Twitter API Pricing and Limits

Twitter API pricing has undergone dramatic changes, pushing many smaller players away. Once a reliable way to get public conversation data, it has now become a VIP tool for those who can invest significant sums into building projects around that platform’s data stream.

As the platform transitions under new ownership, understanding the current pricing tiers, rate limits, and access restrictions has become essential knowledge for anyone looking to tap into Twitter’s data ecosystem.

In this article, you will discover the new reality of Twitter API access pricing, what packages it currently comes with, how the technical limitations affect different use cases, and how businesses can navigate these challenges.

What Is Twitter API?

In simple terms, an API is an interface thanks to which programs or services can request and collect public data from other services. It is a bridge between developers and Twitter’s data ecosystem.

The Twitter API (Application Programming Interface) is a set of tools and protocols that allow developers to access and interact with Twitter (“X”) data and functionality.

Twitter provides special HTTP addresses where clean data is available. Data for such addresses is provided in a structured format, most often in JSON. The first service “packages” the data into JSON format, and the other, which follows the data, “unpacks” it from JSON and uses it for internal display. 

This powerful interface allows developers to:

• Access and analyze tweet content
• Search for tweets on specific topics through relevant keywords
• Extract public user profile information

Moreover, this API is used both by Twitter itself in mobile apps and by third-party services that manage Twitter. Marketing professionals work with services that automatically post tweets in the prescribed mode. Academic researchers use this API to study social behavior and communication patterns. By the way, Twitter itself relies on this API for its mobile applications.

Simply put, the Twitter API is a digital doorway through which a website or application can interact with the social media platform. 

Why do you need the Twitter API?

The functionality of the Twitter API extends far beyond casual platform use. Here's what the Twitter API allows you to do:

1. Data Analysis and Research: Collect large amounts of data to analyze sentiment, track trends, and view public opinion.
2. Application Integration: Developers integrate Twitter functionality into various apps so that users can share content, view tweets, or interact with it directly from other platforms.
3. Social Media Management: Tools created using the Twitter API help companies and individuals plan Twitter posts, track mentions and replies, and manage interactions with several accounts.
4. Customer Service: Companies use the API to view mentions of their brand and quickly respond to client requests, complaints, or praise.
5. Marketing and Campaign Tracking: Marketers monitor the effectiveness of launched campaigns, and identify the level of engagement, reach, and audience growth on X.

And here is what you can do with the Twitter API:

1. Receive and post tweets: Automate sending tweets, receive tweets from a specific account, or search for tweets containing specific keywords.
2. Account Management: Manage your profile data, subscribe to or unsubscribe from accounts, and change account configuration.
3. Analytics: Get access to comprehensive analytics of tweet effectiveness, account engagement, and subscriber demographics.
4. Streaming: Listen to tweets in real time based on established criteria, which is ideal for live broadcasts of events or monitoring of certain topics or hashtags.
5. Data mining: Use the API to process large amounts of data for pattern recognition, machine learning projects, or to collect large datasets for analysis.

All of these capabilities are possible only with adherence to Twitter’s terms of service, rate limitations, and data usage policies. The API provides significant power, which brings great responsibility, so everyone using it must carefully consider privacy regulations governing how this information can be processed and stored.

Twitter API Limits: What Should You Know?

Like any other service, there are some Twitter API limits to ensure honest and secure user interaction. One of these restrictions is the speed limit, which shortens the number of API requests one can make over a certain period.

The limit defines the maximum number of requests for each API endpoint for a certain time, often 15 minutes. For example, if an endpoint has a limit of 900 requests in 15 minutes, up to 900 requests can be completed in any 15-minute interval.

Depending on the authentication method and access level, some restrictions may be set. If you exceed these limits, an error message will show up.
You cannot bypass the restriction, as this will violate Twitter’s terms of service and may result in temporary or permanent API access suspension.

Twitter API Cost: Twitter API Access Pricing In Details 

Twitter recently introduced its new API access formats. From now on, we can choose between four levels: Free, Basic, Enterprise, and Pro. Each tier has specific allowances that must be carefully considered when building Twitter-integrated applications.

Also, Twitter offers two distinct API versions: API v2 and Standard v1.1, each with different functionalities and structures. Both of them are accessible even in the Free tier, yet be prepared for limitations unless you’re ready to pay for the Enterprise level.

Free

The best part about this plan is that you don’t have to pay. A bit worse part about this plan is that you will face many limitations while using it. With this data plan, you can post up to 1,500 tweets per month via the API at the application level, but you’re not allowed to retrieve data.

Basic

The basic version costs $100 per month but increases the monthly publication limit at the application level to 50,000 tweets (if multiple users use the same app). The reading limit is limited to 10,000 tweets per month, and there is a limit for each user to post 3,000 tweets per month. Also, on this level, you get a 7-day search history.

