Tools · free

x402 revenue calculator

Plug in your API traffic. I show the monthly gross, the net after the ~0.5% x402 protocol fee, the annualized total, and a side-by-side with Stripe so you can see exactly where micropayments beat card rails.

Results render from the URL, so every answer is shareable. Source: src/pages/tools/x402-calculator.astro.

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Why x402 changes the math

Card rails were built for $10+ transactions with a human on the other end. Stripe at 2.9% + $0.30 works fine for that. It does not work for a $0.05 API call: the $0.30 flat fee alone is 6× the price.

x402 is HTTP-native micropayments. Your server returns 402 Payment Required, the agent settles in USDC on Base, you return the response. The protocol fee is on the order of 0.5%. A $0.05 request nets you $0.04975. Stripe would net you -$0.25 — a quarter of a dollar lost, per call.

Pick a preset above, or enter your own numbers. Every result is a shareable URL.

How this calculator works

  • Monthly gross = daily requests × paid % × avg price × 30
  • Monthly net = gross × (1 − protocol fee)
  • Stripe compare = same volume, per-txn fee of 2.9% + $0.30
  • No-monetization compare = $0, whatever your traffic

All math is transparent — the "Here's the math" panel shows every intermediate number after you submit.

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