> **For coding agents and LLMs:** This is one page from the Social Fetch docs (markdown export). For curated orientation and workflow guidance, start with [`/llms.txt`](https://www.socialfetch.dev/llms.txt); for agent onboarding and crawl rules, use [`/agents.txt`](https://www.socialfetch.dev/agents.txt); for the full endpoint list with links to pages like this one, use [`/llms-endpoints.txt`](https://www.socialfetch.dev/llms-endpoints.txt); for one platform's parameters and curls, use [`/llms-{platform}.txt`](https://www.socialfetch.dev/llms-tiktok.txt); use [`/llms.json`](https://www.socialfetch.dev/llms.json) when you need structured JSON for tool registration.

## This page

- **On-site (HTML):** <https://www.socialfetch.dev/docs/tools/follower-tracker/costs-and-limits>
- **Markdown (.mdx) URL:** <https://www.socialfetch.dev/docs/tools/follower-tracker/costs-and-limits.mdx>

## API base URL and authentication

- **API origin (from OpenAPI `servers`):** `https://api.socialfetch.dev`
- **Authentication:** send `x-api-key: sfk_...` on `/v1/**` and `/v2/**` routes unless the operation is explicitly anonymous (check OpenAPI `security`, the [API reference hub](https://www.socialfetch.dev/docs/api.mdx), [`/llms.txt`](https://www.socialfetch.dev/llms.txt), or [`/llms.json`](https://www.socialfetch.dev/llms.json) for each route).
- **OpenAPI JSON:** <https://www.socialfetch.dev/openapi.json>

## Recommended docs entrypoints (this site)

- [Documentation overview](https://www.socialfetch.dev/docs.mdx) — top-level orientation (markdown).
- [Quickstart](https://www.socialfetch.dev/docs/quickstart.mdx) — authenticate with `x-api-key`, validate auth with `whoami`, and understand the JSON envelope.
- [SDK](https://www.socialfetch.dev/docs/sdk.mdx) — official TypeScript SDK guide, including `SocialFetchClient`, `Result`, and `unwrap()`.
- [Capability matrix](https://www.socialfetch.dev/docs/capability-matrix.mdx) — every operation with identifiers, pagination, outcomes, media download, credits, and its SDK method. Generated from OpenAPI, so use it for route selection instead of scanning individual pages.
- [Recipes](https://www.socialfetch.dev/docs/recipes.mdx) — copyable workflows (brand monitoring, transcripts, Ad Library, creator scoring, Reddit research) with credit callouts and SDK examples.
- [Integrations](https://www.socialfetch.dev/docs/integrations.mdx) — MCP for AI clients, n8n verified node, Apify Store Actors, Make custom app, SDK, and REST API connection paths.
- [MCP product page](https://www.socialfetch.dev/mcp) — hosted MCP overview, OAuth, Skills install.
- [MCP integration](https://www.socialfetch.dev/docs/integrations/mcp.mdx) — hosted `/mcp` server, OAuth, Cursor/VS Code/Claude install snippets, 264 endpoint tools, plus docs_search/docs_read for implementation help.
- [n8n integration](https://www.socialfetch.dev/docs/integrations/n8n.mdx) — install `n8n-nodes-socialfetch`, credentials, and workflow examples.
- [Apify integration](https://www.socialfetch.dev/docs/integrations/apify.mdx) — Store Actors under @social-fetch, PPE billing, dataset export, and quick start.
- [Make integration](https://www.socialfetch.dev/docs/integrations/make.mdx) — custom app modules for Make scenarios, API key credentials, and module catalog.
- [`/llms-endpoints.txt`](https://www.socialfetch.dev/llms-endpoints.txt) — every documented operation with a direct link to that route's agent-readable markdown page (prefer this over parsing OpenAPI).
- [`/llms-{platform}.txt`](https://www.socialfetch.dev/llms-tiktok.txt) — per-platform endpoint files generated from OpenAPI (parameters, credits, curls).
- [`/agents.txt`](https://www.socialfetch.dev/agents.txt) — agent crawl/onboarding file with capabilities, auth rules, and allowlist.
- [`/llms.json`](https://www.socialfetch.dev/llms.json) — structured machine-readable operation inventory with parameter names, pagination, outcomes, credits, and SDK mapping.
- [API reference hub](https://www.socialfetch.dev/docs/api.mdx) — human-friendly index of operations with links into generated pages.
- [Errors](https://www.socialfetch.dev/docs/errors.mdx) — shared error envelope and HTTP status guidance.
- [Credits](https://www.socialfetch.dev/docs/credits.mdx) — metering, `402`, and planning batch jobs.
- Outcome semantics such as `found`, `not_found`, and `private` are documented in [Errors](https://www.socialfetch.dev/docs/errors.mdx) and on operation pages when present in the OpenAPI contract.

