Getting Started [Quickstart](/docs/#quickstart) [Authentication](/docs/#authentication) API Reference [Overview](/docs/#api-reference) [Register](/docs/#register) [Upload image](/docs/#upload) [Generate image](/docs/#generate) [List images](/docs/#list) [AI descriptions & tags](/docs/#descriptions) [Get image](/docs/#get) [Delete image](/docs/#delete) [Batch upload](/docs/#batch) [Private images](/docs/#private) [Collections](/docs/#collections) [Usage & quota](/docs/#usage) [API keys](/docs/#keys) [Upgrade & billing](/docs/#billing-api) [Sign in by email code](/docs/#device-login) [Export all images](/docs/#export) [Transforms](/docs/#transforms) [Rate limits & quotas](/docs/limits/) Tools [CLI](/docs/#cli) [SDKs (JS & Python)](/docs/#sdks) [Claude Code skill](/docs/#claude-code) Integration [Paste & host](/docs/#paste) [Images in email](/docs/#email) [MCP server](/docs/#mcp) [Upload from Claude](/docs/claude/) [ChatGPT Custom GPT](/docs/#chatgpt-actions) [Agent discovery](/docs/#agent-discovery) Account [Billing & subscriptions](/docs/billing/) # Rate limits & quotas Last updated: October 2026 There are two kinds of limits. **Rate limits** cap how fast you can call the API and reset on their own. **Plan quotas** cap how much you can store and upload per month. This page lists both. ## Rate limits Endpoint Limit Counted per Authenticated image API: `POST /v1/images`, `POST /v1/images/batch`, `GET`/`DELETE /v1/images/*`, `POST /v1/images/:id/sign-url`, `/v1/collections*` 60 requests per minute per key, and 300 per minute across all of a project's keys API key, then project `POST /v1/images/generate` (also counts toward the 60 per minute above) 60 generations per hour Account Keyless `POST /v1/images` (no API key) 20 per hour, and a short burst guard of 10 per minute IP address `POST /v1/playground/upload` 10 per hour, and 10 per minute IP address `/v1/auth/*` (register, login, sign-in codes, reset) 5 per minute IP address `GET /v1/export` 10 per hour IP address `GET /v1/export-jobs/*` (status and download) 120 per minute IP address `POST /v1/claim` 20 per hour IP address Serving images from `img.pixelvault.dev` is not part of the API rate limit. It is governed by your plan's bandwidth quota instead. ## When you hit a limit The API answers `429 Too Many Requests` with a `Retry-After` header (seconds) and this body: ``` { "error": { "code": "rate_limit_exceeded", "message": "Rate limit of 60 requests per 1 minute(s) exceeded." } } ``` Wait for `Retry-After` seconds and retry; do not retry in a tight loop. Most limited routes also send an `X-RateLimit-Limit` header with the limit that applied. The per-key limit (60 per minute) does not report a remaining count. Batching helps: [`POST /v1/images/batch`](/docs/#batch) uploads many images in one request, which counts once against the 60 per minute limit. ## Plan quotas Free Starter Pro Storage 200 MB 5 GB 25 GB Uploads per month 500 25,000 50,000 Bandwidth per month 1 GB 25 GB 50 GB AI image credits per month 10 300 1,500 Maximum size per image is 5 MB. Prices and the full feature comparison are on the [pricing page](/pricing/); see [Billing](/docs/billing/) for what happens when you change plan. ## When you hit a plan quota A plan quota is not a rate limit, so it does not answer `429`. Waiting never helps: storage does not free itself and uploads reset only next month. The API answers `402 Payment Required` instead, with a message that links to the upgrade page: Error code Meaning What to do `storage_limit_reached` Total storage is at your plan's cap Delete images or upgrade `upload_limit_reached` Monthly upload count is used up Wait for `resets_at` or upgrade `private_limit_reached` Free plan's 100 private images are used Delete some or upgrade Do not retry a `402`. In a batch upload the same codes appear per item. Check [`GET /v1/usage`](/docs/#usage) before a bulk upload to see what is left. ## Uploads that expire Keyless uploads are temporary (30 days). Playground uploads are removed within 24 hours. Keyed uploads with `expires_in` are removed by an hourly cleanup, so removal can lag the TTL by up to about two hours. See [Upload image](/docs/#upload).