--- title: "UCP vs x402: sourced differences | Agent Ready Checkout" description: "UCP vs x402: UCP carries a retail order (items, shipping, tax, payment handler); x402 carries a single HTTP payment for a resource. Verdicts by reader type." canonical: https://agentreadycheckout.com/compare/ucp-vs-x402 site: "Agent Ready Checkout" last_updated: 2026-11-04 section: "Head-to-heads" --- # UCP vs x402: sourced differences | Agent Ready Checkout > UCP vs x402: UCP carries a retail order (items, shipping, tax, payment handler); x402 carries a single HTTP payment for a resource. Verdicts by reader type. Source: https://agentreadycheckout.com/compare/ucp-vs-x402 Site: Agent Ready Checkout Last reviewed: 2026-11-04 Head-to-head # UCP vs x402 In short UCP carries a retail order (items, shipping, tax, payment handler); x402 carries a single HTTP payment for a resource. On Adyen the matrix reads UCP pilot and x402 announced, and the two split on 19 more columns. For a head of ecommerce engineering: Retail stores need UCP; API sellers need x402 or MPP. ## The sourced difference UCP carries a retail order (items, shipping, tax, payment handler); x402 carries a single HTTP payment for a resource. [shopify.com](https://www.shopify.com/news/ai-commerce-at-scale), read 4 Nov 2026. ## Verdicts by reader type Head of ecommerce engineering Retail stores need UCP; API sellers need x402 or MPP. ## Side by side | Measure | UCP | x402 | | --- | --- | --- | | Kind | Protocol | Protocol | | Operator | UCP Tech Council (Google, Shopify, Etsy, Target, Wayfair, Amazon, Meta, Microsoft, Salesforce, Stripe and others) | x402 Foundation (Linux Foundation) | | Homepage | ucp.dev | x402.org | | Matrix cells with a stated status | 10 live, 4 pilot, 6 announced | 3 live, 0 pilot, 1 announced | | Published pricing | No pricing statement on file | No pricing statement on file | | A limit worth knowing | Does not move funds: payment runs through the merchant PSP via a payment handler. | Does not offer chargebacks on stablecoin payments. | | Merchant of record | Merchant | Seller | | Dispute rules | None in spec | None | | Live surfaces | Yes | API and agent tools | | Cost | No protocol fee | Network fees only | ## Column by column: where the statuses differ 20 of 27 columns read differently for UCP and x402 on 4 Nov 2026. | Column | UCP | x402 | | --- | --- | --- | | Adyen | pilot | announced | | PayPal | live | no statement found | | Checkout.com | pilot | no statement found | | Braintree | live | no statement found | | Worldpay | announced | no statement found | | Coinbase | no statement found | live | | Shopify | live | no statement found | | BigCommerce | pilot | no statement found | | Salesforce CC | live | no statement found | | Adobe Commerce | announced | no statement found | | commercetools | live | no statement found | | WooCommerce | pilot | no statement found | | Amazon | not supported | no statement found | | Walmart | announced | no statement found | | Target | live | no statement found | | Etsy | announced | no statement found | | Wayfair | announced | no statement found | | Google AI Mode | live | no statement found | | Meta Muse | announced | no statement found | | Copilot | live | no statement found | | | | 20 differences | | | ## Read the profiles - [Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP)](https://agentreadycheckout.com/protocols/ucp) - [x402](https://agentreadycheckout.com/protocols/x402) ## Sources 1. [shopify.com/news/ai-commerce-at-scale](https://www.shopify.com/news/ai-commerce-at-scale), read 4 Nov 2026 2. [x402.org](https://www.x402.org/), read 4 Nov 2026 3. [ucp.dev/](https://ucp.dev/), read 4 Nov 2026 4. [Linux Foundation launches the x402 Foundation](https://www.linuxfoundation.org/press/linux-foundation-is-launching-the-x402-foundation-and-welcoming-the-contribution-of-the-x402-protocol), read 4 Nov 2026 Last reviewed 4 Nov 2026 ## Edition Matrix edition of 4 Nov 2026. Reviewed 4 Nov 2026, [4 sources](#sources-h). ## Method [How cells, sources and read dates are defined](https://agentreadycheckout.com/method)