Reddit’s API is free only for approved, non-commercial use, capped at 100 queries per minute, and Reddit stopped accepting new requests for that public access on October 31, 2026, with the remaining public access due to end in March 2027. Any use by or for a business needs Reddit’s permission and a contract, and Reddit publishes no price for it today: the only per-call rate it ever published was $0.24 per 1,000 calls in 2023.
You’ll feel the change if you pay for Reddit marketing tools. You’ll also feel it if you planned to point a script at the free API for your company’s research, which Reddit already counts as commercial use. Before you renew a tool, ask the vendor where its Reddit data comes from, because a tool that reads Reddit through the public API loses that route in March 2027.
What changed in Reddit’s API access in 2026
Reddit is moving public Data API apps and bots to its Developer Platform to reduce scraping and automated abuse. It’s closing the public API, and separately ending RSS feeds, on these dates:
- October 31, 2026: Reddit stopped accepting new requests for public API access.
- November 13, 2026: Reddit ends RSS support. Feeds outside communities you moderate have no replacement.
- January 12, 2027: Reddit begins removing access for apps and users that have not registered or responded to its outreach.
- March 2027: Remaining public API access ends.
Developers with an existing app should register through Reddit’s app registration page. Reddit's $1 million App Migration Program provides financial and technical support for eligible existing apps moving to the Developer Platform. Its migration announcement sets November 30, 2026 as the registration deadline for bounty consideration. Registering does not guarantee funding; check the current program terms and Reddit's eligibility decision rather than budgeting for a payment.
Reddit API pricing: free, paid and commercial access
An existing hobby or community project that has registered with Reddit can keep using the free route until public access ends. Anything a business runs is priced in a private contract with Reddit, at a rate Reddit doesn’t publish.
Free access and its rate limits
Free Reddit Data API access is capped at 100 queries per minute per OAuth client ID, averaged over a 10-minute window. Requests without OAuth or login credentials are blocked, so the former low-rate unauthenticated route no longer exists.
Reddit requires approval before an app accesses API data. Its Responsible Builder Policy bars extra accounts or repeat requests for the same use case. Reddit has closed this route to new requests, so don’t plan a new project around it.
Its Data API Wiki requires you to remove content deleted from Reddit and strongly recommends deleting stored user data within 48 hours. Reddit also limits bulk exporting by default.
If your company uses Reddit data for monitoring, lead generation, or analytics, that is commercial use, and the free route does not cover it.
Paid and commercial agreements
Commercial Reddit API access has no published price today. Reddit’s Developer Platform access guidance defines commercial use broadly: any use by a business, on behalf of a business, or inside a monetized product counts as commercial. Its examples include subscription services and free features offered as an upsell.
The Data API Terms say fees are set at Reddit’s discretion, and commercial use requires a separate agreement. In 2023, Reddit published a rate of $0.24 per 1,000 API calls for third-party apps that needed higher usage limits. Reddit said at the time that it could no longer subsidize commercial entities needing large-scale data use.
That figure is history: no Reddit page offers API access at that rate today, and today’s terms leave any price to the contract.
Reddit says its public-content licensees mainly include companies that help brands monitor trends, large language model makers, and researchers. If you pay for a monitoring tool, it should tell you in one sentence whether it has a commercial agreement with Reddit. Scraping isn’t a workaround, because Reddit prohibits scraping without written consent.
Developer Platform apps
Reddit’s Developer Platform, also called Devvit, is for apps that run inside the Reddit communities that install them, such as games, utilities, and moderation tools.
Devvit handles authentication, so developers don’t create or manage traditional API keys. Reddit offers free hosting for eligible migrated apps and may offer Developer Funds. But it isn’t a replacement for an outside dashboard that exports Reddit data to paying customers. Its rules prohibit selling, licensing, or otherwise commercializing Reddit or redditor data.
Academics have a separate route through Reddit for Researchers, which is free for approved non-commercial projects at accredited institutions. Advertisers use Reddit’s Ads API to manage their own campaigns and reporting.
