Reddit API alternative: Social Fetch vs the Reddit Data API

Reddit's API was free for years. In 2023 that ended: new Data API Terms took effect on June 19, 2023, and in May Reddit had told the developer of Apollo, a popular third-party client, that 50 million requests would cost $12,000 (about $0.24 per 1,000). Apollo put that at roughly $20 million a year for its traffic and shut down on June 30, 2023.

The structure from that period is still in place. Reddit offers free and paid access; approved non-commercial use is free within rate limits, and developers who need broader access "may be charged fees" set by Reddit. There is still no public commercial price list. The $0.24 figure is the best public data point, not a quote you can count on.

For the pricing detail and cost models, see Reddit API pricing in 2026. This page is about choosing between the two routes.

Reddit's Responsible Builder Policy says you must request access and get explicit approval before accessing any Reddit data through the API, and you may not register multiple accounts or submit multiple requests for the same use case. Once approved, clients must authenticate with a registered OAuth token; unidentified traffic is throttled or blocked, and requests from hosting-provider IP ranges need OAuth or a login.

The free tier is capped at 100 queries per minute per OAuth client ID, averaged over a 10-minute window so short bursts are fine. Reddit also asks for a unique, descriptive User-Agent (platform, app ID, version and your Reddit username) and heavily limits generic ones like Python/urllib. If you need the practical steps, our guide on how to get a Reddit API key walks through them.

Reddit defines commercial use broadly: any use by or on behalf of a business, or as part of a monetized product. Its examples include apps with ads or paywalls, paid data access, subscription services, and free features used to upsell. For any of these you need Reddit's permission, and Reddit says it will require a contract. The Data API Terms add that Reddit may charge fees at its sole discretion.

A few rules apply however you access the data. You can't show Reddit content alongside ads. You can't use Reddit content to train AI models without Reddit's explicit consent. You must delete posts, comments and user details that have been deleted on Reddit; Reddit recommends doing so within 48 hours. And Reddit says the only authorized route for academic research is its Reddit for Researchers program.

Anything that writes needs Reddit's API: posting, commenting, voting, moderation tools, and apps built on Reddit's Developer Platform (Devvit). So does anything done on behalf of a logged-in Redditor. Social Fetch is read-only.

The official route also gives you what a third party can't: Reddit's permission, in writing. If you sell Reddit data, train models on it, or need a data licence for procurement, talk to Reddit. And if you can get a contract, Reddit's per-call price may well beat credit pricing at high volume. The 2023 quote of $0.24 per 1,000 is below the Scale pack rate of about $1.65 per 1,000.

Reddit's User Agreement prohibits collecting data from Reddit by automated means except as its terms allow or under a separate agreement with Reddit. Social Fetch returns publicly visible Reddit data; it is not a Reddit partner product and cannot pass you Reddit's permission. The deletion and AI-training rules above describe what Reddit expects of anyone using its data. Whether a public-data service fits your use depends on your jurisdiction, what you collect and what you do with it. This is not legal advice; read Reddit's terms and talk to counsel before you build a commercial product on Reddit data.

Subreddit feeds (GET /v1/reddit/subreddits/{subreddit}/posts with sort and timeframe), subreddit metadata (/v1/reddit/subreddits), site-wide search (/v1/reddit/search), search within a subreddit (/v1/reddit/subreddits/search), single posts (/v1/reddit/posts), comment trees (/v1/reddit/posts/comments), and transcripts of video posts (/v1/reddit/posts/transcript). Each route costs 1 credit per completed request, and each page is a separate request. Read meta.creditsCharged on every response.

For "tell me when this subreddit gets a new post", Monitors poll the feed on your schedule and send a signed webhook, billed at the route's normal price. The same key covers X, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and the rest of the 23 platforms. Full route list: Reddit platform hub. Search patterns: Reddit search API guide. Schemas: API reference.

The Reddit Data API is the right choice for anything that writes, for non-commercial projects that fit in the free tier, and for any use that needs Reddit's written permission. Commercial access is contract-only with no public price. Social Fetch is the self-serve option for reading public subreddits, posts, comments and search at 1 credit per request across many platforms, but it can't grant you Reddit's rights, so check Reddit's terms against your use before you build on either.