Rate limits for the AI features in Yoast SEO

If you’re using the AI title & description generator or Yoast AI Optimize in Yoast SEO, you might come across a notification that says:

You’ve reached the rate limit for today!
You have reached the Yoast AI rate limit. Please restrict the number of your requests.

This notification means that you’ve hit a usage limit we have set for the AI features in Yoast SEO. Let’s dive into the details of these rate limits, so you understand why they are in place.

Why have we set rate limits?

These rate limits are there to make things fair and smooth for everyone, because they prevent any single user from overwhelming the system with an excessive number of requests. This helps maintain the quality and responsiveness of the AI features for all. So, while these limits might seem restrictive, they ultimately create a better experience for everyone.

Current rate limits

Currently, the following rate limits are configured for the AI features in Yoast SEO. These limits are set per subscription or per user (IP-based) for each individual WordPress site. It’s important to note that for each of these limits, the restriction is based on whichever limit you hit first. Please be aware that these rate limits might change in the future.

Minutely rate limit

The first limit is a maximum of 10 requests per minute per user (IP-based) for each individual WordPress or Shopify site. If you reach 10 suggestion requests per minute, further requests will be blocked for 5 minutes.

Hourly rate limit

The second limit is a maximum of 5 token requests per hour per user (IP-based) for each individual WordPress or Shopify site. If you reach 5 token requests per hour, further requests will be blocked for one hour.

A token request is created every time you start using the Yoast AI features in order to verify the user, site identity and rights to use these features. In some cases this token request can fail, and creating requests again leads to hitting the rate limit. If this happens, check the FAQ: AI features in Yoast SEO for solutions.

Daily rate limit

The third limit is a maximum of 100 requests per day per subscription for each individual WordPress site. If you reach 100 requests within a day, further requests will be blocked until the next day.

Monthly rate limit

The fourth limit is a maximum of 3000 requests per month per subscription for each individual WordPress site. If you reach 3000 requests within a month, further requests will be blocked until the next month starts.

How to prevent hitting a rate limit

To avoid hitting these limits, pay attention to how many requests you make to Yoast SEO’s AI features. If you want to make requests for a lot of your posts, pages, products, categories and tags, don’t do them all together. Try to spread out your requests; do some now and do some later.

Do you have any other questions about the AI features? Then check out the FAQ: AI features in Yoast SEO.

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