Data · Pricing
Creator Pricing Benchmarks: Q1 2025 Update
The Instagram engagement services market is flooded with providers offering wildly different pricing: $5 for 1,000 likes from one vendor, $150 from another. Without benchmarks, it's impossible to tell whether you're getting a fair deal, paying for bot traffic, or overpaying for "premium" engagement that performs no better than mid-tier services. Want transparent pricing? Run a free audit and we'll show you exactly what your account needs and what it costs.
This guide provides safe pricing ranges for Instagram engagement services in Q1 2025, based on market analysis of 40+ providers, engagement acceptance rates (whether Instagram actually counts the engagement), and algorithmic value (how much each signal type impacts reach and Explore placement). Campground's approach? Drip-fed saves, shares, profile visits, and impressions—not just cheap likes—delivered from aged personas across natural time windows.
Industry Context: Q1 2025 Landscape
Instagram engagement pricing has shifted dramatically in the past 18 months. Three major factors are driving this:
1. Algorithm Changes Devalue Likes
In 2025, likes carry the lowest algorithmic weight of all engagement types. Instagram prioritizes saves, DM shares, and watch time—signals that indicate content value, not just passive scrolling. As a result, services selling bulk likes at rock-bottom prices are delivering engagement Instagram largely ignores.
2. Detection Improvements Killed Cheap Bot Services
Instagram's spam detection has improved significantly. Cheap bot services ($5-$10 per 1,000 likes) use low-quality accounts (empty profiles, zero posts, generic usernames) that Instagram flags and ignores within hours. If engagement isn't counted toward your post's performance metrics, you paid for nothing.
3. Aged Persona Infrastructure Costs More
Legitimate services deploy aged accounts with posting histories, follower/following ratios, and engagement patterns that mimic real users. Building and maintaining these personas costs 10-20x more than spinning up throwaway bot accounts. This infrastructure cost is reflected in pricing—but it's the only type of engagement Instagram actually recognizes.
Engagement Type Pricing Ranges (Per 100 Units)
Below are safe pricing ranges for Q1 2025. Prices reflect engagement from aged, believable accounts that Instagram's algorithm counts toward post performance. Anything significantly cheaper is likely bot traffic; anything significantly more expensive is markup without additional value.
Likes
Safe Range: $3-$8 per 100 likes
Algorithmic Value: Low (lowest-weighted signal in 2025)
Quality Indicators: Personas with 150+ followers, posting history, topically aligned profiles
Red Flags:
- Under $2/100 = Bot accounts with zero followers, empty profiles
- Over $12/100 = Premium markup without performance justification
Saves
Safe Range: $12-$25 per 100 saves
Algorithmic Value: High (top indicator of valuable content)
Quality Indicators: Saves remain visible in post insights, engagement acceptance rate above 90%
Why saves cost more: Saves are rare in organic engagement (1 save per 7-10 likes is typical). Services can't over-deliver saves without triggering detection, so volume is limited and pricing reflects scarcity.
Red Flags:
- Under $8/100 = Likely bot saves Instagram ignores
- Over $30/100 = Overpriced relative to market
Comments
Safe Range: $15-$35 per 100 comments
Algorithmic Value: Medium-High (when substantive; low if generic)
Quality Indicators: 2+ sentences, on-topic, varied phrasing across comments
Comments cost more than likes or saves because they require manual input or sophisticated AI generation. Generic comments ("Nice post!" "Love this!") are cheap but worthless—Instagram's spam classifiers flag repetitive, low-effort comments.
Red Flags:
- Under $10/100 = Generic, templated comments with typos
- All comments identical or near-identical phrasing
- Comments from accounts with zero posts or followers
DM Shares (Reels-Specific)
Safe Range: $40-$80 per 100 DM shares
Algorithmic Value: Highest (especially for Reels)
Quality Indicators: Shares go to real accounts (not throwaway profiles), acceptance rate above 85%
DM shares are the highest-weighted engagement signal for Reels, but they're also the rarest. Overusing DM shares triggers red flags because organic users rarely share via DM (most share to Stories or send to 1-2 close friends). Services price DM shares high because deployment volume must stay conservative.
