Twitter Free API Options in 2026
As of early 2026, the official X API uses pay-per-use pricing with no free tier. GetXAPI gives you $0.1 in free credits at signup with no credit card required, covering ~100 API calls to test any endpoint.
Free credits
$0.1
No credit card. Covers ~100 API calls at $0.001/call.
Time to first call
< 2 min
Sign up, get your API key, make your first request.
Endpoints available
24
Search, users, followers, DMs, tweets, and write operations.
Is There a Free Twitter API in 2026?
No — the official X API no longer has a free tier. As of early 2026, X moved to fully pay-per-use pricing. Reading a post costs $0.005, accessing a user profile costs $0.010, and creating a post costs $0.010 per request. A developer account is required before you can make any API call.
For developers who need to test Twitter API endpoints without upfront costs, GetXAPI is the most practical option. You get $0.1 in free credits at signup (no credit card required), which covers approximately 100 API calls. This is enough to validate response formats, test integrations, and build prototypes before committing to any spend.
Other “free” methods like scraping scripts or open-source wrappers technically cost $0 to start, but they require significant setup time, break frequently, and don’t support write operations (creating tweets, sending DMs).
Free Twitter API Options Compared
| Option | Starting cost | Free allowance | Card required | Write access |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GetXAPI free creditsRECOMMENDED | $0 at signup | $0.1 credits (~100 API calls) | No | Yes |
| Official X API | Pay-per-use only | None (free tier removed) | Yes | Yes |
| Scraping scripts (Puppeteer, etc.) | $0 to start | Unlimited (but proxy costs add up) | No | No (read only) |
| Open-source wrappers (snscrape, tweepy) | $0 to start | Rate limited by Twitter | No | Limited |
How to Get Free Twitter API Access
Three steps to your first API call — under 2 minutes, no credit card.
Sign up at getxapi.com
Sign in with Google or email. You get $0.1 in free credits instantly.
Create an API key
Go to your dashboard and generate a new API key. Copy it.
Make your first request
Use the code below to search tweets or fetch a user profile.
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
"https://api.getxapi.com/twitter/user/info?userName=elonmusk"What Can You Do with $0.1 in Free Credits?
At $0.001 per call, your free credits cover approximately 100 API requests. Here are some examples:
DM endpoints cost $0.002/call. Your $0.1 covers ~50 DM calls or ~100 standard calls, or any mix.
Official X API vs GetXAPI
| Feature | Official X API | GetXAPI |
|---|---|---|
| Free credits at signup | None | $0.1 (no card required) |
| Developer account required | Yes | No |
| Approval process | Application review | Instant (sign up and go) |
| Read endpoints cost | $0.005–$0.010/request | $0.001/call |
| Write endpoints cost | $0.010/request | $0.001–$0.002/call |
| Rate limits | Per-app limits | No restrictive caps |
| Time to first API call | Hours to days | Under 2 minutes |
| Endpoints available | Full X API surface | 26 endpoints (search, users, DMs, write) |
Official X API No Longer Has a Free Tier
As of early 2026, the official X API uses pay-per-use pricing only. Reading a post costs $0.005, user profiles cost $0.010, and writes cost $0.010 per request. GetXAPI remains the most affordable option at $0.001 per call — 5x–10x cheaper than the official X API.
For cost validation at your expected volume, use the Twitter API cost calculator. For alternative-provider analysis, review Twitter API alternatives. For a full pricing breakdown, see Twitter API pricing comparison.
Frequently Asked Questions
As of early 2026, the official X API has moved to fully pay-per-use pricing with no free tier. Reading a post costs $0.005 and writes cost $0.010 per request. GetXAPI offers $0.1 in free credits at signup with no credit card required, making it the easiest way to test Twitter data endpoints for free.
GetXAPI provides $0.1 in free credits when you sign up — no credit card required. Most endpoints cost $0.001 per call, so free credits cover approximately 100 API calls for testing and validation.
No. Sign up with Google or email, and you get $0.1 in free credits immediately. No credit card, no billing information, no commitments. You only pay when you choose to buy more credits.
No. As of early 2026, the official X API uses pay-per-use pricing only. Reading a post costs $0.005, accessing user profiles costs $0.010, and creating a post costs $0.010 per request. There is no free tier.
GetXAPI is the cheapest Twitter API at $0.001 per call for standard endpoints and $0.002 for DM endpoints. This is 5x–15x cheaper than the official X API pay-per-use pricing.
Your API calls will return a 402 error until you add more credits. You can buy credits starting at $10 (which gives you 10,000 API calls). There are no subscriptions — pay only for what you use and credits never expire.
Next read
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Twitter API pricing and X API pricing comparison
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Twitter API alternatives and X API alternatives
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Twitter API rate limits comparison
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Twitter API cost calculator
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Twitter unofficial API guide
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Privacy & data handling
How we handle credentials, logging, and DM endpoint privacy.