Enterprise

Twitter Enterprise API pricing isn’t fixed, meaning you will pay depending on your needs. Some companies have reported that Twitter is asking for $42,000 monthly for the most budget API access. Despite the price, this is the most functional data plan currently available on Twitter. 

Pro

They launched Free, Basic, and Enterprise Twitter API access pricing plans at the very start of its X ​​epopeya, in March 2023. However, for small companies and startups, these offers did not look particularly attractive. The basic tariff options for their applications were not enough, and Enterprise was too expensive for many. As a result, most unofficial Twitter clients just closed down, and RSS aggregators stopped showing posts from Twitter. 

After a few months, the company solved this problem by introducing another tariff plan – Pro for $5,000 per month. The plan allows you to publish 300,000 and read up to 1 million records monthly. According to Twitter, this should be enough for startups. 

However, many users aren’t happy that the platform decides this for them through its Twitter API pricing policy.

If the price is a barrier for you, you may take a look at Twitter API alternatives that offer comparable functionality. You can find a solution to gather valuable social insights without compromising on data quality or regulatory requirements at a more accessible price point.

How to Optimize Data Collection in Twitter API

If the Twitter API cost isn’t an obstacle for you, here are some tips for optimizing data processing:

• Use multiple Access Tokens. Scale up by creating more Twitter and app developer accounts to get extra tokens. It increases the speed limit.
• Adjust the selectivity of queries. Narrow the search area to match responses more accurately and receive more relevant data. Using a network that is too wide leads to a speed limit.
• Filtering in code. Extract all the results, then filter and select only what you need in your code. This way, you reduce unnecessary use of the speed limit.
• Plan the cleanup. Distribute requests over time, not in parts. This makes it easier to deal with.

Twitter API Use Examples

Let’s examine how a fictional digital marketing agency, “TrendTrackers,” might incorporate these tools into their client services to illustrate the practical applications of Twitter’s API. They specialize in the analysis and effective management of social media strategies for brands. 

Here are a few ways the Twitter API can be helpful for such a company:

1. Real-Time Engagement Monitoring: If a specific product gains some popularity because of a particular Twitter post, TrendTrackers can use the API to detect these momentum shifts immediately. Let’s say, one of their clients, a company that produces sustainable fashion clothes, receives unexpected praise from environmental advocates. The API enables the identification of trends within minutes, so TrendTrackers can help their client redirect promotional budgets to those who are already engaged through that viral tweet to capitalize on the positive reception.
2. Automated Content Curation: TrendTrackers set the API to tweet with a retweet discipline to follow a given hashtag or keywords. It is very efficient in its use of time and ensures that the brand is always a part of current conversations no matter what time or day it is. For instance, during a major conference, their system automatically shares client presentations, interacts with event hashtags, and replies to pertinent topics. That’s how they create a consistent brand presence even after office hours. 
3. Campaign Performance Analysis: TrendTrackers build comprehensive analytic dashboards with Twitter API data with other marketing metrics. For example, after the campaigns, the agency delivers comprehensive reports outlining the exact ways the Twitter activity affected it. Also, this is the first step of new strategies for the next projects. 
4. Influencer Collaboration: The agency can choose the most suitable influencer or influencers from the list of the top Twitter influential users based on audience alignment rather than follower count alone. Companies with specific niches have more chances to find their one and only presenter in the digital world thanks to this approach.

And, these are just a few examples of the use of the API like Twitter solution. The digital sphere evolves while you’re reading this article, so new applications that transform raw social data into actionable intelligence will be discovered. And who knows, maybe it’s you and your business can change that landscape a bit.

What Are The Alternatives?

Twitter API fees can be a huge barrier for some companies let alone startups. Yet, it’s not the end if you’re willing to take another path. Today, there are a lot of Twitter API alternatives with similar features to the official Twitter API. One of them is Data365 Social Media API which offers tools and functions for monitoring popular social networks so that you can collect and integrate the necessary publicly available data required for your project. This way, you can improve your marketing or even business strategy, track trends, and more.

Twitter API Limits and Pricing: Outcome

It is clear that Twitter is an effective and in-demand data collection source that can assist in the development of projects across many fields. Probably no other platform can boast as rich data as Twitter. Unlike other social networks, this one is focused on sharing thoughts. Visuals have less power here, making it less likely to be faked.

Neglecting it is deliberately limiting your business possibilities. However, even though the official API from Twitter is a highly useful tool that can help businesses advance their projects, the cost of the Twitter API is high, and not every company can afford it. Fortunately, there are many alternative options available. 

So, if you are seeking a reliable social media data extraction tool, then we encourage you to contact our expert to learn more about Data365 features and discover details about our free trial. Our 14-day trial is an excellent opportunity to partner with us and see if the solution suits your needs.