Free or paid data API?
I have an idea for a data API that I'd like to host on RapidAPI, but I've come upon a bit of (moral) conundrum. Without revealing too much, the data comprises an encyclopedia of sorts, with a near infinite amount of information that I couldn't possibly add all by myself without the help of users POSTing to the API itself.
Would it be right to charge users to retrieve data they've partially added themselves? Or should I just release the API for free?
Is there an alternative that I maybe haven't thought of?
Would love to hear your thoughts!
Tier it based on the number of requests.
E.g. free for up to 2000 requests per month. 2,000 to 10,000, it's $5 a month, etc. And then above a certain threshold, to see what the upper limits are, just do a fixed cost per request, or group of requests.
E.g. above 10,000, it's $1 per 1000 requests.
This way you have a low barrier to entry, and you can also see where the upper limits of your requests are (e.g. are there any users going over 10,000; if so, by how much. Does it mean you need to rethink your tiers).
Good luck!
What are the incentive for users to POST to your API?
As other have notes, freemium: x calls/month free, and then paid tiers.
This comment was deleted 3 years ago