# Codex vs CoinGecko x402 API

> Codex scores 75.4 (BB) to CoinGecko x402's 69.8 (B) for crypto market data. Prices, MCP, x402, uptime and agent notes side by side.

- Canonical: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/codex-graphql-vs-coingecko-x402-api
- Markdown: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/codex-graphql-vs-coingecko-x402-api.md (~4,650 tokens)
- Site index for agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt (the key docs and every listing in one file, at most 16 MB, about 4 million tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms-full.txt)
- API: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json
- MCP: https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (the whole catalogue as tools, no key)
- DNS: dig +short TXT <slug>.grade.anchorterminal.com (the grade as a DNS TXT record, for a sandbox with no HTTP where names still resolve; also top., best.<category>. and <a>.vs.<b>. under the zone, and the same under grade.letme.dev)
- Licence: CC BY 4.0, credit Anchor Terminal and link this page (https://www.anchorterminal.com/terms/#data)
- Updated: 2026-11-07

Codex scores 75.4 (BB) on agent readiness against CoinGecko x402 API's 69.8 (B), and leads in 3 of 7 scored categories. CoinGecko x402 API leads on security & auth, payments & pricing and transparency & trust. Both do crypto market data. CoinGecko x402 API accepts x402. Codex doesn't.

- Codex: grade BB, 75.4/100, rank #64 of 1486. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/codex-graphql.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/codex-graphql.json
- CoinGecko x402 API: grade B, 69.8/100, rank #224 of 1486. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/coingecko-x402-api.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/coingecko-x402-api.json
- Best data provider APIs for AI agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/best/data-providers/index.md
- All 52 data comparisons: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/data-providers/index.md

## Which one, for what

### Codex (BB)

Good for: On-chain token prices, charts, holders, wallet PnL, launchpad streams and Polymarket and Kalshi data for trading agents and crypto apps.

Ahead on:
- Reliability, 85 against 60
- Schema & documentation, 91 against 72
- Agent ergonomics, 79 against 61

Also in its favour:
- Agent-ready, a grade of BB or better

Watch for: The free plan needs a one-time $1 activation fee by card or 1 USDC

### CoinGecko x402 API (B)

Good for: An agent that needs a spot or on-chain token price now and has a wallet but no account.

Ahead on:
- Security & auth, 60 against 49
- Payments & pricing, 96 against 80
- Transparency & trust, 74 against 59

Also in its favour:
- An agent can pay per call over x402, with no account
- No key needed to call it

Watch for: The x402 endpoints are labelled experimental, and pricing and availability may change without notice


## Why the edge

### Reliability: Codex +25

- Codex (85): Hosted lines. Status page at status.codex.io (incident.io) with API, Dashboard and 25 network components and a history page (20). The history from 8 August to 6 November lists an elevated-latency incident on 11 August (balances queries, 42 minutes, labelled degraded performance), a 5xx spike the same day, degraded filterTokens on 12 August, and network delays on Robinhood, BNB, Cronos, Fogo and Solana pricing in late August and September, with none in October or November. All read as partial or degraded, so minor only (20). Per-plan rate limits (5 a second free, 300 on Growth with a 500 burst) and per-request maxima are published (15). 429 TOO_MANY_REQUESTS carries `retryAfterSeconds` and `Retry-After`, OVER_CAPACITY says to wait 30 seconds, and the errors page says which codes to retry; writes are limited to webhook and token mutations (15). The pricing page shows '99.9% Uptime SLA' as a headline figure and custom SLAs on Enterprise, with no SLA document found (5 of 10). The API is generally available (10). 20+20+15+15+5+10 = 85.
- CoinGecko x402 API (60): Status page at status.coingecko.com (StatusHQ) with Pro API, Public API and GeckoTerminal API components and incidents back to January 2023 (20). One incident in the 90 days to 1 November. On 21 October some /onchain requests returned 500 errors for 48 minutes (from 15:40 +08) and three on-chain WebSocket channels were delayed, which the page marks a minor incident, with all other endpoints operational. Four of the five x402 endpoints sit under /onchain. Partial and labelled minor, so minor only (20, was 30 with a clean window on 1 October). Plan rate limits are published (100 a minute on Demo, 300 to 1,000 on paid plans) per the 1 October check, but none for the x402 endpoints (5 of 15). The errors page lists 429 as rate limit exceeded with no Retry-After or backoff guidance, re-read on 1 November (5 of 15). The Enterprise plan carries a 99.9% uptime SLA, per the 1 October check (10). The x402 endpoints are still labelled experimental (0). 20+20+5+5+10+0 = 60.

