PayAI vs thirdweb: x402 facilitator fees compared
Updated 2026-11-10 · listed A to Z, not ranked
An x402 facilitator verifies a signed stablecoin payment and settles it onchain, so an API can charge per request without running its own payment stack. PayAI and thirdweb both offer one, and they charge in different ways.
Every figure is quoted from the official pricing or docs page, read on Nov 10, 2026. Worked examples are our arithmetic. We don’t rank them or pick a winner.
- How it charges
- Prepaid credits; each settlement costs its network’s daily rate
- Free allowance
- 1,000 credits to start (one-time); testnets free
- Price
- Base $0.00179, Solana $0.00112, Arbitrum $0.00559 per settlement (Nov 10 rates)
- Account
- None to start; API key for paid usage beyond the free credits
- Networks
- Solana, Base, BNB Smart Chain, Polygon, Avalanche, Arbitrum, Sei, X Layer and SKALE
- How it charges
- Percentage of each transaction executed through the facilitator
- Free allowance
- None listed for x402
- Price
- 0.3% of each transaction
- Account
- thirdweb account; listed plans Growth $99, Scale $499, Pro $1,499+ a month
- Networks
- EVM networks
How we checked: Pricing quoted from payai.network and thirdweb.com on Nov 10, 2026. PayAI rates are the daily network rates published at facilitator.payai.network/pricing.
What 10,000 payments a month cost
Two examples, one settlement per payment: 10,000 calls at $0.05 ($500 of payments), and 10,000 calls at $1 ($10,000 of payments).
| Facilitator | 10,000 × $0.05 | 10,000 × $1 |
|---|---|---|
| PayAI | About $17.90 on Base or $11.20 on Solana (daily network rates, before the one-time free credits) | About $17.90 on Base or $11.20 on Solana (flat per settlement) |
| thirdweb | $1.50 (0.3% of $500), plus the plan price | $30.00 (0.3% of $10,000), plus the plan price |
Our arithmetic from the published rates, not a quote. A flat per-transaction fee stays the same as payment size grows; a percentage fee grows with it. Batch settlement, where supported, puts many payments in one onchain transaction and lowers per-payment cost.
How they differ
- PayAI: prepaid credits; each settlement costs its network’s daily rate. Free allowance: 1,000 credits to start (one-time); testnets free. Price: Base $0.00179, Solana $0.00112, Arbitrum $0.00559 per settlement (Nov 10 rates).
- thirdweb: percentage of each transaction executed through the facilitator. Free allowance: none listed for x402. Price: 0.3% of each transaction.
- Getting started: PayAI: none to start; API key for paid usage beyond the free credits. thirdweb: thirdweb account; listed plans Growth $99, Scale $499, Pro $1,499+ a month.
FAQ
What does PayAI charge for x402?
Base $0.00179, Solana $0.00112, Arbitrum $0.00559 per settlement (Nov 10 rates); free allowance: 1,000 credits to start (one-time); testnets free (facilitator.payai.network, Nov 10, 2026).
What does thirdweb charge for x402?
0.3% of each transaction; free allowance: none listed for x402 (thirdweb.com, Nov 10, 2026).
Which is cheaper?
We do not pick a winner: they charge in different units (per onchain transaction, per-network credits, or a percentage), so the total depends on your payment size, volume and network. The worked examples above show the arithmetic.
Where do these figures come from?
Each provider’s official pricing page or docs, read on Nov 10, 2026. Rates change (PayAI’s daily): confirm before you rely on them.
Sources (official pages, read 2026-11-10)
Spot something out of date? Email hello@youraitools.co and we’ll fix it.