Rate Limits

The Texting Blue API enforces rate limits to ensure fair usage and platform stability. Limits vary by plan.

Limits per plan

Scope	Free	Starter	Pro	Enterprise
API requests/min	60	300	1,000	5,000
Messages/min	5	20	60	200
Monthly messages	100	1,000	10,000	Custom
Phone numbers	1	2	5	Unlimited
Team members	1	3	10	Unlimited

Rate limit headers

Every API response includes rate limit information in the headers:

Header	Description
x-ratelimit-remaining	Number of requests remaining in the current window
Retry-After	Seconds to wait before retrying (only present on 429 responses)

Handling rate limits

When you exceed the rate limit, the API returns a 429 Too Many Requests response:

{
  "error": {
    "code": "rate_limited",
    "message": "Rate limit exceeded. Retry after 15 seconds."
  }
}

Best practices

Implement exponential backoff:

async function sendWithRetry(payload, maxRetries = 3) {
  for (let attempt = 0; attempt < maxRetries; attempt++) {
    const response = await fetch('https://api.texting.blue/v1/messages/send', {
      method: 'POST',
      headers: {
        'Content-Type': 'application/json',
        'x-api-key': API_KEY,
      },
      body: JSON.stringify(payload),
    });

    if (response.status === 429) {
      const retryAfter = parseInt(response.headers.get('Retry-After') || '10');
      await new Promise(resolve => setTimeout(resolve, retryAfter * 1000));
      continue;
    }

    return response.json();
  }
  throw new Error('Max retries exceeded');
}

Queue messages client-side:

If you're sending many messages, queue them and send at a controlled rate rather than bursting:

async function sendBatch(messages, delayMs = 1000) {
  for (const msg of messages) {
    await sendMessage(msg);
    await new Promise(resolve => setTimeout(resolve, delayMs));
  }
}

Monitor remaining requests:

Check the x-ratelimit-remaining header and slow down as you approach the limit.

Monthly message limits

Monthly message limits are enforced separately from per-minute rate limits. When you reach your monthly limit, the API returns a 402 Payment Required response with the plan_limit_exceeded error code.

Monthly limits reset at the start of each billing cycle.

Requesting higher limits

Enterprise plan customers can request custom rate limits. Contact [email protected] to discuss your needs.

Next steps

• Error codes -- Full error reference
• Pricing -- Compare plan limits