X makes it 1,900 percent more expensive to post links

X has increased API costs for posting links by 1,900% (from $0.01 to $0.20 per link), ostensibly to combat spam, which will significantly impact third-party social media management tools and publisher distribution strategies that rely on the platform. This move, combined with existing algorithmic penalties for link-heavy content, signals X's shift away from being a primary news distribution channel and forces IT organizations to reconsider social media infrastructure investments and platform dependency for content distribution. Organizations should evaluate alternative social platforms and direct publishing channels as X becomes increasingly expensive and less effective for reaching audiences through traditional news dissemination.

The VergeApril 21, 20262 min read

Posting links to X through custom social media software just got a lot more expensive. On Monday, X significantly increased how much it costs to post a URL via the X API, which is what third-party tools use to hook into the platform. It now costs $0.20 when a link is posted, up from $0.01. Any change to make posting links more expensive will likely make X even less attractive to publishers than it already is, especially given the widely held suspicion that linking news articles can lower a post's reach. The issue came up in a recent spat between Nate Silver and X's head of product, Nikita Bier, who claimed that links are "not deboosted." Bu … Read the full story at The Verge.