X makes it more expensive to post links through its API

Source: TechCrunch

Image Credit: TechCrunch

6:42 AM PDT · April 22, 2026

API price increase

Social network X has raised the cost of posting links through its API—from $0.01 per link to $0.20—to curb spam and “vectors of misuse.”

Key price changes

• Link‑posting price: $0.01 → $0.20 per link
• General posting price: $0.01 → $0.15 per post

These changes are intended to encourage healthier developer behavior and reduce misuse.

Developers (@XDevelopers) – April 16, 2026
“More great features & updates coming very soon.”
View tweet

Impact on Techmeme

The price increase appears to be prompting publications to drop links from their X posts. Tech news aggregator Techmeme stopped adding links to original articles, instead posting:

“Visit Techmeme dot com for the link and full context!”
— Techmeme (@Techmeme), April 21, 2026
View tweet

Techmeme later explained that the API price hike was a key reason for removing links, citing a Nieman Lab study that found links reduced engagement on X.

“FYI: We’re now omitting links in @Techmeme tweets. Why?
1️⃣ Links limit reach (see embedded study)
2️⃣ The cost for posting links using X’s API increased today by 1900%.
Links may return later, but we’re still exploring how we might accomplish that.”
— Techmeme (@Techmeme), April 20, 2026
View tweet

Responses from X

X’s head of product, Nikita Bier, disputed the study’s conclusions, stating that the accounts examined were “habitual headline + link posters” lacking additional context. She replied to Techmeme founder Gabe Rivera, asserting that “there is no code that is de‑boosting links.” Bier also suggested that Techmeme should include screenshots of reactions alongside the link.

“Techmeme should screenshot these and put them in the parent post. To succeed with links, the linked content must bleed into the post.”
— Nikita Bier (@nikitabier), April 20, 2026
View tweet

Industry reaction

Gabe Rivera (Techmeme founder) argued that the new API pricing could force news sites to either pay hundreds of dollars per month or post links manually.

“I think they’re saying if you have a news site that tweets links, and you don’t tweet them manually, you now have to pay X hundreds of dollars per month?”
— Gabe Rivera (@gaberivera), April 20, 2026
View tweet

Historical context (2023)

In 2023, X removed headlines from link previews, only to restore them weeks later:

• Cut headlines
• Reverted