CoinGecko Halves x402 API Price, Adds Polygon
The experimental pay-per-request endpoints now cost $0.005 USDC per call and accept USDC settlement on Base, Solana, and Polygon.
Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Couponing
CoinGecko cut the price of its experimental x402 API endpoints from $0.01 USDC to $0.005 USDC per request, and added USDC payment support on Polygon alongside existing Base and Solana support. The endpoints require no API key or account and are separate from CoinGecko's traditional API plans.
Why it matters
Per-call micropayments suit AI agents, whose usage tends to be bursty, better than fixed subscriptions that assume predictable demand. The lower price and added network make the pay-per-request option cheaper and more flexible for developers.
The per-request price fell from $0.01 USDC to $0.005 USDC, a 50% cut, and USDC settlement now runs on three networks: Base, Solana, and Polygon. Whether the lower price will remain in place after the endpoints leave experimental status has not been stated.
The players
CoinGecko
CoinGecko is a cryptocurrency data aggregator that tracks prices, market capitalization, and trading volume across thousands of digital assets.
Coinbase
Coinbase is a major U.S. cryptocurrency exchange that originally developed the x402 payment protocol.
The details
A client requests data, the server returns an HTTP 402 Payment Required response, and the client resends the request with a signed payment payload in a PAYMENT-SIGNATURE header that the x402 client builds automatically. Supported queries include crypto price lookups, on-chain token data, pool searches, and trending pool information.
Timeline
November 6, 2026: CoinGecko cut x402 pricing and added Polygon USDC payments.
Culture Shift
The move reflects a broader shift from fixed subscriptions toward per-call micropayments, which the x402 protocol, first developed by Coinbase, is designed to enable for automated software clients. CoinGecko's price cut and added network position its experimental endpoints within that emerging pay-as-you-go model.
Developers who call CoinGecko's x402 endpoints can now pay half as much per request, at $0.005 USDC, and settle in USDC on Base, Solana, or Polygon. No API key or account is required, so the endpoints can be used without a CoinGecko subscription.
The takeaway
Developers building automated tools that query crypto data can compare per-request x402 pricing against their usual subscription costs to see which fits their call volume. Because the endpoints are labeled experimental, pricing and coverage may change.
Further reading
For more on how price cuts and discounts are structured, see Couponing.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Crypto Briefing.