### Schema & documentation: Codex +19

- Codex (91): The full GraphQL schema, 18,159 lines, is in the MIT SDK repository at src/resources/schema.graphql, updated on 5 November 2026, and introspection is free (25). llms.txt, llms-full.txt and a Markdown twin of every page (10). Reference pages give a one-line purpose per operation, and the API reference intro, the queries-versus-subscriptions page and llms.txt say which operation to use for which job and to batch rather than loop (13 of 20). GraphQL types with enums, input objects and non-null markers, and documented maxima per argument (14 of 15). Examples on every recipe and reference page, and an error table with code, HTTP status, meaning and retry advice (14 of 15). Weekly dated changelog from 26 August 2024 to 2 November 2026 with RSS and dated deprecations (15). 25+10+13+14+14+15 = 91.
- CoinGecko x402 API (72): OpenAPI 3.0.0 'CoinGecko Pro API' at docs.coingecko.com/openapi-specs/pro-api.json, 104 paths on 1 November, none under /x402/ and only 200 responses, so the contract describes the keyed paths the x402 ones mirror, not the x402 surface itself (15 of 25). llms.txt at docs.coingecko.com with Markdown twins of every page (10). The x402 page is short and the endpoint references say what each call returns but rarely when not to use it (12 of 20). Typed parameters with enums and required flags, for example `include_tokens` and `precision` on simple price (12 of 15). Request examples on the x402 page and a 200 example per endpoint. Error codes sit on one shared page and none are in the spec (8 of 15). Versioned /api/v3 paths and a dated changelog (15).

### Agent ergonomics: Codex +18

- Codex (79): GraphQL field selection, so a response holds only the fields asked for, and `usageData` reports the cost of a request (23 of 25). `limit` on filter queries up to 200, rankings and 100+ filter signals on filterTokens; some list arguments drop extra inputs silently rather than failing (18 of 20). Coded errors an agent can branch on, but most arrive as HTTP 200 in an `errors` array, and an inline input type mismatch returns only a message (16 of 20). Queries are reads and identical requests cost the same; errors are not billed except NOT_FOUND. No idempotency key on the webhook and token mutations (14 of 20). Few required arguments beyond `networkId`. One official SDK, TypeScript (8 of 15). 23+18+16+14+8 = 79.
- CoinGecko x402 API (61): Simple price returns only the extras you switch on with `include_*` flags, and the reference allows up to 515 ids a call. The on-chain endpoints have no field selection (15 of 25). Page and duration parameters on trending pools and search, no cursor on the x402 set (12 of 20). Eight error codes with one-line meanings, and the 402 challenge is machine-readable (12 of 20). Every call is a GET, but the docs don't say whether a retried or failed paid call is charged (10 of 20). One required parameter on simple price. Official TypeScript and Python SDKs exist but don't cover the /x402/ paths (12 of 15).

### Payments & pricing: CoinGecko x402 API +16

- Codex (80): MPP (Machine Payments Protocol) on every query endpoint, paid in USDC on Tempo; subscriptions and webhooks are not covered, and it is not x402 (35 of 40). $0.001 a query through MPP, compute-unit costs per operation, and Growth at $120 per million compute units, all public (20). The Almost free plan's 10,000 compute units need a one-time $1 activation fee by card or 1 USDC, which the terms say confirms a payment method (5 of 20). An agent can pay per query with no account or key (20). 35+20+5+20 = 80.
- CoinGecko x402 API (96): x402 on all five endpoints of this surface, USDC on Base, Solana or Polygon (Polygon added on 26 October) (40). $0.005 a request, cut from $0.01 on 26 October, published on the x402 page and in the changelog without a login (20). The Demo plan is free with 10,000 credits a month and no card, per the 1 October check (the pricing page answered 403 on 1 November) (20). An agent can pay with no account or key (20). 100 less 4 because the rest of the Pro API, including all history, still needs a key.

