Is the Twitter/X API free?

X API v2: Pay-per-use: $0.005 per post read, $0.010 per user read, $0.015 per post created. $20 of credits when you save your first card.. Search Posts: Billed per post at the pay-per-use rate. The InsightSocial Twitter/X API is pay-per-call: calls start at 10 credits, your first 10 calls up to 100 credits each are free, and failed calls cost nothing.

How do I get Twitter/X data without the official API?

Use a public-data API. InsightSocial has 15 Twitter/X endpoints for public data, with one API key and no Twitter/X app review. A Twitter/X profile lookup costs 10 credits; Pro's 10,000 monthly credits cover about 1,000 of them.

Is it legal to collect public Twitter/X data?

Collecting publicly available data is generally treated differently from accessing private data, but the answer depends on your jurisdiction, Twitter/X's terms and what you do with personal data afterwards. The InsightSocial API reads public data only. Talk to a lawyer for anything commercial.

Does Twitter/X have an API?

Yes. X API v2 covers posts, users, Spaces, DMs, lists and trends, and is billed pay-per-use from prepaid credits, with no subscription tiers.

To read public Twitter/X data you do not own, a public-data API is the usual route. InsightSocial has 15 Twitter/X endpoints from 10 credits a call, with one key and no app review.

Official documentation checked 2026-10-05.

The official Twitter/X APIs

API	What it covers	Who can get it	Cost
X API v2	Search, read and publish posts; timelines and threads; users and relationships; Spaces, DMs, lists and trends.	Sign up at console.x.com, create an app and buy credits. Enterprise plan for higher volume.	Pay-per-use: $0.005 per post read, $0.010 per user read, $0.015 per post created. $20 of credits when you save your first card.
Search Posts	Recent search (last 7 days) and full-archive search (public posts back to March 2006).	Recent search for all developers; full archive on pay-per-use and Enterprise.	Billed per post at the pay-per-use rate

What the official API does not do

Pay-per-use is capped at 3 million post reads per billing month; more needs Enterprise. source
There is no free tier: every read is billed against prepaid credits. source

Public Twitter/X data without the official API

Every Twitter/X endpoint has a published price, and failed calls cost nothing. A few of the 15:

Get a free API key All Twitter/X API endpoints Use it from Claude or ChatGPT

Twitter/X API: frequently asked questions