Strava blames zero-code AI apps and scrapers as it tightens API access
TL;DR
The popular fitness-tracking platform, Strava, is restricting access to its API as part of efforts to clamp down on AI scraping, as reported earlier by TechCrunch. Developers who want to build an app using Strava's data now need to pay for a flat $11.99 / month subscription. In an update on its developer hub, Strava blames the change on "zero-code AI tools" that allow users to quickly create apps that "hammer" APIs.
Nauti's Take
Understandable: Strava's API limits respond to a real problem — zero-code AI tools had hammered the interface and degraded performance for everyone, so this protects the platform. The upside: a modest $11.99 fee can filter abuse and give serious developers steadier conditions.
The catch: the barrier also hits hobby and indie developers whose projects may no longer pencil out. Anyone building on Strava data should budget the new cost now.
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