X has announced significant changes to the pricing structure of its API subscriptions, justifying the significant jump by adding more functionality.
The monthly cost of the Basic API tier has now doubled, from $100 per month to $200. In return, developers using APIs for various applications, such as data analytics and engagement tools, can now process 15,000 messages, up from 10,000.
The company confirmed in a X message that new API endpoints such as ‘reposts_of_me’ and community searches will also be available.
X The costs for the Basic API tier are increasing
The $5,000 monthly rate for the Pro level remains unchanged, but adjustments have been made to usage limits to provide subscribers with better value.
The social media platform has also introduced annual subscriptions for both Basic and Pro levels, priced at $2,100 and $54,000, offering savings of 12.5% and 10% over monthly payments.
The company continues to offer a free tier, but the post limit has been reduced from 1,500 to 500 per month, with the read API limited to 100 requests, all in an effort to get customers to part with their money.
X shared on his community page for developers: “Since our initial launch a year ago, the Self Serve X API has been used by developers to support a wide range of use cases.”
Reactions in the comments on the platform’s X post are mixed – while many are praising the introduction of free experimental reading access, others are criticizing the company for charging way too much for API access.
The changes are part of CEO Elon Musk’s efforts to monetize X and eradicate bots, which have plagued the site in the past.