X API pricing in 2026, and a cheaper alternative for reading tweets
X (Twitter) now bills its API by usage. Reading a post costs $0.005, there is no free tier, and pay-per-use is capped at 3 million post reads per billing cycle before Enterprise. If you only need to read public tweets, replies and profiles for an AI agent or research, you can pay less and skip the developer account.
X API prices
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| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Post read | $0.005 per post returned |
| User read | $0.010 per user returned |
| Post create | $0.015 per post ($0.20 with a URL) |
| Monthly cap | 3 million post reads per billing cycle, then Enterprise |
| Free tier | None. Promotional credits, such as $20 after saving a card and a first purchase |
| Fixed monthly plans | Replaced by pay-per-use in February 2026 |
As of October 2026. X's own pricing page is authoritative.
What 10,000 tweets cost
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| Route | Calculation | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| X API | 10,000 × $0.005 | $50 |
| ProLevelMax Tweet search (procli_x_l) | $0.003 per call, about 17 tweets per call at the median we measure: about 590 calls | about $1.80 |
| ProLevelMax bulk tweets (procli_x_a) | 10,000 × $0.0012 + $0.001 per run | about $12 |
Tweet search is the cheaper route for keyword monitoring. The bulk source runs many searches, profiles or tweet URLs in one job. Reading only: ProLevelMax does not post to X. Current prices for every X source are on the X data page.
When to use which
- Need to post, reply or manage your own account: the official X API.
- Need to read public tweets, replies and profiles: ProLevelMax. No developer account, pay per use, and it works in Claude, ChatGPT and Cursor over MCP.
Related
- X (Twitter) data: all sources and prices
- Social media scraping APIs compared
- Social media MCP server
FAQ
Is the X API free in 2026?
No. There is no free tier. X offers promotional credits, such as $20 after you save a card and make a first credit purchase.
How much does the X API cost per tweet?
$0.005 per post read and $0.015 per post created ($0.20 if the post contains a URL), per X's pay-per-use pricing.
What is the cheapest way to read tweets for an AI agent?
A pay-per-use data source. ProLevelMax's Tweet search costs $0.003 per call and returns about 17 tweets per call at the median we measure, about $1.80 per 10,000 tweets, with no developer account.
Can ProLevelMax post tweets?
No. It only reads public data.
New users receive $1 in sign-up credit after verifying their email (one per person). No card required. Pay per use with no subscription. Top up by card (USD) or Alipay (CNY); Enterprise top-ups from $1,000 by bank transfer.
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