Compare · Keyword alerts for Reddit and Hacker News
The best F5Bot alternative: Larvabot vs F5Bot
F5Bot is a simple, long-running keyword alert service for Reddit, Hacker News and Lobsters, with a free plan. Larvabot isn't really a replacement for it: it can use your F5Bot alerts as one of its inputs, then adds 11 more sources, scores every post for buying intent and drafts a reply. Use F5Bot alone if you only want alerts; use Larvabot when you want those alerts turned into customers.
Facts about F5Bot checked on its own site, October 2026.
Larvabot
Finds people asking for what you sell, and drafts the reply
From $19/month
- Watches
- 13 sources: Reddit, Threads, X, LinkedIn, Facebook groups, forums and more
- Does
- Scores each post, drafts a reply you post yourself, plus email outreach
- Alerts
- Push on phone and desktop, Telegram for the best leads
- Pays
- Flat fee, no credits or keyword caps, 14-day free trial
F5Bot
Keyword alerts for Reddit and Hacker News
Free; paid from $9.99/mo
- Watches
- Reddit, Hacker News and Lobsters
- Does
- F5Bot emails you when your keywords appear in new posts and comments on Reddit, Hacker News and Lobsters, with paid plans adding more keywords, faster alerts and AI filtering
- Alerts
- Email (instant on Gold), RSS/JSON feeds, Slack and Discord on Gold
- Pays
- Free, or monthly plans by keyword count
The differences at a glance
- F5Bot sends alerts; Larvabot reads them (and 12 other sources), scores each post and drafts a reply.
- F5Bot covers Reddit, Hacker News and Lobsters; Larvabot adds Threads, X, LinkedIn, Facebook groups, forums, YouTube and more.
- F5Bot's free plan allows 5 keywords for personal use; Larvabot has no keyword caps at a flat price.
- F5Bot is cheaper if all you need is a few email alerts.
Larvabot vs F5Bot: feature comparison
| Feature | Larvabot | F5Bot |
|---|---|---|
| Where it looks | ||
Yes | Yes | |
| Hacker News | Yes | Yes |
| Threads, X, LinkedIn, Facebook groups | YesPublic posts that search engines index | No |
| Forums, Stack Exchange, Lemmy, GitHub | Yes | NoLobsters only |
| YouTube comments and Bluesky | Yes | No |
| Telegram groups | YesGroups you've joined, read-only | No |
| Limit leads to a city or country | Yes | No |
| What it does | ||
| AI scores each post for buying intent | Yes0–100, tagged by intent | Gold planAI filtering by description |
| Reply drafted for you | Yes | No |
| Never posts or DMs from your accounts | YesYou post every reply yourself | Yes |
| Finds businesses to email and drafts the email | YesWith contact finding and follow-ups | No |
| Shows which replies brought visitors | YesCookieless tracking snippet | No |
| Alerts and apps | ||
| Push notifications on phone and desktop | YesInstallable web app, iPhone included | No |
| Chat alerts (Telegram or Slack) | TelegramFor posts scoring 85+ | Gold planSlack and Discord |
| Pricing | ||
| How you pay | Flat monthly fee, no credits | Free, or monthly plans by keyword count |
| Keyword or mention limits | NoneRuns on your own free API keys | 5 to 300 keywordsPlus daily alert caps per plan |
| Starting price | $19/month | Free; $9.99/month |
| Free plan or trial | 14-day free trial | Free plan (personal use) |
Pricing compared
Larvabot
- Launch1 website, unlimited leads and drafts$19/mo
- ScaleUnlimited websites, unlimited leads and drafts$49/mo
No credits, no per-keyword or per-mention charges. The AI and search run on free API keys in your name. 14-day free trial.
F5Bot
- Free5 keywords, 20 alerts a day, alerts delayed up to 2 hours, personal use only$0
- Silver20 keywords, 100 alerts a day, alerts within 5 minutes, advanced filters$9.99/mo
- Gold200 keywords, 5,000 alerts a day, instant alerts, AI filtering, Slack and Discord$49.99/mo
- Platinum300 keywords and higher daily limits$214.99/mo
Yearly F5Bot plans include one month free. Larvabot can use the alerts from any F5Bot plan, including the free one.
F5Bot's current pricing ↗Where F5Bot is the better choice
No tool is right for everyone. F5Bot does some things Larvabot doesn't:
- It's free for personal use, and has been running since 2017.
- Alerts are fast: within 5 minutes on Silver and instant on Gold, while Larvabot checks every couple of hours (with Check now any time).