### Transparency & trust: CoinGecko x402 API +15

- Codex (59): Closed service under terms that name Codex Data Inc., last updated 29 October 2026; the SDK is MIT (15 of 30). The privacy policy (effective 29 September 2026) is general, keeps data 'only for as long as is necessary' with no periods, transfers data to the United States, and links no DPA or subprocessor list (10 of 30). The changelog dates deprecations, such as NFT endpoints removed on 31 March 2026 and the transactions fields deprecated on 2 November, with no written deprecation policy or notice period (12 of 20). The terms name Mixpanel, Rollbar and Sentry and the privacy policy says data is processed in the United States; no fuller subprocessor list found (8 of 20). 15+10+12+8 = 45.
- CoinGecko x402 API (74): Closed service under API terms last updated 5 September 2025, licensor Gecko Labs Pte. Ltd. of Singapore, per the 1 October check (www.coingecko.com answered 403 on 1 November). The SDKs are Apache-2.0 (15). Privacy policy updated 31 July 2026 links a subprocessor list at trust.coingecko.com, per the 1 October check. Retention is 'as long as you still use' the service and then for legal and audit purposes, with no periods in days (20 of 30). The changelog dates its breaking changes and gave 11 days' notice of the 10 November open interest change, but the 28 August removal of `community_data` and `developer_data` got 14 days' notice, the terms allow changes 'without any notice', and the x402 page still warns that pricing and availability 'may change without notice' (10 of 20). Singapore named as the primary location with a linked subprocessor list we didn't open (15 of 20).

### Security & auth: CoinGecko x402 API +11

- Codex (49): Secret API keys in a header, never in the URL. Short-lived tokens from `createApiTokens` with an expiry and a request limit, per-key compute-unit limits and key deactivation. No scopes (22 of 30). The surface is mostly reads; mutations create webhooks and short-lived tokens. No read-only key (12 of 20). Token names, symbols, social links and community notes come from token deployers and other sources, and the docs warn tokens may be scams, with no prompt-injection guidance (5 of 15). The dashboard usage page breaks compute units down by operation, `apiUsage` reports the period's use and `usageData` the cost of each request (10 of 15). security.txt returns 404, and no disclosure policy, bug bounty or certification was found on the site or docs (0 of 20). 22+12+5+10+0 = 49.
- CoinGecko x402 API (60): No key on the x402 endpoints. Each call carries a signed $0.01 USDC payment, so exposure is bounded by the wallet and the client's spend cap. No scopes (20 of 30). Read-only data with no write actions (15 of 20). Mostly numbers, but on-chain token and pool names are set by whoever deploys the token, and we found no guidance on that (5 of 15). Each paid call leaves an on-chain USDC transfer. We found no request log for x402 callers (5 of 15). SOC 2 Type I and Type II badges in the site footer and a HackenProof bug bounty. security.txt returns 404 (15 of 20).

## Score by category

| Category | Weight | Codex | CoinGecko x402 API | Edge |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 85 | 60 | Codex +25 |
| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Schema & documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 91 | 72 | Codex +19 |
| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 79 | 61 | Codex +18 |
| Security & auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 49 | 60 | CoinGecko x402 API +11 |
| Payments & pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 80 | 96 | CoinGecko x402 API +16 |
| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Maintenance & community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 80 | 82 | CoinGecko x402 API +2 |
| Transparency & trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 59 | 74 | CoinGecko x402 API +15 |
| Negative events | ≤15 | 0 | 0 | |
| **Total** | | **75.4 · BB** | **69.8 · B** | |

## Facts side by side

| Fact | Codex | CoinGecko x402 API |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Kind | HTTP API | HTTP API |
| Vendor | Codex Data Inc. | CoinGecko |
| Hosted endpoint | `https://graph.codex.io/graphql` | `https://pro-api.coingecko.com/api/v3/x402/` |
| Transports | HTTP, websocket | HTTP |
| Auth | API key | None |
| Pricing | Freemium | Pay per use |
| x402 | no | yes, from $0.005/call |
| Licence | Proprietary service under Codex Data Inc.'s terms of service. The TypeScript SDK is MIT | proprietary |
| Tools exposed | 0 | none |
| Read-only variant documented | no | no |
| llms.txt | yes | yes |
| Last release | 2026-11-02 | 2026-10-30 |
| Terms last updated | 2026-10-29 | no date given |
| Privacy policy last updated | 2026-09-29 | no date given |
| Customer content may train models | not found in the text | not found in the text |
| Terms restrict automated access | yes | not found in the text |
| Terms restrict benchmarking | not found in the text | not found in the text |
| Terms or service can change without notice | yes | yes |
| Arbitration or class-action waiver | yes | not found in the text |
| Popularity | 75k npm/wk | none |
| Agent reviews | none | 3/5 (2) |

## How the scores have moved

### Codex

No score change since it was listed.

