Understanding Automation Rate Limits Across Social Media Platforms

This guide will help you understand what automation rate limits are, why they exist, and how they impact your PhantomBuster automations. Knowing these limits is important for protecting your account and ensuring smooth, uninterrupted automation.

What are rate limits?

đź’ˇRate limits are restrictions set by social media platforms to control the number of actions you can take within a given time period.

These limits help maintain the social media platform’s stability, ensure a positive user experience, and promote fair usage for everyone. Complying with social media platform’s automation limits is important to avoid issues such as account blocks, temporary restrictions, or even permanent bans.

Each social media platform has its own specific rate limits, which may vary depending on factors such as:

  • Account activity
  • Account age or size
  • Security measures implemented by the social media platform
⚠️ Keep in mind that rate limits apply to both automated actions (by your Phantoms) and manual actions you perform directly on the social media platform.

 

Best practices for managing rate limits when automating actions with PhantomBuster

đź’ˇ Rate limits apply across all actions you are automating across social media. If you are using more than one Phantom, lower the frequency for each Phantom to stay within the limits across your account.

Imitate human behavior

đź’ˇ The more your actions mimic natural human behavior, the less likely you are to hit rate limits.

Social media platforms look for patterns that seem unnatural, such as sending too many messages or making too many connections in a short period. To avoid triggering rate limits, make sure your automation reflects what you’d normally do manually.

⚠️ Automating too much and too quickly can cause account issues like disconnections, warnings, or, in extreme cases, account bans.

Start slowly and warm up your account

💡 If your account is new or has been inactive for a while, it’s best to begin with fewer actions and gradually increase them over time.

When starting automation on a new account, avoid performing too many actions at once. Slowly increasing activity gives your account time to adjust to automated processes without triggering rate limits.

Spread the actions throughout the day

đź’ˇ Distribute your actions evenly across the day rather than performing them all at once.

Actions concentrated into a short timeframe can appear unnatural to social media platforms. Breaking them into smaller batches and scheduling them throughout the day makes your activity seem more like real human behavior.

⚠️ Avoid automating outside typical work hours (such as late nights or weekends) to reduce the chance of triggering rate limits.

You should adjust the “Number of [actions] per launch” and set repeated launches at different times for your Phantoms.

Follow the recommended rate limits

💡 Each platform has different rate limits, so make sure to follow the recommended guidelines for the platform you’re automating on.

Social media platforms update their limits constantly so make sure you always check their documentation.

Here are the latests automation rate limits for LinkedIn:

Screenshot 2024-10-03 at 16.09.32.png

Monitor and adjust based on your account’s performance

⚠️ Each account has its own threshold when it comes to automation, and not everyone can automate at the same level.

The age, activity, and history of your account affect how many actions it can perform and with what frequency before hitting rate limits.

It’s important to monitor how your account responds to automation. Some accounts may handle more actions, while others may need a lighter approach. Adjust your settings based on your account’s performance to avoid any restrictions or warnings.

 

Signs you’re over-automating and how to adjust

There are a few signs to watch for that indicate you might be automating too much:

Temporary restrictions

If your account is temporarily limited (for example, you’re unable to send messages), this is a sign that you’ve exceeded rate limits.

  • What to do: Reduce the number of actions and spread them out more evenly throughout the day to mimic natural behavior.

Platform warnings

If you receive warnings from the platform about unusual activity, this indicates that your automation may be too aggressive.

Screenshot 2024-10-03 at 16.24.55.png

  • What to do: Scale back your automation frequency. Review your Phantom settings and slow down the pace of your actions to avoid triggering further warnings. It's also recommended to take a break from automations for 2-3 weeks to allow your account to recover and avoid further triggering the platform's limits.

Account disconnects

Frequent disconnections or expiring session cookies can point to overuse. This often happens when you automate too many actions in a short period.

  • What to do: Adjust your Phantom settings by reducing the number of actions per launch and increasing the time between launches to avoid overloading your account.

Related guides

Understanding Automation Rate Limits
LinkedIn Automation Rate Limits And Best Practices [2024 edition]

How to Find and Use Session Cookies

 

You can contact Support at any time for additional details on your PhantomBuster workspace.

 

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