> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://developers.circle.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# x402 facilitators

> Circle's x402 facilitators for accepting USDC payments over the x402 protocol: Facilitator Service and Gateway Nanopayments

Circle offers two facilitators for the x402 payment protocol. Both let sellers
accept USDC payments from x402 clients (such as AI agents), but they settle
differently and serve different integration needs. For more information about
the protocol, see [What is x402?](/x402-facilitators/x402).

## Choose a facilitator

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Facilitator Service" icon="server" href="/facilitator-service">
    Circle's hosted x402 facilitator. Point your seller at Facilitator Service
    and Circle verifies each buyer signature and submits the USDC transfer
    onchain through a Circle relayer. Runs on Arc, Base, and Polygon PoS.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Gateway Nanopayments" icon="layer-group" href="/gateway-nanopayments">
    Gas-free USDC nanopayments down to \$0.000001 per payment, batched by Circle
    Gateway. Buyers pre-fund a [Gateway
    wallet](/gateway/howtos/create-unified-usdc-balance) once. Circle aggregates
    signed authorizations and settles net positions onchain in bulk.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## When to use which

Both facilitators speak the same x402 protocol, so a client that pays one can
pay the other with no code change. The differences are in settlement mechanics
and buyer setup.

| Feature               | Facilitator Service        | Gateway Nanopayments                                                          |
| --------------------- | -------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Settlement            | Onchain on every payment   | Batched (net positions settled in bulk)                                       |
| Minimum payment       | Standard USDC transfer     | Down to \$0.000001                                                            |
| Supported blockchains | Arc, Base, Polygon PoS     | [Gateway-supported EVM blockchains](/gateway-nanopayments/supported-networks) |
| Gas                   | Circle pays settlement gas | Zero gas (offchain signatures)                                                |
| Buyer setup           | EOA wallet with USDC       | One-time USDC deposit into a Gateway wallet                                   |