Red Flags:
- Under $30/100 = Fake shares Instagram doesn't count
- Services offering unlimited DM shares = Detection risk
Profile Taps
Safe Range: $10-$20 per 100 profile taps
Algorithmic Value: Medium (signals interest in the creator, not just the post)
Quality Indicators: Taps lead to 5-10 second profile view sessions
Profile taps indicate discovery behavior (users finding your content on Explore or hashtags, then checking out your account). This signal helps Instagram understand that your content is attracting new audience interest.
Account Size Multipliers
Pricing often varies by account size because larger accounts require more careful pacing to avoid detection:
| Account Size | Pricing Multiplier | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| <1K followers | 1.0x (base rate) | Standard pacing |
| 1K-10K followers | 1.1-1.3x | Moderate volume increase |
| 10K-50K followers | 1.4-1.6x | Extended delivery windows |
| 50K+ followers | 1.7-2.0x | Custom calibration required |
Larger accounts attract more scrutiny from Instagram's spam detection. Delivering 100 saves to a 1,000-follower account is relatively low-risk. Delivering 500 saves to a 100,000-follower account requires more sophisticated pacing, longer delivery windows, and higher-quality personas—all of which increase operational costs.
Red Flags in Pricing
Too Cheap = Bot Traffic
If pricing is 50%+ below the safe ranges above, the service is almost certainly using bot accounts:
- Empty profiles (no bio, no posts, no followers)
- Generic usernames (user12345, randomnameXYZ)
- Zero engagement history (accounts created days ago)
Instagram's spam detection ignores engagement from these accounts. You'll see numbers go up in your insights, but the engagement won't count toward algorithmic ranking, won't push your post to Explore, and won't drive reach growth.
Too Expensive ≠ Better Performance
Premium pricing ($20-$30 per 100 likes, $60-$100 per 100 saves) doesn't automatically mean better performance. Once engagement is coming from aged, believable accounts with realistic pacing, additional cost usually reflects:
- Brand markup (charging more because of reputation)
- Bundled services (analytics, reporting, content strategy)
- White-label overhead (if you're buying through an agency reseller)
These can add value, but the core engagement quality often isn't better than mid-tier providers charging $5-$8/100 likes and $15-$25/100 saves.
What Campground Charges
Campground operates at the mid-to-upper end of safe pricing ranges:
- Likes: $6/100 (aged personas, 150-400 followers each)
- Saves: $18/100 (prioritized signal, conservative pacing)
- Comments: $22/100 (2-3 sentences, on-topic, varied phrasing)
- DM Shares: $65/100 (used sparingly, 3-5 per post max)
- Profile Taps: $14/100 (5-10 second view sessions)
Pricing includes 30-day persona aging, three-window delivery pacing, weekly roster rotation, and compliance monitoring. We prioritize saves and profile taps over likes because they deliver higher algorithmic value per dollar spent.
The Bottom Line: You Get What You Pay For
Instagram engagement pricing follows a predictable curve: too cheap means bot traffic Instagram ignores, too expensive means you're paying for branding or bundled services without core performance improvement.
Safe pricing in Q1 2025 falls into these ranges:
- $3-$8 per 100 likes
- $12-$25 per 100 saves
- $15-$35 per 100 comments
- $40-$80 per 100 DM shares
- $10-$20 per 100 profile taps
Anything significantly outside these ranges should trigger additional due diligence: request proof of engagement acceptance (Instagram counting the engagement toward post performance), ask about persona quality (posting history, follower/following ratios), and verify compliance practices (pacing limits, detection avoidance protocols).
The cheapest option isn't a bargain if Instagram ignores the engagement. The most expensive option isn't worth it if mid-tier providers deliver identical algorithmic value. Use these benchmarks to navigate the market and find services that deliver engagement Instagram actually recognizes and rewards.
