Hiring a freelance chatter is cheaper per hour, but you become the manager: you train them, cover their shifts, check quality and carry the risk if they break platform rules. A chatting agency costs a share of what it sells and takes that work off you. If you earn under about $3,000 a month in DM revenue, or you enjoy managing people, hiring one chatter is often the better deal.
The real question: who manages the inbox?
Most creators compare price per hour. The bigger difference is who owns the work around the chat: hiring, training, scheduling, quality checks, handovers between shifts and stepping in when something goes wrong. With a freelancer that is you. With an agency it is the agency.
Side by side
| Topic | Freelance chatter | Sotto |
|---|---|---|
| How you pay | Usually hourly, often plus a commission. Rates vary a lot. | 25% of DM revenue, from $800 a month. No setup fee. |
| Coverage | One person's hours. Nights, weekends and sick days are on you. | 16–24 hours a day, in shifts with written handovers. |
| Training | You write the scripts and teach your voice. | A persona doc you approve, and scripts based on your own messages. |
| Quality checks | You read the chats yourself. | Daily checks by our Head of Chat, plus a weekly report. |
| Rule-breaking risk | Yours alone if they slip. | Written red lines; a chatter who breaks one stops working on any Sotto account. |
| If it doesn't work | You find and train someone new. | 1–3 day trial, then 30 days' notice, no lock-in. |
| Your time | Several hours a week managing. | A weekly report and a monthly call. |
When hiring your own chatter makes more sense
- Your DM revenue is under about $3,000 a month, so a percentage with a minimum would cost you too much.
- You already have a chatter you trust and only need one more shift.
- You like managing people and have the hours to check their work.
When an agency makes more sense
- Fans message you around the clock across time zones, and replies are slow at night.
- You spend more time in DMs than creating content.
- You want someone else to own scripts, training, scheduling and quality.
- You want the cost tied to results, not hours.
How to check any agency before you sign
- Ask how they measure successIf there is no baseline from your own statements, you can't tell whether they helped. See how we calculate a baseline.
- Never share your passwordAccess should run through a CRM with roles, two-factor login and an audit log.
- Ask for their red lines in writingA good agency can tell you what it will never say in your name. See ours.
- Check the exitNotice period, who owns fan notes and scripts, and where payouts go. Payouts should always stay with you.
- Be wary of earnings guaranteesNobody can promise your income. A trial with a clear baseline is a fairer test.
Run an agency yourself? Our white-label plan gives you trained chatters under your brand for $13 per chatter-hour plus 3% of sales, starting with a free trial shift.