Every day, around half a billion people use and post to Instagram, so it is no wonder that it is one of the most popular platforms for brands and influencers to connect with fans. That is how an interesting battle of Kicksta vs Upleap got out.
There are many factors that determine the authenticity and attractiveness of an account and while high-quality content is crucial, the goal of every social media account is to increase their total number of followers.
Why Follower Number Matters
There are many benefits to having a high follower number. For brands, it means more eyes on their products and a chance to increase sales, whereas for influencers, the more followers they have, the more attractive they are to businesses looking to promote their products.
It also helps to create a snowball effect in terms of follower growth, with other Instagram users more likely to follow an account with high followers as it suggests the content is interesting.
Kicksta vs Upleap
There are many different methods and techniques that you can use to grow your followers and there are countless Instagram marketing providers out there who claim to be able to help speed the process up.
Some of these providers are proven to work, whereas others use questionable methods that could actually result in your account being banned for breaching the platform’s terms and conditions.
With so much choice of providers, choosing the right one for your brand is tough.
That is why we thought we would look at two of the most popular Instagram growth services on the market, Kicksta vs Upleap.
What is Kicksta?
Kicksta is one of the most well-known Instagram growth providers on the market.
Previously known as Kickstagram (they had to rebrand a little while ago for violating Instagram’s rules of using its name), it is a dedicated growth tool that helps to build organic growth of real followers.
What is Upleap?
Upleap is a similar brand and provides users with a very comparable method of growth.
The platform offers a little more of a personal touch by assigning each client with a dedicated Account Manager who will interact with organic followers on their behalf.
But as you can see Upleap recently switched to selling followers, so we are going to talk more about their previous service. And if you wonder whether or not to buy Instagram followers then this article is for you.
In both instances, it is important to remember that these are legitimate methods of organic growth, which means that you will not be purchasing fake followers.
Many people wonder which is better, Kicksta vs Upleap, so we have taken an in-depth look at both providers, examining how to get started, how they work, and their pros and cons.
Starting To Work With Kicksta vs Upleap
Both Instagram growth providers are very simple to get started with and can be done in a matter of moments.
Get Started With Kicksta
For new accounts on Kicksta, companies simply need to visit the Kicksta’s website and register an account with their email.
There is no trial period, so users will need to choose between their Standard package costing $49 or the Premium package costing $99.
Starting With Upleap
Upleap does offer users a free three day trial of their methods, letting accounts discover the benefits before needing to commit to any financial obligations.
To start working with Upleap, a company will need to register an account with the platform by creating a profile using an email address and connecting their Instagram account.
Upleap offers a range of monthly fees, starting from $39 for the Lite version up to $99 for the Premium.
How Do These Instagram Growth Agencies Work?
Both Upleap and Kicksta focus on providing organic growth, which means you will be seeing real accounts follow your profile.
This is a crucial requirement and will ensure that you are able to continue to enjoy strong engagement rates and will not break any Instagram terms and conditions.
Kicksta vs Upleap – Features of Kicksta
The Kicksta platform lets users target a specific audience through a number of criteria that you are able to set out. This includes categories such as locations, similar accounts they follow, and also the use of hashtags.
Once you have identified the profile of the accounts that you would like to follow your page, Kicksta will begin an automated process of liking photos and following those Instagram users that meet your criteria.
The idea behind this is to highlight your brand, by notifying the user of your presence, which will lead them to check out your profile and hopefully follow you.
Upleap Has a Real Account Manager
Upleap also provides its users with an in-depth targeting process, based on three categories: publications, followers, and following.
Once you have identified the type of user you want to follow you, Upleap will begin a similar process of liking and engaging with Instagram accounts that match this profile.
The platform does claim that this is done manually by a real account manager, helping to provide a more personal touch and ensuring that you always receive followers that meet your criteria.
However, while they claim not to use automation, there are certain user reviews online that suggest that this was not the case in their experience, so it is worth keeping that in mind if automation is a key factor you want to avoid.
Kicksta vs Upleap – Filtering Relevant Followers
Instagram users are constantly changing, so to ensure that you are always welcoming new followers that are relevant to your brand, both Kicksta and Upleap offer further filtering methods.
Kicksta Filtering
If you are finding that your targeting is not working as you expect, Kicksta lets you filter these down even further, allowing you to prevent spam and undesirable accounts from following you. These filters include:
- Private or inactive accounts
- Suspicious accounts
- New accounts
- Gender
- Language
- Location
- Blacklist
- Business accounts
These help you to hyper-target the type of followers that you want to follow you, helping to increase the engagement you receive.
Upleap Targeted Approach
Upleap also offers its users the ability to hyper-target the type of followers you receive by targeting across a number of factors; this includes:
- Choosing two categories of follower
- Description of your ideal follower
- Relevant hashtags to target and those to block
- Ability to find similar followers and to block some
- Location
Kicksta vs Upleap – Analysis and Reporting
In order to ensure you are always enjoying the best quality of followers, you need to be able to track how your growth agency and Instagram profile are performing.
Kicksta’s Analytics Dashboard
Users on Kicksta are able to monitor how the platform is working for them, with a clear visual graph of new followers over any given range of time.
There are also quick ‘at a glance’ features that show daily increases and how each individual target category is performing.
There is also the ability to track how your own posts are performing with precise data on the number of likes, comments, and engagement it receives.
Analytics on Upleap
There is a similar level of analytics on Upleap, with the platform detailing follower growth over set periods of time, as well as establishing regular milestones to help you achieve your goals.
There is also an in-depth report published regularly from your account manager, and the platform also lets you monitor the performance of hashtags. As you can see Kicksta vs Upleap is a constant battle of giants.
Kicksta vs Upleap – Customer Support
The level of support an Instagram growth service offers should be one of the most important factors that you consider before signing up, so we’ve taken a look at how both perform on customer service.
How Is The Customer Support on Kicksta?
Although Kicksta does offer a live chat service, it does not operate on a 24/7 basis, which means that users will have to rely on their FAQ section or email support for any queries that arise outside of their operating hours.
The platform does offer direct Customer Service Managers for its premium customers, while there are also various video courses to help you solve common queries.
Support on Upleap
Upleap also offers an in-depth FAQ section that covers the most common problems that occur with your account, subscriptions, payments, and security.
There is also a comprehensive guide to help you troubleshoot any issues, as well as an option to raise a further query with customer support via email.
Final Verdict on Kicksta vs Upleap
When it comes to deciding which is better, Kicksta vs Upleap, both platforms offer a very similar service and pricing, so it is primarily down to personal preference.
While they both provide organic followers, they are operating with automation features that are no longer being accepted by Instagram, so using them could result in your account contravening the strict new platform rules.
Here at SocialStud.io, we provide our clients with a powerful alternative designed to increase your brand awareness and boost your overall followers through organic methods that are completely in-line with Instagram’s strict new rules.
