three monthly plans.
- Three plans to choose from: Basic, Pro and Turbo.
- It replies publicly to most negative Trustpilot reviews.
Their reply to a reviewer
“Hi Melrose, I'm really sorry to hear that you're feeling this way—it sounds like you had a very frustrating experience. At UpGrow, we work hard to deliver genuine, organic growth through proven methods, and it's disheartening to know that we didn't meet your expectations. I'd love to learn more about what went wrong and address your concerns directly. Could you please email me at support@upgrow.com with a few more details? Your feedback is incredibly important, and I'm here to help make things right. Warm regards, Jessica from UpGrow 😊”
How to switch from Upgrow to Kicksta
Start your Kicksta trial
Pick the Growth or Advanced Plan on a monthly or quarterly plan and try it free for 7 days.
Choose who to reach
Add the accounts and hashtags your audience already follows. Kicksta puts you in front of the people behind them.
Cancel your old plan
Keep the confirmation once it is cancelled.
Upgrow Alternative FAQ
What is the best Upgrow alternative?
Kicksta, if you want followers from the audience you choose: you pick the accounts and hashtags, and it reaches the people who follow them.
Is Upgrow legit?
Upgrow is a real company that sells Instagram growth plans. Trustpilot reviewers report billing and cancelling problems more than anything else, and its own terms say it can't protect you from spam, fake or inactive followers.
How much does Kicksta cost compared with Upgrow?
Kicksta's Growth Plan is $69/mo billed monthly, $49/mo billed quarterly or $39/mo billed yearly. Upgrow's Basic Plan is $69/month, or $34/month for the first year on a yearly plan.
Does Kicksta have a free trial?
Yes. Monthly and quarterly plans start with a 7-day free trial. Yearly plans pay in full and have no trial.
See what Kicksta does for your account
Pick the accounts and hashtags your audience follows. Try it free for 7 days on a monthly or quarterly plan.
Kicksta is not affiliated with Upgrow. Upgrow is named only to identify it; its trademarks belong to its owner. Facts about Upgrow were checked October 13, 2026.