Why we use rate limits
Our platform is built on a strong foundation that ensures fair usage and a dependable experience for all users. Our API rate limits have been designed to uphold this commitment and achieve our target uptime, as specified in our Global Service Level Agreement.
Limiting the number of requests made to our API within a specific time frame helps for multiple reasons. It helps us manage the server load, prevent potential abuse, and ensure that our resources are fairly distributed. This not only protects the Dotdigital platform and your accounts but also guarantees that you will always have a consistently satisfying user experience that you can rely on.
Call rate tiers
Our API rates are organized into different call rate tiers, each with its own API call rates.
API call rate tiers:
Low
Medium
High
Unlimited
The specific call rate tier for a call can be found on the API call’s help article in our developer documentation.
Basic, Standard, Enhanced rate limit
The API rate limit of every account varies depending on the package level: Basic, Standard, or Enhanced.
Package | Rate limit |
Email & SMS marketing | Standard |
CXDP | Enhanced |
CXDP for partners | Enhanced |
Our API call rates and packages
The table below shows our call rate tiers and their rate limits.
The table below shows the API call rate tiers and their rate limits, which are determined by the package you have subscribed to. For example, Email and SMS Marketing has a Standard rate limit, while CXDP comes with our best call rate, the Enhanced limit.
To view your package's call rate limits in Dotdigital, expand the User menu, then go to Settings > Access > API rate limits.
API call rates are measured over one minute with various tiers for different resource demands. The table highlights the difference between these tiers: Low, Medium, High, and Unlimited.
Call rate tier | Basic rate limit | Standard rate limit | Enhanced rate limit | Info |
Low | 35 calls per minute (0.5/sec or 2250/hour) | 75 calls per minute (1.25/sec or 4500/hour) | 150 calls per minute (2.5/sec or 9000/hour) | Applied to the most resource-expensive calls, such as bulk operations. |
Medium | 75 calls per minute (1.25/sec or 4500/hour) | 150 calls per minute (2.5/sec or 9000/hour) | 300 calls per minute (5/sec or 18,000/hour) | Applied to synchronous data updating calls. |
High | 1500 calls per minute (25/sec or 90,000/hour) | 3000 calls per minute (50/sec or 180,000/hour) | 6000 calls per minute (100/sec or 360,000/hour) | Applied to calls that are lightweight on resources. |
Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Only used where API calls should never be limited, such as sending premium messages or suppressing contacts. |
Flat rate | 2000/hour | 7,500/hour | 10,000/hour | If the flat rate limit is picked for an API user. |
Flat rate vs tiered rate limiting
Our APIs use two different rate-limiting schemes for API calls.
Flat rate limiting
Our original rate limiting. Based on a given number of API calls per hour.Tiered rate limiting
Our preferred rate limiting. Based on API calls being in a tier with its own rate limit per minute.
Increase your rate limits
If you’d like to increase your rate limits, contact your Customer Success Manager.
Learn more in Call rate limits in our developer documentation.