Twitter/X API is expensive now. Here are alternatives.
Twitter API Pricing (2026)
- Free: 1,500 reads/month (useless)
- Basic: $100/mo (10,000 reads)
- Pro: $5,000/mo
Alternatives
1. Public Profile Metadata
Some data is in page source without API:
// Profile pages embed JSON-LD
const res = await fetch("https://x.com/elonmusk");
const html = await res.text();
// Parse embedded metadata
2. Google Cache
site:x.com inurl:/status "web scraping"
3. Switch to Open Platforms
| Platform | Followers API | Auth | Free |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluesky | Yes | None | Yes |
| Yes (.json) | None | Yes | |
| GitHub | Yes | None | Yes |
| Mastodon | Yes | None | Yes |
4. Bluesky as Twitter Alternative
// Get profile with follower count - FREE
const res = await fetch("https://public.api.bsky.app/xrpc/app.bsky.actor.getProfile?actor=handle.bsky.social");
const data = await res.json();
console.log(data.followersCount); // No API key needed!
Resources
Need social media profile data? Bluesky, Reddit, YouTube — $20. No expensive Twitter API needed. Email: Spinov001@gmail.com | Hire me
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