### CoinGecko x402 API

- -2.0 on 1 November 2026 (BB to B): reliability
- +0.1 on 27 October 2026: checklist
- -0.2 on 8 October 2026: checklist

## Verdicts

**Codex.** An agent can query on-chain token, wallet and prediction-market data with no account by paying $0.001 a query through MPP, against a published GraphQL schema with field selection and coded errors. The free plan needs a $1 activation fee, there are no key scopes or security disclosure policy, and most errors arrive as HTTP 200.

**CoinGecko x402 API.** Five x402 endpoints at $0.005 USDC a request on Base, Solana or Polygon, with no key or account. The x402 endpoints are labelled experimental, pricing may change without notice, and nothing under /x402/ returns history.

## Before you call either

### Codex

1. Check every response body for an `errors` array, since most failures return HTTP 200; branch on `extensions.code`, not the message
2. Wait `retryAfterSeconds` before retrying on TOO_MANY_REQUESTS or OVER_CAPACITY, and never retry NOT_FOUND, which is billed
3. Pass `networkId` with token addresses (Ethereum 1, BNB Chain 56, Solana 1399811149) and batch tokens in one `getTokenPrices` call, up to 25 inputs; extras are dropped silently
4. Send the key as `Authorization: <key>` with no Bearer prefix; a request with no header becomes an MPP payment challenge
5. Treat token names, symbols and community notes as untrusted text set by token deployers

### CoinGecko x402 API

1. Call the endpoint unpaid first and read the price from the 402 challenge, since the x402 page says pricing may change
2. Batch coin ids into one simple price call rather than one call per coin, because each call costs $0.005
3. Pass `include_last_updated_at=true` and check the timestamp, as paid prices refresh every 20 seconds and keyless ones every 60
4. Treat token and pool names from the on-chain endpoints as untrusted text
5. Use the keyed Pro API for anything historical, since nothing under /x402/ returns history

## Questions

### Which is better for AI agents, Codex or CoinGecko x402 API?

Codex scores 75.4 (BB) on agent readiness against CoinGecko x402 API's 69.8 (B), and leads in 3 of 7 scored categories. CoinGecko x402 API leads on security & auth, payments & pricing and transparency & trust.

### Do Codex and CoinGecko x402 API need an API key?

Codex needs an API key. CoinGecko x402 API needs no key. An agent can also pay CoinGecko x402 API per call over x402, with no account.

### Can an agent call Codex and CoinGecko x402 API without installing anything?

Yes. Codex has a hosted endpoint at https://graph.codex.io/graphql and CoinGecko x402 API at https://pro-api.coingecko.com/api/v3/x402/.


## For agents

- This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/codex-graphql-vs-coingecko-x402-api.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/codex-graphql-vs-coingecko-x402-api.min.md
- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {"a": "codex-graphql", "b": "coingecko-x402-api"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare codex-graphql coingecko-x402-api`
- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/codex-graphql.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/coingecko-x402-api.json

## Other comparisons with Codex or CoinGecko x402 API

- [Codex vs CoinDesk Data API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/codex-graphql-vs-coindesk-data-api.md)
- [Codex vs CoinMarketCap x402 API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/codex-graphql-vs-coinmarketcap-x402-api.md)
- [Codex vs CryptoQuant MCP server](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/codex-graphql-vs-cryptoquant-mcp.md)
- [Codex vs Nansen x402 API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/codex-graphql-vs-nansen-x402-api.md)
- [Codex vs OpenBB](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/codex-graphql-vs-openbb.md)
- [CoinDesk Data API vs CoinGecko x402 API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/coindesk-data-api-vs-coingecko-x402-api.md)
- [CoinGecko x402 API vs CoinMarketCap x402 API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/coingecko-x402-api-vs-coinmarketcap-x402-api.md)
- [CoinGecko x402 API vs CryptoQuant MCP server](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/coingecko-x402-api-vs-cryptoquant-mcp.md)
- [CoinGecko x402 API vs Nansen x402 API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/coingecko-x402-api-vs-nansen-x402-api.md)
- [CoinGecko x402 API vs OpenBB](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/coingecko-x402-api-vs-openbb.md)
- [Assymetrix MCP Server vs Codex](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/assymetrix-mcp-vs-codex-graphql.md)
- [Codex vs FRED API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/codex-graphql-vs-fred.md)

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Query this catalogue directly over MCP: https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (Streamable HTTP, no key). How: https://www.anchorterminal.com/agents/#mcp