Instagram comment moderation: hide spam, scams and link drops automatically
Comment Shield checks every comment on your posts, Reels and ads against rules you control, and hides, deletes or flags the ones that break them, around the clock. It is included on every plan: Free screens 2,000 comments a month, and paid plans screen far more.
Free plan, no card needed. Instagram tools work with a Business or Creator account.
What is Instagram comment moderation?
Instagram comment moderation is filtering the comments on your content: hiding spam, bot replies, scam links, competitor promotions and abuse so your real audience sees a clean thread. Instagram has a basic keyword filter built in. A moderation tool adds rules you can tune, separate handling for paid posts, an allowlist, and a record of what it did.
Comment Shield works through Instagram’s official API. Every rule picks an action (hide, delete or flag for review) and a scope (all posts, organic only, or ads only), and when several rules match one comment the strictest action wins.
How to set up comment moderation
Add a bundle instead of a blank page
Essentials covers bot spam, scams and profanity on everything you post. Ad shield adds link, promo-code and contact-harvesting rules to ads and dark posts only. Both are one click and need no configuration.
Protect your own links and codes
In “Never touch these”, add your domain, your active promo codes and any teammate who replies from their own account. The allowlist is checked before any rule and always wins.
Try a comment before you trust a rule
Paste something a spammer would write into “Try a comment” to see what your rules would do. Nothing is posted to Instagram.
Check the Activity tab weekly
Every action is logged with the comment text and the exact word that matched, so a false positive is easy to diagnose. Anything caught wrongly can be put back from there.
What Comment Shield catches
Spam, scams and profanity
Built-in lists you do not have to write, which match through obfuscation such as “f*ck”, “c h e c k m y b i o” and “ch3ck my b1o”.
Links, on the posts where they matter
An “any link or URL” rule that also catches bare domains and “site (dot) com”. On paid posts use Ad shield instead of an account-wide link rule: links under an ad are almost always competitors or scams, while links under an organic post are often your own community.
Competitor promo codes and contact harvesting
Catches other brands’ discount codes under your posts, and emails, phone numbers and “message me on WhatsApp” replies aimed at your audience.
Your own words and patterns
Add a keyword, a custom banned word or a regex. Free can have 3 rules of your own, Starter 20, and Pro and Max are unlimited. The built-in bundles do not count.
Zero tolerance and an AI rule (Pro and Max)
Zero tolerance deletes instead of hiding. The AI rule reads intent, so it catches hate, harassment and threats that a keyword list would miss. It is optional, works alongside your word rules rather than instead of them, and sends comment text to an AI provider, so it is off until you switch it on.
Undo, allowlist and escalation
Hidden comments can be restored in one click. An account that keeps tripping your rules is escalated from hidden to deleted after three catches in 30 days. A Pause switch turns every rule off at once without deleting them.
It runs before your automations
A comment hidden or deleted by a rule does not also trigger an auto-DM. A comment that is only flagged for review still can. See comment-to-DM automation.
Protect your best fans
One tap on a Superfans inner-circle member adds them to the allowlist, so a keyword or spam rule can never hide a comment from the people who matter most.
What each plan includes
Read from the same table as the pricing page, so the two always agree.
| Feature | Free | Starter | Pro | Max |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Comments screened by Comment ShieldComments checked each month by the spam and abuse filter that hides or deletes what matches your rules. | 2,000 / month | 25,000 / month | 100,000 / month | Unlimited |
| Your own Shield rulesCustom keyword or phrase rules you write yourself, on top of the built-in spam and abuse filters. | 3 | 20 | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Zero tolerance and the AI hostility ruleAuto-hide anything the AI flags as hostile or abusive, with no manual review needed. | Not included | Not included | Included | Included |
| AI comment readsHow many comments the AI can read each month to tag intent and draft replies, on top of what Comment Shield screens. | Not included | 1,000 / month | 10,000 / month | 50,000 / month |
Limits and what it can’t do
Knowing the edges is part of choosing a tool. Several of these are Instagram’s rules, not ours.
- Instagram has no undelete. A deleted comment cannot be restored, so start with Hide, or Flag for review on any rule you are not certain about. Hidden comments can be put back.
- Comments over your monthly screening allowance are not screened until the 1st (2,000 on Free). You are told at 80% and again at 100%, and nothing is charged as overage.
