Official platform APIs
| API | Best for | The catch |
|---|---|---|
| X API | Posting, and reading if your budget allows | Reading costs about $5 per 1,000 posts on pay-per-use. Details |
| YouTube Data API v3 | Video, channel and comment details; uploads | Free, but 10,000 quota units a day and 100 units per search. Details |
| Reddit Data API | Non-commercial projects and moderation tools | Commercial use needs a contract with Reddit. Details |
| TikTok Research API | Academic, non-profit research | Approved researchers in eligible regions only. Details |
| Instagram Graph API | Managing your own business or creator account | Little access to other accounts; 30 hashtags per 7 days. Details |
| Bluesky (AT Protocol) | Open access to public Bluesky data | Bluesky only. |
Rule of thumb: if an official API covers your use case and you qualify, use it. Third-party APIs are for the cases it doesn't cover, such as reading many accounts you don't own, across platforms, for a product.
Third-party APIs for public data
Vanefeed
One REST API for TikTok, Instagram, X, YouTube, Reddit, Facebook, Telegram, Bluesky and news sites, with the same JSON shape for every platform. Prepaid credits that never expire; failed calls are free; about $0.10–$0.15 per 1,000 posts or comments. An MCP server connects it to Claude and other AI agents.
Best for: developers, startups and researchers who want several platforms through one simple API at a low price per result. Not for: sites beyond social media and news, or teams that need a large vendor's enterprise contract.
Apify
A scraping platform with thousands of community-built scrapers for almost any website, plus scheduling, storage and integrations. Monthly plans from $0 (with $5 of usage) to $999; popular social scrapers charge from about $1.50 to $2.70 per 1,000 results depending on your plan.
Best for: teams that need many kinds of sites, or a no-code workflow. Not for: the lowest price per social post, or one consistent format across platforms. Vanefeed vs Apify in detail
Bright Data
A large data company offering proxies, scraper APIs and ready-made datasets, including social media, priced per record with pay-as-you-go and monthly volume plans.
Best for: enterprises buying large datasets or high volumes with procurement and compliance needs. Not for: small teams who want a simple self-serve API. Check Bright Data's pricing page for current per-record rates.
How to choose
- Does an official API cover you, and do you qualify? Use it.
- Do you need sites beyond social media? Look at a general platform like Apify.
- Do you need enterprise datasets and contracts? Look at Bright Data.
- Do you need public posts, comments and profiles from several social platforms, through one simple API, at the lowest price per result? That's Vanefeed.
100 free credits
Try every platform in the playground. No card needed.