A week after announcing the shutdown of free access to Twitter API, the company has said that it will be charging $100 per month for the basic tier of its Application Programming Interface (API). This will grant developers access to a limited level of API usage, as well as the Ads API. However, Twitter has not specified the exact details of what the “low level of API usage” entails.
Initially, Twitter had planned to shut down free access to its API on February 9th, but this deadline has been extended to February 13th without any further information about the API pricing restructuring and access levels, causing frustration among developers who are unable to plan their changes accordingly.
The announcement regarding the end of free API access faced a lot of backlash from developers and Twitter users, leading to Elon Musk tweeting that the company will provide a free API for bots posting “good” content.
In response, Twitter has announced that there will be a new form of free access available, which will allow for the creation of up to 1,500 tweets per month. This means that many of Musk’s “good” bots, such as automated accounts that post historical photos or helpful reminders, will be able to continue operating on the platform.
However, the monthly limit of 1,500 tweets is low and could still affect bots that post more frequently. This equates to approximately 50 tweets per day, which could be problematic for Twitter’s most active bots.
The company has also confirmed that it will be ending the Premium API and subscribers will have the option to switch to the Enterprise version of the service. There is still no word from the company on what options, if any, will be available for scientists, researchers, and students using Twitter’s developer tools for their projects.
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