Third-party developers are presently spending millions of dollars each year to access Elon Musk’s X platform through its API. However, Musk and his team are now looking to claim a portion of these developers’ earnings instead. According to companies and developers who have reached out to Mashable, X intends to transition to a revenue share model for their API pricing.

X has recently notified subscribers of its Enterprise API plan, starting at $42,000 per month, about the forthcoming alteration. The new pricing structure is slated to commence on July 1. X has yet to reveal the specific revenue share percentage to its customers.

“We are thrilled to share that X is now part of xAI holdings, positioning us at the leading edge of the information revolution,” states an email obtained by Mashable. “In harmony with our renewed mission, we will reassess your use case. Effective July 1, 2025, we will phase out current Enterprise API tiers and launch a new v2 API tier featuring a revenue-sharing model.”

X attributes the update to the “emergence of Large Language Models (LLMs)” which have “transformed our approach to data.” X asserts that this transition signifies their dedication to a fair ecosystem that encourages growth and innovation.

Mashable has reached out to X for comments on these API modifications and will provide updates if a response is received.

X is losing more app developers

Several of X’s API clients are strongly opposed to the modification. The no-code automation platform Make, boasting over 3 million users, has discontinued X integration as a result of these API changes.

“Our choice to eliminate X is driven by X’s altered API policies and pricing,” stated Make VP of Market Strategy Darin Patterson. “These revisions hinder us from providing a sustainable X integration.”

“We’re disheartened that X’s strategy restricts what users can achieve,” Patterson added. “Should circumstances change, we would consider reinstating the integration. We remain devoted to delivering robust integrations via other platforms.”

In addition to Make, a well-known social media management platform intends to cease X support, while another is pending revenue share specifics before making a decision.

Some users on these platforms have already indicated plans to cease posting on X.

“Our automation provider, Make.com, has deprecated support for X owing to API changes,” read a post from Six Colors. “This is likely our final post. Follow us on Mastodon or Bluesky or via RSS. Farewell!”

Little remains of Twitter’s third-party ecosystem on X

Prior to Musk’s acquisition, Twitter enjoyed popularity among third-party developers who developed apps utilizing its complimentary API tier. This fostered integration and amplified Twitter usage.

However, following Musk’s takeover, the company revoked API access for numerous third-party clients and terminated its free API tier. New API plans with restrictive limitations compelled most third-party apps onto the Enterprise API subscription, ranging from $42,000 to $210,000 each month.

The costly API tiers resulted in the demise of Twitter’s third-party ecosystem. Numerous apps, including Twitterific and Tweetbot, ceased operations, unable to sustain the new costs. Major corporations such as Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo eliminated Twitter integrations from their consoles due to the API alterations. Musk’s X later rolled out a $5,000-per-month Pro plan, but many apps had already ceased operations or removed X.

Musk’s X further elevated fees for API subscribers, imposing an extra $1 per month for each X account linked to their app. For instance, a service with 10,000 X users would incur an additional $10,000 monthly.