CoinGecko Halves x402 API Pricing to $0.005 Per Call, Adds Polygon USDC Support

CoinGecko has cut the price of its experimental x402 API endpoints by 50%, from $0.01 USDC to $0.005 USDC per request, the company announced. The update also adds Polygon as a third settlement network for USDC payments, joining Base and Solana.

The pricing change applies only to CoinGecko's x402 endpoints, which the company still labels experimental. Traditional CoinGecko API plans, built on API keys and user accounts, remain separate and unchanged.

How does the x402 payment flow work?

The x402 approach removes both keys and accounts entirely. A client requests data, the server responds with an HTTP 402 "Payment Required" status, and the client signs a payment payload and resends the request.

The signature travels in a PAYMENT-SIGNATURE header. CoinGecko's documentation states the x402 client builds this header automatically, so developers do not assemble it manually.

Supported queries include crypto price lookups, on-chain token data, pool searches and trending pool information. Under the new rate, one dollar of USDC now buys 200 requests — double the 100 available at the previous $0.01 price.

Why did Coinbase build x402?

Coinbase originally developed the x402 protocol, which revives the HTTP 402 status code — a piece of web plumbing that sat largely unused for years while the internet settled on advertising and subscriptions instead.

The protocol lets machines pay machines directly. Instead of a company signing up for a subscription and handing a key to its software, the software itself carries a wallet and pays per request.

That design targets automated systems, especially AI agents that need blockchain data on demand. An agent researching a token, rebalancing a portfolio or monitoring liquidity pools does not fit a human-shaped subscription tier.

Subscriptions assume predictable usage; agents tend to be bursty — quiet for hours, then suddenly requesting hundreds of data points at once. Per-call micropayments match that pattern, charging nothing during idle hours.

What does the Polygon addition change?

CoinGecko now settles USDC on three networks: Base, Solana and Polygon. Each network carries its own developer community and its own base of wallets already holding stablecoins.

The multichain strategy addresses a practical constraint: friction kills micropayments. If an agent's wallet holds USDC on Polygon but the provider only accepts Base, someone must bridge funds first, which defeats an instant, accountless purchase. Builders on Polygon can now plug into the endpoints without moving money across chains.

The expansion also signals that CoinGecko treats x402 as a multichain standard rather than a single-network experiment. Coinbase incubated the protocol, but the payment rails now extend beyond its own Base network.

Who benefits from the price cut?

The immediate winners are small teams and independent developers. Usage-based pricing lowers the barrier for anyone who found a full subscription hard to justify for a prototype or side project.

A developer testing an agent can spend pocket change to validate the idea, with no plan to cancel if it fails.

For CoinGecko, the move shifts how it sells its core product. Subscriptions reward heavy, predictable users; per-call pricing opens a long tail of customers who would never sign a contract.

The endpoints remain experimental, meaning pricing, coverage and behavior could keep evolving. Developers building production systems on top of them should monitor CoinGecko's documentation before committing to the rails at scale.

By Tom Whitfield