> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://x-preview-mintlify-066e8699.mintlify.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# X API pay-per-usage pricing and credits

> The X API uses pay-per-usage pricing with no subscriptions. Buy credits, set spending limits, and earn up to 20% back in free xAI API credits.

export const Button = ({href, children}) => {
  return <div className="not-prose group">
    <a href={href}>
      <button className="flex items-center space-x-2.5 py-1 px-4 bg-primary-dark dark:bg-white text-white dark:text-gray-950 rounded-full group-hover:opacity-[0.9] font-medium">
        <span>
          {children}
        </span>
        <svg width="3" height="24" viewBox="0 -9 3 24" class="h-6 rotate-0 overflow-visible"><path d="M0 0L3 3L0 6" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="1.5" stroke-linecap="round"></path></svg>
      </button>
    </a>
  </div>;
};

The X API uses **pay-per-usage** pricing. No subscriptions—pay only for what you use.

<Button href="https://developer.x.com/#pricing">View pricing & purchase credits</Button>

***

## How it works

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Credit-based" icon="coins">
    Purchase credits upfront in the Developer Console. Credits are deducted as you make API requests.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Per-endpoint pricing" icon="code">
    Different endpoints have different costs. View current rates in the Developer Console.
  </Card>

  <Card title="No commitments" icon="unlock">
    No contracts, subscriptions, or minimum spend. Start and stop anytime.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Real-time tracking" icon="gauge-high">
    Monitor usage and costs live in the Developer Console.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

<Tip>
  Earn free [xAI API](https://docs.x.ai) credits when you purchase X API credits—up to 20% back based on your spend. [Learn more](#free-xai-api-credits)
</Tip>

***

## Credit consumption details

All prices are per resource fetched (reads) or per request (writes/actions). [Purchase credits](https://console.x.com) in the Developer Console.

### Read operations

Charged per resource returned in the response.

| Resource                      | Unit cost            |
| :---------------------------- | :------------------- |
| **Posts: Read**               | \$0.005 per resource |
| **User: Read**                | \$0.010 per resource |
| **DM Event: Read**            | \$0.010 per resource |
| **Following/Followers: Read** | \$0.010 per resource |
| **List: Read**                | \$0.005 per resource |
| **Space: Read**               | \$0.005 per resource |
| **Community: Read**           | \$0.005 per resource |
| **Note: Read**                | \$0.005 per resource |
| **Like: Read**                | \$0.001 per resource |
| **Mute: Read**                | \$0.001 per resource |
| **Block: Read**               | \$0.001 per resource |
| **Profile Update: Read**      | \$0.005 per resource |

### Write operations

Charged per request.

| Action                       | Unit cost           |
| :--------------------------- | :------------------ |
| **Post: Create**             | \$0.015 per request |
| **Post: Create (with URL)**  | \$0.200 per request |
| **Post: Create (summoned)**  | \$0.010 per request |
| **DM Interaction: Create**   | \$0.015 per request |
| **User Interaction: Create** | \$0.015 per request |
| **Interaction: Delete**      | \$0.010 per request |
| **Content: Manage**          | \$0.005 per request |
| **List: Create**             | \$0.010 per request |
| **List: Manage**             | \$0.005 per request |
| **Bookmark**                 | \$0.005 per request |
| **Media Metadata**           | \$0.005 per request |
| **Privacy: Update**          | \$0.010 per request |
| **Mute: Delete**             | \$0.005 per request |
| **Counts: Recent**           | \$0.005 per request |
| **Counts: All**              | \$0.010 per request |
| **Trends**                   | \$0.010 per request |

<Note>
  Prices are subject to change. Current rates are always available in the [Developer Console](https://console.x.com) and on the [developer.x.com pricing page](https://developer.x.com/#pricing).
</Note>

### Webhook events

Webhook events delivered through the [X Activity API](/x-api/activity/introduction) are billed per event delivered, using the same event names shown in the Activity API docs. You are charged once per billable event, deduplicated within the same 24-hour UTC window as other resources.

| Event                    | Cost per event |
| :----------------------- | :------------- |
| `post.create`            | \$0.005        |
| `post.delete`            | Not billed     |
| `follow.follow`          | \$0.010        |
| `follow.unfollow`        | \$0.010        |
| `profile.update.*`       | \$0.005        |
| `chat.received`          | \$0.010        |
| `chat.sent`              | Not billed     |
| `chat.conversation_join` | Not billed     |
| `dm.received`            | \$0.010        |
| `dm.sent`                | Not billed     |
| `dm.read`                | Not billed     |
| `dm.indicate_typing`     | Not billed     |
| `news.new`               | \$0.005        |
| `spaces.start`           | \$0.005        |
| `spaces.end`             | \$0.005        |

***

## Owned Reads

Owned Reads are requests made by your own developer app for your own data (posts, bookmarks, followers, likes, lists, and more). These endpoints are priced at **\$0.001 per resource** (1,000 resources for \$1).

