Strava announced new restrictions on access to its website data on June 1, 2026, requiring users to authenticate to view previously public information such as profiles and club listings [1]. The company also replaced its free API tier with a flat $11.99 monthly subscription fee for all developers accessing the API [1, 2].
The changes come as Strava's developer community has grown from 185,000 in 2025 to 241,000 in 2026, coinciding with a 448% year-to-date increase in API calls due to unauthorized use by AI tools [1, 2]. Strava CEO Michael Martin said, "AI companies are ruthlessly scraping public websites, given their endless need for training data," warning this threatens the public internet [1].
To protect user information and reduce unauthorized data scraping, Strava plans to retire certain API endpoints while maintaining free access for wearable and device integrations plus personal data downloads [1, 2]. The company has previously restricted third-party apps and banned AI training on its API since 2024 [1, 2].
Strava intends to implement support for the Model Context Protocol (MCP) to better control data sharing with AI applications [1]. Developers will receive a 90-day grace period to adjust before the new API restrictions take effect [1].
The tightening of API access follows Strava's February 2026 filing for an initial public offering [2]. The firm also dropped a prior patent infringement lawsuit against Garmin [2].
The new subscription fee and data access limits aim to curb surging, unauthorized API usage, which has degraded platform performance by overwhelming the system with scraping attempts [2].
Developers affected by the changes have until late August 2026 to comply with the updated API terms before restrictions fully roll out [1].
