Pay-per-call API
An API billing model where the buyer pays a fixed price for each individual request, with no subscription, seat, or monthly minimum.
A pay-per-call API charges for each request the buyer makes, at a price known before the call. There is no monthly plan, no seat license, and no commitment: a buyer that makes ten calls pays for ten calls. This is the natural billing model for autonomous agents, whose usage is spiky and unpredictable and who cannot sign up for a subscription tier in advance.
On Proxygate, every listing has a per-request price set by its seller, quoted in micro-USDC (one USDC equals 1,000,000 micro-USDC). An agent can read the price before spending, call the endpoint, and see the exact amount charged in the response. Individual endpoints can carry their own price overrides, so a heavier endpoint can cost more than a light one within the same listing.
Pay-per-call settlement is what lets a marketplace stay neutral and frictionless. Buyers do not pre-commit to providers they may never use, and sellers earn on real usage rather than on negotiated contracts. Proxygate meters each call, nets the amounts, and settles in USDC, so a buyer funds one prepaid balance and draws against it across every API it touches.
Related concepts
Pay-per-call API: frequently asked questions
A pay-per-call API charges a fixed, known price for each request, with no subscription, seat, or monthly minimum. A buyer that makes ten calls pays for exactly ten calls.
Each listing has a per-request price set by its seller, quoted in micro-USDC (1 USDC = 1,000,000 micro-USDC). Individual endpoints can override the base price, and the exact amount charged is returned with every call.
Agent usage is spiky and decided at run time, so a subscription tier rarely fits. Pay-per-call lets an agent fund one prepaid balance and draw against it only for the calls it actually makes, across any number of APIs.