Which x402 facilitator should I use, and what does it cost?
Sponsor slot open: one short text line here for 30 days. See terms.
Quick answer: under about 1,000 settlements a month, Coinbase CDP costs nothing; above that it is $0.001 each. PayAI needs no API key to start, but its 1,000 free credits are lifetime (about 430–459 Base settlements), then about $0.002 per Base settlement today. thirdweb takes 0.3% of each payment on top of a paid plan from $99/month, so it only pays off at high volume. Test on the x402.org facilitator (Base Sepolia). Self-hosting has no fee but you pay gas.
The numbers
- Coinbase CDP: 1,000 free onchain transactions a month, then $0.001 each; verification free; Base supports
exact,uptoandbatch-settlement; needs a CDP API key. Source, checked 2026-10-14. - PayAI: 1,000 free credits per receiving wallet, lifetime (about 430–459 Base settlements); shared cloud hosts such as Workers also draw from a shared pool. Then gas + 30% at $0.001 per credit. Live Base
exactrate 2.18 credits ($0.00218), effective since 2026-10-07, republished when it moves more than 5%. Docs, live table, checked 2026-10-14. - thirdweb: 0.3% transaction fee on each facilitator transaction, listed on the paid plans (Growth $99/month, Scale $499/month, Pro $1,499+/month); supports Base (chainId 8453); uses your own server wallet and a secret key. Pricing, docs, checked 2026-10-14.
- x402.org: its
/supportedlist shows Base Sepolia, not Base mainnet. Fee: unknown. Source, checked 2026-10-14. - Self-hosted: no facilitator fee; you pay gas per settlement. x402 repository.
Where the lines cross
CDP’s fee is flat ($0.001 after 1,000 free a month). thirdweb adds 0.3% of volume to a plan from $99/month. Example, 5,000 payments a month at $0.01: CDP $4.00, PayAI $10.90 once its free credits are used, thirdweb $99.15 on Growth. thirdweb’s percentage only beats CDP’s flat fee per payment below about $0.33, and the $99 plan fee outweighs that unless you already pay for a thirdweb plan. PayAI’s current Base rate ($0.00218) is above CDP’s paid rate, but you can start with no account. Plug your own numbers into the facilitator cost calculator.
FAQ
Is the CDP free tier monthly?
Yes. CDP says the first 1,000 onchain facilitator transactions each month are free, then $0.001 each (CDP Facilitator docs, checked 2026-10-14).
Is the PayAI free tier monthly?
No. PayAI gives 1,000 credits per receiving wallet for its lifetime, about 430–459 Base settlements; it is not a monthly reset. Shared cloud hosts also draw from a shared pool (PayAI pricing docs, checked 2026-10-14).
Can I use the x402.org facilitator in production on Base?
Its /supported response on 2026-10-14 listed Base Sepolia, not Base mainnet. Use it for testing.
Do I need a facilitator at all?
No. A seller can verify and settle payments itself, paying network gas from its own wallet instead of a facilitator fee.
Which ones settle on Base mainnet in practice: which x402 facilitator works on Base mainnet. Prices are from each provider’s own page on 2026-10-14 and can change.
Selling a file and don’t want a facilitator? The x402 Seller Kit verifies USDC transfers on Base itself, with no facilitator keys. The README is free to read.
Get the kit · $29