The following endpoints qualify for Owned Read pricing when `{id}` matches the authenticated user and that user is the owner of the developer app:

| Endpoint                             | Description          |
| :----------------------------------- | :------------------- |
| `GET /2/users/{id}/tweets`           | Your own posts       |
| `GET /2/users/{id}/mentions`         | Your mentions        |
| `GET /2/users/{id}/liked_tweets`     | Posts you liked      |
| `GET /2/users/{id}/bookmarks`        | Your bookmarks       |
| `GET /2/users/{id}/followers`        | Your followers       |
| `GET /2/users/{id}/following`        | Accounts you follow  |
| `GET /2/users/{id}/blocking`         | Accounts you blocked |
| `GET /2/users/{id}/muting`           | Accounts you muted   |
| `GET /2/users/{id}/owned_lists`      | Lists you own        |
| `GET /2/users/{id}/followed_lists`   | Lists you follow     |
| `GET /2/users/{id}/list_memberships` | Lists you belong to  |
| `GET /2/users/{id}/pinned_lists`     | Your pinned lists    |

<Tip>
  Owned Reads make it significantly cheaper to build apps that work with a user's own data, such as dashboard apps, personal analytics, or account management tools.
</Tip>

***

## Deduplication

All resources are deduplicated within a **24-hour UTC day window**. If you request and are charged for a resource (such as a Post), requesting the same resource again within that window will not incur an additional charge.

This means:

* Requesting the same Post multiple times in a day counts as one charge
* The deduplication window resets at midnight UTC
* This applies to all billable resources (Posts, users, etc.)

<Note>
  Deduplication is a **soft guarantee**. While it occurs in the vast majority of cases, there may be specific edge cases like service outages that result in resources not being deduplicated.
</Note>

***

## Credit balance

Your credit balance is displayed in the Developer Console. Credits are deducted in real-time as you make API requests.

<Warning>
  Monitor your credit balance regularly to avoid service interruptions. Add credits before your balance reaches zero to ensure uninterrupted API access.

  ***Note:** It is possible for an account credit balance to go slightly negative. In this case, API requests will be blocked until you add credits to cover the negative balance.*
</Warning>

### Auto-recharge

Enable auto-recharge to automatically top up your credit balance and avoid service interruptions. Configure this in the Developer Console:

| Setting               | Description                                                                   |
| :-------------------- | :---------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Recharge amount**   | The amount to add when auto-recharge triggers (e.g., \$25)                    |
| **Trigger threshold** | Auto-recharge activates when your balance falls below this amount (e.g., \$5) |

<Note>
  Auto-recharge requires a saved payment method set as your default. You can cancel anytime in the Developer Console or by contacting support.
</Note>

#### Auto-recharge safeguards

To protect you from runaway or unexpectedly large charges, auto-recharge has two built-in limits:

* **One top-up per 5-minute window.** Automatic charges can trigger at most once every 5 minutes, so a sudden burst of usage cannot stack multiple recharges back-to-back.
* **Paused at zero or negative balance.** Auto-recharge does not run while your account balance is zero or negative. Add credits manually to resume automatic top-ups.

<Warning>
  If your usage is bursty enough to drain a full recharge in under 5 minutes, you can still see "out of credits" errors even with auto-recharge on. Raise your **Recharge amount** so a single top-up comfortably outlasts a 5-minute window of your peak consumption.
</Warning>

***

### Spending limits

Set a maximum amount you can spend per billing cycle to control costs. When the limit is reached, API requests will be blocked until the next billing cycle.

| Option             | Description                                                          |
| :----------------- | :------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Spending limit** | Set a specific dollar amount as your maximum spend per billing cycle |

<Tip>
  Use spending limits to prevent unexpected charges, especially during development and testing.
</Tip>

***

## Free xAI API credits

When you purchase X API credits, you can earn free [xAI API](https://docs.x.ai) credits based on your cumulative spend during a billing cycle.

<Note>
  To receive free xAI credits, you must link your xAI team to your X developer account. You can do this by visiting your account settings in the [developer console](https://console.x.com).
</Note>

### How it works

Your cumulative spend is tracked throughout each billing cycle. As you cross spending thresholds, you unlock higher reward rates. When a new billing cycle starts, your cumulative spend resets to \$0.

| Cumulative spend | Rate |
| :--------------- | :--- |
| \$0 – \$199      | 0%   |
| \$200 – \$499    | 10%  |
| \$500 – \$999    | 15%  |
| \$1,000+         | 20%  |

<Note>
  The rate applies to your **entire cumulative balance**, but you only receive the delta—what's newly owed minus what was already credited.
</Note>

### Example

Suppose you make several purchases throughout a billing cycle:

| Purchase    | Rate | Total owed | Already credited | You receive |
| :---------- | :--- | :--------- | :--------------- | :---------- |
| \$100       | 0%   | \$0        | \$0              | **\$0**     |
| \$100       | 10%  | \$20       | \$0              | **\$20**    |
| \$150       | 10%  | \$35       | \$20             | **\$15**    |
| \$150       | 15%  | \$75       | \$35             | **\$40**    |
| \$250       | 15%  | \$112.50   | \$75             | **\$37.50** |
| \$250       | 20%  | \$200      | \$112.50         | **\$87.50** |
|             |      |            |                  |             |
| **\$1,000** |      |            |                  | **\$200**   |

This is the same amount you'd receive from a single \$1,000 purchase—the order and size of purchases doesn't affect your total rewards.

<Tip>
  View your xAI credit balance and manage your account at [console.x.ai](https://console.x.ai). For more details on xAI API billing, see the [xAI billing documentation](https://docs.x.ai/docs/key-information/billing).
</Tip>

***

## Monitoring usage

Track your API usage programmatically with the [Usage endpoint](/x-api/usage/introduction):

```bash theme={null}
curl "https://api.x.com/2/usage/tweets" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $BEARER_TOKEN"
```

This returns daily Post consumption counts, helping you:

* Track consumption against your budget
* Set up alerts when approaching limits
* Identify high-consumption endpoints
* Generate usage reports

***

## Next steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Developer Console" icon="grid-2" href="https://console.x.com">
    Purchase credits and view current pricing.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Usage API" icon="chart-line" href="/x-api/usage/introduction">
    Monitor usage programmatically.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>