Rate Limiting & Quotas

Each API plan comes with a daily quota of points. Every API call you make costs a certain amount of points. Usually, every request is
1 point
and
0.01 points
per result returned, but there are many exceptions. At the bottom of each endpoint description you will find information about the number of points required for that endpoint.

When you are on the free plan and your daily quota is used up, the API will respond with the error code 402 and no more calls can be made until your quota resets.

You have complete control over your quota by looking at your console dashboard and checking the API response headers that appear with every answer from the API. These response headers are:

  • X-API-Quota-Request: The number of points used by the request.
  • X-API-Quota-Used: The number of points used in total today. This number resets to zero at midnight UTC (click here to compare to your local time zone).
  • X-API-Quota-Left: The number of points left today (depends on your plan).

Rate Limiting

There is a limit of how many requests you can make per second and how many requests you can make simultaneously (concurrent requests). The limits depend on the plan you are on. If you try making more requests you will receive a 429 error.

  • Free: 60 requests in 1 minute and 1 request at a time (1 concurrent request)
  • Reporter: 2 requests per second and 5 requests simultaneously
  • Journalist: 10 requests per second and 10 requests simultaneously
  • Editor: 20 requests per second and 10 requests simultaneously

Frequently Asked Questions

How does the points system work?

Every API request costs a certain number of points. For example, a Search News request costs 1 point plus 0.01 points per returned result. Your plan determines your daily point allowance, which resets every 24 hours.

What happens if I exceed my daily quota?

If you exceed your daily point quota, API requests will return an error until the quota resets. You can upgrade your plan for more daily points or enable overage billing to continue making requests beyond your limit.

What are the rate limits?

Rate limits depend on your plan tier. The free tier allows a limited number of requests per minute, while paid plans offer higher rate limits. Check your plan details in the console for specific limits.

Can I upgrade my plan mid-month?

Yes, you can upgrade your plan at any time. The new plan takes effect immediately, and you will be billed the prorated difference for the remainder of the billing period.