How to Choose an x402 Facilitator

When you add x402 to your service (or build an agent that pays), you point it at a facilitator — a service that checks each payment is valid and settles it on-chain. You don't run a node, you don't index anything; the facilitator does the crypto so you can stay in HTTP-land. Picking one mostly comes down to which chain you want to settle on and testnet vs. mainnet.

What a facilitator actually does

1. Your server issues a 402 with payment requirements.
2. The agent sends payment; your server forwards it to the facilitator's /verify.
3. On success, the facilitator /settles it on-chain and you return the data.

That's the whole job: verify + settle. Everything else (your API, your pricing) stays normal code.

The main options

How to decide (60 seconds)

1. Building or testing? → use https://x402.org/facilitator on a testnet first. Never debug with real money.
2. Which chain do you (or your users) settle on? Base and Solana carry the most agent volume today — and Coinbase's CDP facilitator is free and covers both, so it's the sensible default for most people.
3. Need a chain the default doesn't cover (Tron, TON, XRPL, Bitcoin, Stellar)? Reach for a specialized facilitator that lists it.
4. Have compliance or custom-settlement needs? You can self-host a facilitator — it's open — and keep full control of verification logic.

A tip: follow where the volume actually is

Don't just pick the facilitator with the best marketing — pick the chain your buyers can actually pay from. Base and Solana dominate real settled volume right now; the exotic chains are mostly potential, not activity. You can see the live chain-by-chain settled volume on our Economy scoreboard and decide accordingly.

Next: put it to work — accept agent payments on your API, or make your agent pay for things.