What the changes mean for Reddit marketing tools
If a tool charges you to see Reddit posts or comments, it needs Reddit’s commercial permission. A tool that has been reading Reddit through the public API without that permission loses that route too, by March 2027 at the latest.
GummySearch relied on Reddit’s API and tried to secure a commercial license, but couldn’t reach an agreement. It closed to new customers on November 30, 2025 and says it will shut down entirely on December 1, 2026. Its closing notice says Reddit’s API policies “forbid commercial applications.” Reddit’s actual rule is narrower: commercial use needs permission and a contract. If you need replacement options, see these GummySearch alternatives.
Sort the tools you pay for by where their Reddit data comes from:
- A vendor that says it has a commercial agreement with Reddit is lower risk than one that relies on public API access. Ask again each year.
- A vendor that reads Reddit through the public API could lose access from January 12, 2027 if it hasn’t registered, and public access ends in March 2027.
- If a vendor won’t say where its Reddit data comes from, treat it as at risk until it does.
Export your notes and saved threads every month, so your work survives if a vendor loses access.
Questions to ask a Reddit tool about its data
Put these five questions to any Reddit data tool before you pay for another year of it.
- Do you have a commercial agreement with Reddit for the data shown in my account?
- If you use the public API, what happens to my account on January 12, 2027 and when public access ends in March?
- Do you remove posts and comments when their authors or Reddit delete them?
- Do you post, comment, vote, or send messages from my account? The Reddit automation tools guide explains why that question matters.
- If your access ends, what can I export, keep, or recover from my account?
If a vendor can’t answer the first two plainly, keep it on a monthly plan.
What you can still do without the API
You don’t need API access to keep watching the threads your buyers read. Start with Reddit’s own search, keep the searches that turn up buyers, and rerun them each week.
Reddit Pro is free for businesses and includes Trends, which monitors keywords and shows posts, comments, and communities that mention them. Businesses using it must identify the brand they represent and must not profile individual users.
If you’d rather have a separate tool send you alerts, the Reddit keyword alerts guide covers the options. Put each one through the five questions above before you pay for it. Don’t build that process on RSS, because Reddit ends RSS support on November 13, 2026.
If you want someone else to handle the research and engagement, ReddiReach’s Reddit marketing service maps buyer questions and relevant threads and adds human-written comments and posts.
ReddiReach’s Reddit Growth plan costs $2,000 a month with a three-month minimum, so you commit to $6,000, invoiced monthly rather than paid up front. ReddiReach doesn’t offer refunds, so book a free call first to decide whether the work fits your team.
How we checked this
Research completed October 27, 2026 using Reddit's help center, developer documentation, Data API Terms, Developer Terms and announcements, plus GummySearch's closure notices. The migration timeline, funding-program description and ReddiReach pricing were rechecked November 9, 2026. Reddit-admin announcements are cited for platform changes; user posts, comments and reviews were not used as evidence.
Frequently asked questions
How much does the Reddit API cost?
It is free for approved non-commercial use, up to 100 queries per minute per OAuth client ID. Commercial use is priced in a private agreement, and Reddit doesn’t publish a current commercial rate. Its only published per-call rate was $0.24 per 1,000 calls in 2023.
Is the Reddit API still free?
Yes, for approved non-commercial use within Reddit’s limits. But Reddit stopped taking new requests on October 31, 2026, and plans to end the remaining public access in March 2027.
Can I still get a Reddit API key?
Not through the public API request route that Reddit closed on October 31, 2026. Developers building community apps can use the Developer Platform, which handles authentication without traditional API keys. Businesses need Reddit’s permission and a commercial contract.
Did Reddit's API rules close GummySearch?
GummySearch says it couldn’t reach a commercial license agreement with Reddit for Data API access. It stopped selling to new customers on November 30, 2025 and says it will shut down fully on December 1, 2026.
