# How to export posts from X (Twitter): your archive, the API, and a creator's posts

> Download your own X archive, what X's API costs to read posts now that it's pay-per-use, and how to collect a creator's posts with their numbers into a spreadsheet.

By Matt, Parsly · Updated 2026-10-22 · https://parsly.to/guides/how-to-export-posts-from-x/

## The short answer

To export your own posts from X, request your archive under Settings and privacy, Your account, Download an archive of your data. To export someone else's, X's API charges per post read ($0.005 a post in October 2026), or a tool such as Parsly collects a creator's posts with their views, likes and reposts as you scroll.

Exporting posts from X (still Twitter to most people) means one of two things. Either you want a copy of your own posts, which X gives you for free, or you want someone else's, usually a creator or competitor whose posts do well, which X only sells through its API. This guide covers both, with what the API costs now and the simpler ways in between.

## How do I download my own X archive?

Request it in X's settings. The archive is a zip file with every post you've made since you joined, plus your likes, messages and account details.

1. On x.com, click **More** in the menu, then **Settings and privacy**. In the app, tap your profile picture, then **Settings and privacy**.
2. Click **Your account**, then **Download an archive of your data**.
3. Confirm it's you: X asks for your password, or sends a code to your email or phone.
4. Request the archive.
5. X emails you, or sends a notification in the app, when it's ready. Download the zip file while signed in.

X's own help page: [How to download your X archive](https://help.x.com/articles/20170320). Menu names differ a little between the app and the website, and X changes them often.

### How do I open the archive?

Unzip it and open **Your archive.html** in a browser to scroll your posts. For a spreadsheet, the posts are in `data/tweets.js`: a JSON file with a line of JavaScript at the top. Remove everything before the first `[` and any free JSON-to-CSV converter will turn it into a table.

Don't count on the archive for numbers. Accounts of what it holds disagree on whether each post carries its like and repost counts, and it has no views.

## Can I export someone else's posts from X?

Not from X's settings, which only export your own account. The official way is X's API, which is paid. The other ways are copying by hand, or a tool that reads the profile as you scroll it.

## How much does the X API cost to read posts?

X's API is pay-per-use: you buy credits up front, and each request is charged by what it returns. These are the rates on X's [pricing page](https://docs.x.com/x-api/getting-started/pricing), checked 22 October 2026:

| What you read | Price |
|---|---|
| A post (anyone's) | $0.005 each |
| A user's profile | $0.010 each |
| Your own posts, bookmarks, followers | $0.001 each |
| Monthly limit | 3 million post reads, then an Enterprise plan |

Each post returned counts, so a request that returns 100 posts is charged for 100. A post you've already paid for isn't charged again within the same day (UTC). So 1,000 of a creator's posts cost about $5, and their profile a cent more.

X's pricing changes often, and outside sources disagree on the details. They report that the free tier closed to new developers in February 2026, and that the old monthly Basic ($200) and Pro ($5,000) plans stay only for developers already on them; X's own pages no longer list them, and one source says Basic was moved to pay-per-use. Check the pricing page and your developer console before you plan a budget.

To use it, you sign up at X's developer console, create an app, buy credits, and call the API from code. It's the right choice if you're building software. It's a lot of setup for "I want this creator's posts in a spreadsheet".

## Which way should I use?

| Way | Free | Whose posts | Numbers | Many at once | Effort |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Your archive | Yes | Your own | Unclear; no views | All of them | A few clicks, then wait |
| Copy by hand | Yes | Anyone's public posts | What you copy | No | High |
| X API | No, $0.005 a post | Anyone's public posts | Views, likes, reposts, replies | Yes | Code, an app and credits |
| Parsly | Yes | Anyone's public posts | Views, likes, reposts, replies, dates | A whole profile | One click |

## What you can't do

- **Export someone's posts from X's own settings.** The archive is for your account only.
- **See protected accounts' posts,** or anything you can't see yourself when signed in.
- **Collect freely.** X's terms ban crawling or scraping without its prior written consent; X added that ban in 2023 and has sued scraping companies over it. Collect for your own research, and don't repost other people's posts as yours.

## How do I export a creator's posts from X with Parsly?

[Parsly](https://parsly.to/) is a free Chrome extension that reads the posts X shows you on a profile and turns them into a spreadsheet, without the API.

1. Open the creator's profile on x.com, and open Parsly from Chrome's toolbar. The first time, allow it on X.
2. Click **Collect**. Parsly scrolls the profile like a person would and reads each post with its views, likes, reposts, replies and date.
3. It marks the breakouts: the posts that beat that creator's usual views, such as "8x his usual", rather than the ones with the most likes. Those are the posts worth reading closely.
4. Copy the result or download a CSV.

Parsly only reads public posts you can see yourself.

To ask questions instead of reading a spreadsheet ("what do this creator's best posts this year have in common?"), [Parsly in Claude](https://parsly.to/guides/parsly-in-claude/) (paid) fetches a creator's posts through data providers and answers in your own words.

## Questions people also ask

### Is the X API free?

Not for reading posts. X's documentation describes pay-per-use pricing: you buy credits up front and each post read costs $0.005 (checked October 2026). Reports say the old free tier closed to new developers in February 2026.

### How long does an X archive take?

X doesn't promise a time. It emails you, or sends a notification in the app, when the archive is ready, and you download it while signed in. It isn't instant, so request it well before you need it.

### Can I export someone else's tweets?

Not from X's own settings, which only export your account. You can read public posts through the paid API, or use a tool that reads the profile as you scroll it, such as Parsly.

### Does X allow scraping?

No. X's terms ban crawling or scraping without its prior written consent, and X has taken scraping companies to court. Collect only for your own research, and don't republish other people's posts as your own.

### What's the best Twitter scraper?

It depends on what you need. For a few creators' posts with their numbers, an extension like Parsly is the least work. For large volumes in your own software, X's API is the official route, and data providers sell the same posts for less, with their own terms.

## Sources

- [X Help: How to download your X archive](https://help.x.com/articles/20170320)
- [X API docs: Pricing](https://docs.x.com/x-api/getting-started/pricing)
- [X API docs: Introduction](https://docs.x.com/x-api/introduction)
- [TechCrunch: X updates its terms to ban crawling and scraping (2023)](https://techcrunch.com/2023/09/08/x-updates-its-terms-to-ban-crawling-and-scraping)