> if the issue is the amount Reddit charge per call, why can't those third party apps charge their users more based on the API charge? As a first approximation

> if the issue is the amount Reddit charge per call, why can't those third party apps charge their users more based on the API charge? As a first approximation yes, the issue is the amount Reddit charges per call. The perception is that they are way overcharging for the calls, because the real message is that they don't want 3rd party apps to exist anymore.