- Rules are pattern matching. Even a good rule can catch a legitimate comment, which is why the allowlist, the Activity log and Try a comment exist. Review Activity weekly at first.
- Comment Shield moderates comments only. Direct messages are sorted separately by the Money Inbox.
- The AI rule reads comment text through an AI provider and is metered monthly by plan. At the limit it falls back to your word rules, which keep working.
Frequently asked questions
How do I automatically hide spam comments on Instagram?
Connect your Business or Creator account, open Comment Shield and add the Essentials bundle. It hides bot spam, scam links and profanity on every post, including versions written to dodge filters. Hidden comments are invisible to other visitors, and you can put any of them back from the Activity tab.
Can I block links in Instagram comments?
Yes. The “any link or URL” rule catches links, bare domains and “site (dot) com” spellings. Add your own domain to the allowlist so a customer sharing your link is never treated as a spammer. For paid posts, the Ad shield bundle applies link rules to ads only.
What is the difference between hiding and deleting a comment?
A hidden comment is invisible to other visitors and can be restored. A deleted comment is gone for good, because Instagram has no undelete. Use Hide for anything you are not sure about, and Delete only for what is unambiguous, or switch on zero tolerance if you want deletion by default.
Does it work on ads and dark posts?
Yes. Each rule has a scope: all posts, organic only, or ads only. The Ad shield bundle applies link, promo-code and contact-harvesting rules to ads and dark posts. See how to protect paid Instagram posts from comment spam.
Will it hide comments from my real followers by mistake?
It can, as any rule can, which is why several safeguards exist: the allowlist always wins, you can protect Superfans in one tap, Try a comment shows what a rule would do before you rely on it, Flag for review records a match without touching the comment, and every action is logged with the exact word that triggered it and can be undone.
Is comment moderation free?
Yes. Comment Shield is on every plan. Free screens 2,000 comments a month with 3 custom rules; Starter screens 25,000 and Pro 100,000; Max is unlimited. Zero tolerance and the AI hostility rule are on Pro and Max.
Guides
- How to Stop Instagram Comment Spam for Good
Bot links, competitor promos, and the same three scam accounts in every comment section. Here's how automatic moderation catches it before a single follower sees it.
- Comment Spam Is Eating Your Ad Budget: How to Protect Paid Instagram Posts
A promo link dropped under your organic post is annoying. The same link under a post you're paying to promote is actively working against the money you spent. Here's the difference — and why most moderation tools miss it.
- Fake Brand Deal or Real? 9 Instagram DM Scams Targeting Creators
Fake copyright strikes, blue-badge offers and brand deals that ask you to pay first. Nine Instagram DM scams aimed at creators, and how to spot each in seconds.
- How to Run an Instagram Giveaway That Doesn't Attract Freebie Hunters
Most giveaways spike followers, then lose them. Run one with comment-to-DM entry, clear rules and a relevant prize, then measure whether the new followers stayed.
Documentation
- Auto-moderating comments
Built-in spam lists, ad-only rules, an allowlist, and a full activity log.
- Finding your real superfans
Orders, DMs, link taps, shares and testimonials — turned into one ranked list.
- Delivery, branding & AI settings
Rate limiting, white-labeling, and the two AI features.
More Instagram tools
Comment-to-DM automation
Auto-DM anyone who comments a keyword on your posts, Reels or Stories. Official Instagram API, public replies, product cards and email capture. Free plan.
Read moreInstagram analytics
Best times to post, every post ranked by any metric, and a Post Report that follows each post from reach to comments, DMs, link taps and orders. Free plan.
Read moreInstagram DM inbox (Money Inbox)
The Money Inbox files every Instagram DM into four lanes and pulls the budget, deliverables and deadline from brand inquiries. Free sorting; AI on paid plans.
Read moreEmail capture from Instagram
Ask for an email inside the DM before you send the link, keep every lead in one list, and broadcast by email or DM. Official API, unsubscribe built in.
Read moreSee all Instagram tools, every knit.bio feature or the link-in-bio page.
Try it on your own account
Free plan, no credit card. Connect Instagram with Meta login and set up your first automation in minutes.
Start for freeLast reviewed against the product on . Plan limits are read from the pricing table and change only when the product does.