Last updated: July 2026
Is the official X MCP server free?
No. The official X MCP server (api.x.com/mcp) itself has no subscription fee, but it bills X API pay-per-use: about $0.015 per post, and $0.20 per post if the post contains a link, plus you must enroll your own X developer app in billing.
OpenTweet is a Twitter/X scheduler and posting API with a hosted MCP endpoint. It is a flat $11.99/mo with no per-post fee and no X developer account, so it is the cheaper option for almost any automation that posts links.
Official X MCP vs OpenTweet MCP
How much does api.x.com/mcp actually cost?
The confusion comes from mixing two things. The MCP server that X shipped on June 30, 2026 does not charge a monthly fee to connect. That part is free. But the server is just a wrapper over the X API, and the X API is what bills you.
On the 2026 pay-per-use pricing, a plain text post costs about $0.015, a read costs about $0.005, and there is no free tier for new API projects since February 6, 2026. So the moment your agent posts, you are paying. A modest bot posting 20 times a day runs about $9/mo on plain posts alone, before any reads.
Why the $0.20 link fee matters
In April 2026, X added anti-spam pricing: a post that contains a link costs about $0.20, roughly 13 times a plain post. This is the fee that changes the math for real automations.
Nearly every useful automation posts links. Sharing a blog post, a product update, a GitHub release, or a Stripe milestone all include a URL. At $0.20 each, 20 link posts a day is about $120/mo on the official X MCP, and that is before reads or your developer app overhead.
Do the link math first
If your agent posts links, price it at $0.20 per post, not $0.015. That single number is usually what decides between the official X MCP and a flat-fee service.The flat-fee alternative
OpenTweet charges a flat $11.99/mo on the Pro plan with no per-post fee, no per-link surcharge, and no X developer account. You connect your X account once, or for an AI client you paste a single URL, mcp.opentweet.io/mcp, into the connectors config. Scheduling is included, which the official X MCP does not offer.
Where the official X MCP is the better pick
The official X MCP is first-party, so it carries direct X trust, and it can reach full-archive search that a third party cannot. If your job is heavy reading and search, or you specifically need first-party posting, it is a reasonable choice. For cost-per-post, no developer account, and scheduling, OpenTweet wins.7-day free trial. Cancel anytime.
Frequently asked questions
Is the official X MCP server free to use?
The server itself has no subscription fee, so in that narrow sense it is free to connect. But every action it takes hits the X API on pay-per-use billing: about $0.015 per post, and $0.20 per post if the post contains a link, plus about $0.005 per read. You also must enroll your own X developer app in billing, so there is no scenario where posting through it costs nothing.
How much does api.x.com/mcp cost per post?
About $0.015 for a plain text post, and about $0.20 for a post that contains a link. The link surcharge was added in April 2026 as anti-spam pricing. Reads cost about $0.005 each. There is no free tier for new API projects since February 6, 2026.
Do I need an X developer account for the official X MCP server?
Yes. You must create your own X developer app and enroll it in billing before the official MCP server can post. OpenTweet does not require a developer account, because it holds the X connection for you.
Can the official X MCP server schedule posts?
No. It posts immediately and cannot schedule for later. If you need scheduling, you need a scheduler on top, or a service like OpenTweet that includes scheduling.
What is the cheaper alternative to the official X MCP server?
OpenTweet is a flat $11.99/mo with no per-post fee, no per-link surcharge, and no X developer account. You paste one URL, mcp.opentweet.io/mcp, into your AI client. It also includes scheduling. The official X MCP is still the better pick if you need full-archive search or first-party trust.
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