- RSS and JSON feeds, an API, and Slack and Discord webhooks on Gold, if you want to pipe mentions into your own tools.
- Lobsters coverage, which Larvabot doesn't have.
Why people choose Larvabot instead
Keep F5Bot, add everything after the alert
Point your F5Bot alerts at Larvabot (each project can have its own free F5Bot account) and every match gets read, scored for buying intent and given a reply draft. No more opening 40 emails to find the two that matter.
13 places watched, not one
Reddit, Hacker News, Threads, X, LinkedIn, Facebook groups, YouTube comments, Bluesky, Stack Exchange, Lemmy, Discourse forums, GitHub and Telegram groups, plus the wider web. Your buyers don't all ask on the same site.
Drafts you post yourself
Larvabot never posts, comments or sends DMs from your accounts. You read the draft, make it sound like you and post it, which keeps your accounts in good standing with every platform's rules.
Alerts where you are
Install Larvabot as an app on your phone or computer (iPhone too, from the Home Screen) and get a push when something worth replying to turns up, plus an instant Telegram message for posts that score 85 or more.
A flat fee, no credits or keyword caps
Larvabot runs on free API keys in your own name (an AI key, a search key), with a quota guard that stops below every free limit. A month with 500 leads costs the same as a month with five.
More than monitoring
When your buyers are businesses, Larvabot also finds the ones worth a personal email, finds the right contact and drafts the email and follow-ups. A directory checklist and visitor reports are included.
Which one should you choose?
Choose Larvabot if…
- Your F5Bot inbox is full of mentions and you want only the posts where someone wants what you sell.
- You want reply drafts that fit your business, not just links.
- Your customers also ask on Threads, X, LinkedIn, Facebook groups or niche forums.
- You want push and Telegram alerts for the best leads, and no keyword caps.
Choose F5Bot if…
- You only want to know when your brand or a keyword is mentioned on Reddit or Hacker News.
- You want alerts within minutes and are happy to judge and reply to each one yourself.
- You need RSS, JSON or webhook feeds for your own tooling.
How to switch from F5Bot to Larvabot
- 1Keep your F5Bot account. In Larvabot's F5Bot tab, follow the three steps to forward that project's alerts to Larvabot.
- 2Start a free trial and add your website. Larvabot reads it and drafts a profile of your customers, competitors and the phrases people use when they ask for what you sell.
- 3Copy your F5Bot keywords into the profile's keywords and "how people ask" phrases, then review the communities it suggests.
- 4Add a free AI key (and a search key for the other sources), then turn on push or Telegram alerts.
Step-by-step help: Larvabot quickstart · the free keys you need · where Larvabot looks
Frequently asked questions
Is F5Bot free?
F5Bot has a free plan for personal use with 5 keywords and up to 20 alerts a day, delayed by up to 2 hours. Paid plans start at $9.99 a month for 20 keywords and faster alerts; Gold at $49.99 adds AI filtering and Slack and Discord.
Does Larvabot replace F5Bot?
It can work without it, but it's better with it. Larvabot uses F5Bot alerts as its main source of Reddit and Hacker News posts, then scores each one, drafts a reply and adds 11 more sources. Many people keep F5Bot and point its alerts at Larvabot.
What's the difference between F5Bot and Larvabot?
F5Bot tells you that a keyword appeared. Larvabot decides whether the post is someone who wants what you sell, explains why, drafts a reply for you to post, and also watches Threads, X, LinkedIn, Facebook groups, forums, YouTube and more.
Does F5Bot monitor Twitter or LinkedIn?
No. F5Bot monitors Reddit, Hacker News and Lobsters. Larvabot covers Threads, X, LinkedIn and public Facebook groups through what search engines index, plus YouTube comments, Bluesky, forums and GitHub.
How much does Larvabot cost compared with F5Bot?
Larvabot is a flat $19 a month ($49 for unlimited websites) with no keyword caps and a 14-day free trial. F5Bot is free with 5 keywords, or $9.99 to $214.99 a month by keyword count. You can use both together.
Try Larvabot free for 14 days
Add your website and Larvabot works out who your customers are, then finds the people asking for what you sell across 13 sources, with a reply drafted for each. From $19 a month after the trial, with no credits.
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F5Bot is a trademark of its owner; this page isn't affiliated with or endorsed by F5Bot. Details checked October 2026 from: F5Bot plans and limits; F5Bot homepage. Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we'll fix it.