Rate Limits
Elfa applies request-rate limits and credit limits by access model. Use this page when sizing an integration, configuring retry behavior, or deciding between API key and x402 access.
API Key Limits
| Plan | Requests per minute | Monthly credits |
|---|---|---|
| Free | 60 RPM | 1,000 |
| Grow | 120 RPM | 40,000 |
| PAYG | 60 RPM | Prepaid balance |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom |
API key limits apply per key. Subscription credits reset monthly. PAYG keys have no monthly allocation — they draw down a prepaid credit balance at $0.0145 per credit — accounts already on PAYG before the price change keep $0.009 until 28 September 2026, 16:00 UTC (29 September, 00:00 SGT). See Pricing for plan costs and top-up details.
x402 Limits
x402 pay-per-request access currently supports 1,000 RPM. Each request carries payment headers and is charged in USDC per call or per credit consumed by the endpoint.
For x402-specific safeguards and retry guidance, see x402 Rate Limits.
Handling Limits
When an integration receives an HTTP 429 rate-limit response:
- Honor
Retry-Afterwhen present; otherwise start with a short delay and increase exponentially. - Reuse cached responses when freshness requirements allow it.
- Avoid parallel duplicate calls for the same symbol, account, or time window.
- Track credit usage and request rate per API key, wallet, or agent identity.