Compare - X API alternative

X API alternative

The official X API charges $0.005 per post read. Here is what every alternative actually costs, per 1,000 posts, with the workload split stated plainly.

By the Social Data API team · November 8, 2026 · 4 min read

Live now

The official X API charges $0.005 per post read. That is $5.00 per 1,000 posts, with no free tier since February 2026 and a 3 million post-read monthly cap before you need Enterprise. A 20-post timeline costs $0.10 on the official API. The same 20 posts cost $0.003 here, because one call returns a page of posts.

This page compares the real X API alternatives on the same basis: what 1,000 posts actually cost, and what you get for it. Prices checked on 2026-11-08. Competitor prices marked as triangulated come from multiple October 2026 roundups, re-verify them on the vendor's own page before you buy.

Four X endpoints are live now on one key: profile, user posts, search and replies. The same key also covers TikTok, with Instagram next and Reddit after.

The call

One API key works for every endpoint below. Send your key in the x-api-key header.

curl -X POST https://social-data-api.chideraezeudu2.workers.dev/v1/x/posts \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"username": "example_handle"}'

Posts takes username (handle, without @) or user_id and an optional cursor. One call costs 1 credit and returns a page of posts, typically around 20.

What you get back

{
  "platform": "x",
  "endpoint": "x.posts",
  "credits_used": 1,
  "upstream_cost_usd_per_call": 0.001,
  "key_id": "...",
  "plan_type": "monthly_29",
  "result": { "...": "upstream post list data" }
}

Response shape, example values only, not real data. Every response uses this wrapper. The result field holds the upstream provider's data, in its own shape. credits_used tells you what the call cost.

X API alternatives compared

Read the table carefully: per-call, per-tweet and per-request prices are not the same thing. A vendor charging per tweet looks cheaper than a vendor charging per call, until you count how many tweets one call returns. On pure per-tweet price, GetXAPI and TwitterAPI.io are cheaper than us. We win when you want TikTok and X on one key, one bill, monthly or pay-as-you-go, and the official-price gap is what you are escaping. If you only need X tweets and nothing else, the per-tweet vendors are worth a look.

The workload split matters more than the headline. A full 20-post page is where per-call billing wins: one $0.003 call here returns the whole page, while per-tweet billing charges for all 20. A sparse job is the opposite: polling one account for new posts, or looking up a single profile, is one post or one user, and per-tweet billing wins there. A single profile lookup costs $0.003 here, about $0.00018 on TwitterAPI.io, and $0.001 on GetXAPI. So the honest rule is: full pages, use a per-call API; single lookups and sparse polls, use a per-tweet API; TikTok plus X together, use one key.

How it works

1. Get one API key from the Social Data API dashboard. The same key works for TikTok, X, Instagram and Reddit.
2. Send the call above with your key in the x-api-key header.
3. Use the JSON. List endpoints take count (default 20 results per call, max 50) and cursor for the next page.

Frequently asked questions

Why is the official X API so expensive?

Since February 2026 it is pay per use: $0.005 per post read, $0.010 per user read, $0.015 per post created, with no free tier. Reading 1,000 posts costs $5.00, and reads are capped at 3 million a month before Enterprise.

What is the cheapest X API?

Per tweet, GetXAPI and TwitterAPI.io are the cheapest, around $0.05 and $0.15 per 1,000 tweets, verified live on their own pages on 2026-11-08. Per call, Social Fetch and ScrapeCreators are cheaper than us. We are not the cheapest per tweet or per call. We are the cheapest way to get TikTok and X on one key with monthly or pay-as-you-go billing. And on a single profile lookup, per-tweet billing beats us: about $0.00018 on TwitterAPI.io against $0.003 here.

Can I try it free?

The 3-day free trial covers TikTok only, 100 calls, card required. X needs a paid plan: Basic $29/mo, Pro $99/mo, or pay as you go from a $10 top-up.

Do I need an X developer account?

No. You sign up here, get one API key, and call the endpoints. No X developer account, no app review, no login.

Prices checked on 2026-11-08. Instagram is next after X, then Reddit, all on the same single API key.