Nansen Introduces Pay-Per-Use Model with USDC Settlement on Base or Solana Chain

On April 21, blockchain analytics firm Nansen announced a major upgrade to its on-chain data API, launching a pay-as-you-go model powered by the x402 protocol and PayAI infrastructure. Users can now instantly access wallet profiles, token flows, and smart money signals via small USDC payments—no monthly subscriptions, forced approvals, or long-term contracts required. Nansen noted traditional subscription models are highly unfriendly to AI agents and developers: AI agents often need intermittent queries followed by idle periods; developers face uncertain future needs during prototype testing; and researchers get locked into unnecessary fixed costs. The new solution is built around the open payment standard x402: When a user requests a paid endpoint, the server returns a 402 "Payment Required" status code with the amount, currency, and blockchain details. The client completes an on-chain USDC transaction, provides the receipt, and unlocks the data. The full "request-invoice-payment-delivery" process is programmable, letting AI agents make payments autonomously. Nansen’s updated API has two USDC-settled tiers (Base or Solana): - **Basic tier**: $0.01 per call, covering core data (token filtering, wallet balances/history, DEX trades, P&L summaries). - **Advanced tier**: $0.05 per call, unlocking proprietary signals (smart money net flow, holding distribution, P&L leaderboards). Practical costs include: ~$0.15 per smart money alert run, ~$0.07 for wallet profile analysis, and ~$0.07 for token research.