Rate Limit
A cap on how many requests you can send to an AI tool or API within a given time period.
01 Definition
A rate limit restricts how many requests (messages, API calls, generations) you can make within a certain window of time — per minute, hour, or day — to manage server load and, on paid plans, to control costs.
02 Why It Matters
This is why you might see 'you've reached your limit, try again later' messages on free tiers, and why heavier users often need paid plans that raise these caps.
03 Example
A free ChatGPT account might be capped at a certain number of messages per few hours before it slows down or pauses.