X Raises Link-Posting Costs by 1,900%

In a significant shift to its monetization strategy, X has dramatically increased the cost of posting links through its application programming interface (API), effective April 20, 2026. The platform raised the price from $0.01 per link to $0.20 per link—a staggering 1,900 percent increase that signals a major change in how the social media giant approaches third-party integrations and content distribution. This move represents one of the most substantial pricing adjustments since X's API pricing overhaul and will have far-reaching implications for publishers, content creators, and developers who rely on automated posting tools.

The X API pricing update was officially announced on the X Developer Community platform, where the company detailed the new cost structure. The increase affects any third-party software application that uses X's API to facilitate link sharing on the platform. For businesses and individual creators who regularly post content with URLs—particularly news publishers, marketing agencies, and content distribution networks—this change represents a substantial increase in operational expenses. The magnitude of the price hike suggests that X is deliberately discouraging high-volume link posting through automated tools.

This pricing decision comes at a critical time for X and publisher relations, as the platform has already faced significant challenges in attracting and retaining news organizations. Industry observers have long suspected that X's algorithm deliberately deprioritizes or