## Markdown docs convention

- Every docs page has a markdown twin: append **`.mdx`** to the docs pathname (for example `/docs/quickstart` → `/docs/quickstart.mdx`).
- Agents that send `Accept: text/markdown` on `/docs/**` HTML URLs may receive markdown directly (same URL, `Vary: Accept`).
- Published blog posts use the same convention: `/blog/{slug}` → `/blog/{slug}.mdx`, or `Accept: text/markdown` on the HTML URL (`Vary: Accept`).

---
# X Follower Tracker costs and limits (https://www.socialfetch.dev/docs/tools/follower-tracker/costs-and-limits)

{/* Prices follow estimateCost and the engine in packages/follower-tracker/src. Update them here if they change. */}

The tracker runs on your Social Fetch credits, at the normal price of each lookup it makes. Nothing is charged for opening the tracker, browsing results, filtering, exporting or using AI insights.

## What uses credits

| What                                     | Credits                                   | When                                                                                       |
| ---------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| Looking up an account to track           | 1                                         | Each time you click **Preview** or **Look up**                                             |
| The account's profile and follower count | 1                                         | Every check                                                                                |
| The follower list                        | 1 for every 500 or so followers           | Every check, with **Full audience**                                                        |
| The following list                       | 1 for every 500 or so accounts it follows | Every check, if **Following list** is on                                                   |
| Confirming that someone left             | 1 per person                              | When a follower is missing from a check                                                    |
| Profile details                          | 1 for every 50 people                     | First check, then for new followers and every 30 days, up to the **Profile details** limit |
| Recent posts                             | 1 for each page of up to 40 posts         | Every check, if **Post context** is on, up to the **Posts** limit                          |
| **Look deeper** in a profile             | 1 per click                               | Only when you click **Account history** or **Recent posts**                                |

A follower count only check costs 1 credit, plus recent posts if **Post context** is on.

**Example:** an account with 10,000 followers that follows a few dozen accounts costs about 22 credits a check: 1 for the profile, about 20 for the follower list and 1 for the following list. Checked daily, that's about 665 credits a month, plus a few credits for confirmations, new followers' profile details and posts.

## Read the estimates

When you set up an account, the panel on the right shows two estimates:

* **First check** is the most the first check can cost. It's the biggest, because it fills in profile details for the whole audience up to your limit. It says **Up to** when post context is on.
* **Each month** estimates the regular checks: the profile, the follower list and the following list, at your chosen frequency. Confirmations, profile details for new followers and posts come on top.

After you start, the account's **Settings** tab shows **Estimated spending per check**, broken down into followers and profile, following list, profile details and post context.

The tracker home page shows **Credits this month** across all your tracked accounts.

## Set a limit for each check

Every account has three limits under **Extra data and limits**, in **Most credits one check can use**:

* **Follower lists** covers the profile, the follower and following lists, and confirming departures. If a check reaches it, the check stops. When it's lower than a check is expected to need, the section shows **Limit below estimate**.
* **Profile details** caps how many profiles a check fills in. When it's reached, the check carries on without filling in more.
* **Posts** caps how many pages of posts a check collects. When it's reached, the Posts tab says only the most recent posts fit.

Whenever a check stops early, it keeps everything it had already finished. Your earlier results are never replaced by a partial check.

## Set a monthly cap

To cap what all your tracked accounts can spend together in a month, click the gear button on the tracker home page, next to **Track an account**. In **Tracker spending**, enter a number of credits and click **Save limit**. Leave it blank for no limit.

The month runs from the 1st to the end of the month, in UTC (Coordinated Universal Time, the same as London time in winter). Only workspace owners and admins can set the cap, and the gear button is available once you track at least one account.

## When a check stops

A check stops early when it reaches its **Follower lists** limit, when the workspace reaches its monthly cap, or when your balance runs out. The account page then shows a message, and the account's card on the home page shows **Limit reached** or **Needs credits**.

| Message                                    | What to do                                                                              |
| ------------------------------------------ | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **This check hit its credit limit**        | Click **Raise the limit**, increase **Follower lists**, save, then click **Check now**. |
| **This month's tracker limit was reached** | Raise the cap in **Tracker spending** on the home page, then click **Check now**.       |
| **More credits are needed**                | Click **Add credits** to top up, then come back and click **Check now**.                |

  A stopped check doesn't restart on its own, even after you add credits or a new month starts, and scheduled checks for that account wait until it's done. After you fix the cause, click **Check now** at the top of the account page. It picks up where the check stopped.

Credits spent before a check stopped still count towards that check's limit when you carry on, so raise the limit enough to cover the rest.

## Spend less

* Choose **Weekly**, or **Daily** instead of **Every 6 hours**.
* Choose **Follower count only** and switch off **Post context** if you only need the number. That's 1 credit a check.
* Switch off **Following list** if you don't need mutuals and follow-backs.
* Lower the **Profile details** limit. The first check fills in fewer profiles, and later checks fill in the rest bit by bit.
* **Pause** accounts you don't need for a while. Paused accounts don't use credits and keep their history.

- [Troubleshooting](/docs/tools/follower-tracker/troubleshooting) — Every message the tracker shows.

- [Use cases](/docs/tools/follower-tracker/use-cases) — Ways to get the most out of each check.