# X API, top-up from $5, Pay-per-use, GET /2/users/by: X profile API

> The User lookup endpoints let you retrieve profile information for one or more users.

X API's X profile API on its Pay-per-use plan. It costs $10.00 per 1,000 profiles. It returns 9 of the 11 key fields we check: Bio, Photo, Links, Location, Verified, Followers, Following, Posts, Likes.
You also pay $0.01 for each call, however many profiles you ask for.
Half of the 239 plans we rank by price cost $0.50 per 1,000 profiles or less. This plan is cheaper than 10% of the 239 plans.
[TweetAPI's $417 monthly plan](https://datacircle.dev/x-profile-apis/tweetapi/417-monthly-giga-get-tw-v2-user-by-ids/llms.txt) costs the least per 1,000 profiles: $0.00083.

- This page: https://datacircle.dev/x-profile-apis/x-api/top-up-from-5-pay-per-use-get-2-users-by
- Get it: https://docs.x.com/x-api/getting-started/pricing
- Request: `GET https://api.x.com/2/users/by`
- API key: with the plan, on https://docs.x.com/x-api/getting-started/pricing
- Its API docs: https://docs.x.com/x-api/users/get-users-by-usernames
- Sold by: X API (https://docs.x.com)
- Checked: 2026-10-29

## In the answer

- Completeness: 82%
- Bio: ✓
- Photo: ✓
- Links: ✓
- Location: ✓
- Verified: ✓
- Followers: ✓
- Following: ✓
- Posts: ✓
- Likes: ✓

## Price

- $ per 1,000 profiles: $10.00
- Per: result
- Billing: pay first

## Charges

- Repeat free: 1 day
- Start fee: $0.01

## Not found

- $ per 1,000: $0.00

## In their words

- Their pitch: The User lookup endpoints let you retrieve profile information for one or more users.

## Data

- Freshness: live
- Keep data: no limit in its terms, but stored X Content must follow X: If you store X Content offline, you must keep it up to date with the current state of that content on X. Specifically, you must delete or modify any content you have if it is deleted or modified on X. [...] This must be done as soon as reasonably possible, or within 24 hours after receiving a request to do so by X or the applicable X account owner
- Use data: You may not use the X API to measure the availability, performance, functionality, or usage of X for benchmarking, competitive, or commercial purposes. [...] we restrict the redistribution of X Content to third parties. If you provide X Content to third parties, including downloadable datasets or via an API, you may only distribute Post IDs, Direct Message IDs, and/or User IDs (except as described below). In total, you may not distribute more than 1,500,000 Post IDs to any entity (inclusive of multiple individuals associated with a single entity) within any 30 day period unless you have received written permission from X. [...] developers may provide up to 500 public Posts Objects and/or User Objects to each person who uses your service on a daily basis if this is done via non-automated means (e.g., download of spreadsheets or PDFs). [...] We limit the circumstances under which you may match a person on X to information obtained or stored off-X. [...] You may only do this if you have express opt-in consent from the person before making the association, or as described below. [...] You may not (and may not permit others to) store, aggregate, or cache location data and other geographic information contained in X Content, except as part of a Post.

## Plan

- Pay: $5

## Rate limit

- Per second: 0.33
- Batch: 100

## Speed

- Answer: in the call

## The call

- You send: usernames. Optional: user.fields, expansions, post.fields
- Method: GET
- Path: /2/users/by

## About the plan

- Plan: Pay-per-use
- Who can get it: anyone with a developer account (a Project and an App in the Developer Console)

## The 35 fields the plan's answer can hold

user ID, name, username, bio, bio links, bio entities, location, website, profile picture, banner image, followers, following, posts count, likes count, media count, listed count, verified, verified type, verified followers count, identity verified, account created, affiliation, protected, parody, withheld in countries, pinned post ID, most recent post ID, pinned post, can DM, active follower count, confirmed email, connection status, subscriber count, subscribes to you, subscription type

## X API's plans (2)

- [X API, top-up from $5, Pay-per-use, GET /2/users/by](https://datacircle.dev/x-profile-apis/x-api/top-up-from-5-pay-per-use-get-2-users-by/llms.txt): $10.00 per 1,000, 82% complete, live
- [X API, contact us, Enterprise, GET /2/users/by](https://datacircle.dev/x-profile-apis/x-api/contact-us-enterprise-get-2-users-by/llms.txt): 82% complete, live

## X API's calls for this API (4)

- `GET /2/users/{id}`: [X API, top-up from $5, Pay-per-use, GET /2/users/{id}](https://datacircle.dev/x-profile-apis/x-api/top-up-from-5-pay-per-use-get-2-users-id/llms.txt)
- `GET /2/users`: [X API, top-up from $5, Pay-per-use, GET /2/users](https://datacircle.dev/x-profile-apis/x-api/top-up-from-5-pay-per-use-get-2-users/llms.txt)
- `GET /2/users/by/username/{username}`: [X API, top-up from $5, Pay-per-use, GET /2/users/by/username/{username}](https://datacircle.dev/x-profile-apis/x-api/top-up-from-5-pay-per-use-get-2-users-by-username-username/llms.txt)
- `GET /2/users/by`: [X API, top-up from $5, Pay-per-use, GET /2/users/by](https://datacircle.dev/x-profile-apis/x-api/top-up-from-5-pay-per-use-get-2-users-by/llms.txt)

## X API's APIs (2)

- [X API: X post API pricing, 2 plans](https://datacircle.dev/x-post-apis/x-api/top-up-from-5/llms.txt)
- [X API: X profile API pricing, 2 plans, GET /2/users/by](https://datacircle.dev/x-profile-apis/x-api/top-up-from-5-pay-per-use-get-2-users-by/llms.txt)

## X API: X profile API alternatives

- [SocialKit, $49 pack](https://datacircle.dev/x-profile-apis/socialkit/49-pack/llms.txt): $6.533 per 1,000, 73% complete, live
- [SocialCrawl, £15 pack, Starter, POST /v1/prism/profiles](https://datacircle.dev/x-profile-apis/socialcrawl/15-pack-starter-post-v1-prism-profiles/llms.txt): $8.001 per 1,000, 64% complete, live
- [Sorsa, $49 monthly, Starter, GET /info](https://datacircle.dev/x-profile-apis/sorsa/49-monthly-starter-get-info/llms.txt): $9.80 per 1,000, 82% complete, live
- [GEDX402 Social, pay as you go, Pay per request, POST /v1/social/outcome/profile](https://datacircle.dev/x-profile-apis/gedx402-social/pay-as-you-go-pay-per-request-post-v1-social-outcome-profile/llms.txt): $14.00 per 1,000, 73% complete, live

## Sources

From each provider's own pricing page and docs, and from what providers tell us. We read this row from these pages on 2026-10-29.

- https://docs.x.com/developer-terms/agreement-and-policy
- https://docs.x.com/x-api/fundamentals/rate-limits
- https://docs.x.com/x-api/getting-started/pricing
- https://docs.x.com/x-api/introduction
- https://docs.x.com/x-api/users/get-users-by-usernames
- https://docs.x.com/x-api/users/lookup/introduction