specification: API Commons Rate Limits
specificationVersion: '0.1'
schema: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/interface-research/main/schema/api-commons.yml#/$defs/RateLimits
provider: Noun Project
providerId: noun-project
created: '2026-05-28'
modified: '2026-05-28'
reconciled: true
tags:
  - Rate Limiting
  - Icons
  - Visual Language
description: >-
  Noun Project API rate limits are bound to the calling API key (OAuth 1.0a
  client) and split across two metric families: service calls (non-icon
  endpoints such as search, autocomplete, blocklist, usage) and icon calls
  (requests that include an icon ID such as get-icon, similar, and download).
  Each metric is enforced across hourly, daily, and monthly windows that vary
  by plan. Free trial accounts also receive smaller per-request payload caps
  (5 blocklist entries vs 1,000 on paid plans). Real-time usage is available
  through the /v2/client/usage endpoint and the developer dashboard.
sources:
  - https://thenounproject.com/api/
  - https://api.thenounproject.com/getting_started.html
  - https://api.thenounproject.com/documentation.html
responseCodes:
  unauthorized: 401
  notFound: 404
  throttled: 429
  quotaExceeded: 429
limits:
  - name: Service calls (Free Trial, daily)
    scope: key
    metric: requests_per_day
    limit: 1000
    timeFrame: day
    notes: Non-icon endpoints (search, autocomplete, blocklist, usage).
  - name: Service calls (Free Trial, monthly)
    scope: key
    metric: requests_per_month
    limit: 2000
    timeFrame: month
    notes: Non-icon endpoints on the 30-day free trial.
  - name: Icon calls (Free Trial, daily)
    scope: key
    metric: requests_per_day
    limit: 150
    timeFrame: day
    notes: Endpoints that include an icon ID (get-icon, similar, download).
  - name: Icon calls (Free Trial, monthly)
    scope: key
    metric: requests_per_month
    limit: 150
    timeFrame: month
    notes: Same icon-call quota for daily and monthly on free trial.
  - name: Service calls (Pay-Per-Use, daily)
    scope: key
    metric: requests_per_day
    limit: 200000
    timeFrame: day
  - name: Service calls (Pay-Per-Use, monthly)
    scope: key
    metric: requests_per_month
    limit: 3000000
    timeFrame: month
  - name: Icon calls (Pay-Per-Use, daily)
    scope: key
    metric: requests_per_day
    limit: 10000
    timeFrame: day
  - name: Icon calls (Pay-Per-Use, monthly)
    scope: key
    metric: requests_per_month
    limit: 150000
    timeFrame: month
  - name: Service and icon calls (Enterprise)
    scope: key
    metric: requests_per_month
    limit: 'unlimited; subject to negotiated $300 monthly minimum'
    notes: Custom Enterprise tier removes daily and monthly call ceilings.
  - name: Blocklist payload (per request, Free Trial)
    scope: request
    metric: items_per_request
    limit: 5
    notes: Maximum identifiers or terms accepted per blocklist POST on free trial.
  - name: Blocklist payload (per request, paid)
    scope: request
    metric: items_per_request
    limit: 1000
    notes: Maximum identifiers or terms accepted per blocklist POST on paid plans.
  - name: Hourly limit
    scope: key
    metric: varies
    limit: 'documented but tier-specific; consult the developer dashboard or /v2/client/usage'
    notes: All keys are subject to hourly limits in addition to daily and monthly caps.
policies:
  - name: Hourly + daily + monthly windows
    description: >-
      Every key is constrained by hourly, daily, and monthly windows. Exceeding
      any window returns HTTP 429.
  - name: Tier-aware blocklist payload limits
    description: >-
      Blocklist POST payloads are capped at 5 items on the free trial and 1,000
      items on paid plans. Exceeding the limit returns HTTP 400.
  - name: Blocklist cache
    description: >-
      Blocklist reads are cached server-side for up to 10 minutes; expect a
      propagation delay after add/overwrite operations.
  - name: Self-service quota visibility
    description: >-
      Use GET /v2/client/usage to programmatically inspect current consumption
      and remaining quota across hourly, daily, and monthly windows.
  - name: Soft caps via dashboard
    description: >-
      The developer dashboard exposes user-defined monthly maximums on the
      Pay-Per-Use plan; setting one converts the soft cap into a hard 429.
  - name: Quota raises via support
    description: >-
      Enterprise customers and elevated Pay-Per-Use accounts can negotiate
      raised per-second or per-hour ceilings through Noun Project support
      (help.thenounproject.com).