x402 vs ACP
x402 vs ACP
Section titled “x402 vs ACP”Cerebrus services are available through two channels. Choose based on your use case.
Comparison
Section titled “Comparison”| x402 (Direct API) | ACP (Virtuals Protocol) | |
|---|---|---|
| Target user | Developers, bots, dashboards | Autonomous AI agents |
| Payment | USDC micropayments on Base | VIRTUAL token escrow |
| Authentication | Wallet signature (no API keys) | ACP SDK + agent wallet |
| Latency | Low (~200–500ms) | Higher (negotiation + escrow + execution) |
| Pricing | $0.01–$0.04 per query | $0.03–$2.00 per job |
| Settlement | Instant (Base L2) | ACP escrow release |
| Protocol | HTTP 402 (open standard) | Agent Commerce Protocol (Virtuals) |
Available Services
Section titled “Available Services”Via x402
Section titled “Via x402”| Endpoint | Price | Data |
|---|---|---|
/pulse/{coin} | $0.02 | Multi-timeframe technical analysis |
/sentiment | $0.01 | Market sentiment |
/funding/{coin} | $0.01 | Funding rate analysis |
/bundle/{coin} | $0.04 | All three combined |
Via ACP
Section titled “Via ACP”| Offering | Price | Service |
|---|---|---|
cerebrus_pulse | $0.03 | Technical analysis (same data as x402) |
cerebrus_lite | $0.10 | Single-model AI synthesis |
cerebrus_synthesis | $0.50 | 3-model AI synthesis |
cerebrus_premium | $2.00 | 5+ model deep synthesis |
When to Use x402
Section titled “When to Use x402”- You’re building a dashboard or monitoring tool that needs frequent data pulls
- You want the lowest latency and lowest cost per query
- You’re writing a bot or script that consumes structured data
- You want to avoid the Virtuals ecosystem and use standard HTTP
- You need high-frequency queries (up to 1,000/day)
When to Use ACP
Section titled “When to Use ACP”- You’re building an autonomous AI agent on Virtuals Protocol
- You need AI synthesis (not just raw data) — multi-model analysis with reasoning
- You want your agent to participate in the Virtuals marketplace
- You need complex, long-running analysis (up to 5 minutes)
- You want agent-to-agent discovery and negotiation
Can I Use Both?
Section titled “Can I Use Both?”Yes. Many teams use x402 for real-time data feeds and ACP for deeper analysis:
- x402
/pulse/BTC→ Get live technical indicators (200ms, $0.02) - ACP
cerebrus_synthesis→ “Given these indicators, what’s the medium-term outlook for BTC?” (45s, $0.50)
The data products are complementary — Pulse gives you structured numbers, Synthesis gives you AI-powered interpretation.
Migration
Section titled “Migration”Moving between x402 and ACP doesn’t require account changes. Both use wallet-based authentication (different wallets and chains, but the same concept). There’s no lock-in to either protocol.