<!--
Parallel Documentation — this page, as markdown.
Index of every page: https://docs.parallel.best/llms.txt
The whole documentation in one file: https://docs.parallel.best/llms-full.txt
-->

# Frequently asked questions

**Is the facilitator free?**

Yes. The hosted facilitator is free to use — Parallel takes no cut of your revenue. Gas is sponsored on Base, HyperEVM, and Avalanche (1,000 transactions per agent per month).

**Do I need to create an account?**

No. There's no signup, no KYB, and no Parallel onboarding. Funds settle directly to the wallet address you control. You can start accepting payments in about five minutes.

**What stablecoins are supported?**

USDp, USDC, and sUSDp. The merchant picks which tokens to accept; the agent can choose which token to pay with — or let the SDK select the route automatically.

**How is this different from Stripe?**

Stripe charges 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction and only accepts credit cards, which AI agents don't have. The Parallel x402 facilitator is free, accepts stablecoins, and is built for agent-to-API payments.

**How is this different from Coinbase x402?**

Coinbase x402 handles USDC only. Parallel x402 accepts USDp, USDC, and sUSDp, converts automatically when the agent pays in a different token than you receive, and sponsors gas on Base, HyperEVM, and Avalanche. It's the same x402 standard, so you can migrate in minutes.

**Is the facilitator audited?**

The smart contracts that settle every payment are audited by Bailsec, Cyfrin, and Certora. The facilitator itself is a hosted service operated by Parallel.

**What happens if the facilitator goes down?**

Payments fail safe: if the facilitator is unreachable, nothing settles — signed authorizations simply expire and no funds move. If only a settle's answer is lost, the SDK retries the settle once, which is safe since the facilitator answers a repeated settle with its recorded outcome; if that fails too, the agent gets a 402 saying the payment may still settle, and should check with the merchant before paying again. A public status page for the hosted instance is being set up.

**How do I get notified when an agent pays?**

Read the payment-response header on the successful response (it contains the on-chain transaction hash) or watch your wallet on-chain. Webhook delivery is on the roadmap.

**What about KYC / AML?**

Parallel does not perform KYC on agents or merchants, and the protocol is non-custodial — funds never touch Cooper Labs. You remain responsible for your own compliance obligations.