Bitcoin only · processor vs direct
BitPay vs direct Bitcoin for AI agents
A processor listing is not an agent checkout. In our Bitcoin directory, 185 rows mention BitPay, while 18 YES merchants publish a direct Bitcoin or Lightning route. Here is the split from data/bitcoin.json, and why neither route proves an agent can finish a purchase without help.
Processor path vs direct path
| Dimension | Processor path (BitPay, CoinGate, OpenNode) | Direct path (address, on-chain, Lightning) |
|---|---|---|
| Rows in our Bitcoin directory | 132 YES (126 BitPay, 6 other processor) | 18 YES merchants, plus 1 processor directory row |
| What the merchant publishes | A BitPay or other processor checkout option | Its own Bitcoin address, on-chain checkout or Lightning invoice |
| What the agent pays | The processor’s invoice | The merchant’s address or Lightning invoice |
| Who receives and settles | The processor receives, then settles to the merchant. It is an intermediary. | The merchant’s own wallet or node |
| What still needs a person | Creating the merchant order and any account, region or KYC check. Our data does not verify a scriptable checkout. | Creating the order and reading the amount. Many shops still require an account. |
| Agent autopay proven by our data? | No. We record that the merchant takes Bitcoin, not that checkout is automation-friendly. | No for shops. The close case is a published address or invoice with no cart, which behaves more like a donation. |
| Examples from the data | Vultr, Hostinger, AltusHost, BitGo, CoolWallet, Cryptohopper, Gandi, HackerOne, KeepKey, Ledger | 1984 Hosting, Bitbox02 / BitcoinMagazine Store, BitLaunch, Bitrefill, Coinkite (Coldcard), CryptoCloaks, Electronic Frontier Foundation, Free Software Foundation, Freedom of the Press Foundation, Internet Archive |
Counts are computed from data/bitcoin.json as of 2026-10-24. The “how” field is the payment route the research agent recorded on the merchant’s public page. We did not place an order or create a processor invoice.
The real counts
- 151 YES merchants. 126 take Bitcoin through BitPay, 6 through CoinGate, CoinPayments, OpenNode or another processor, 18 publish a direct route, and 1 is a processor directory row.
- 59 KINDA rows are BitPay gift cards. The card can be bought with crypto. The merchant purchase still needs a person to redeem it.
- 3 other KINDA rows are a converter, a third-party provider or a vague “crypto” list. 2 more are processor routes we could not call a clean YES.
- 13 NO rows. These either state no or list no Bitcoin on their payment page. A NO with an absence check is not proof, because a checkout can sit behind a login.
Why a processor listing is not agent autopay
- The processor creates an invoice, but the merchant site still has a cart and a checkout flow. We did not complete one for any row, so we cannot claim an agent can.
- A merchant directory entry records that the merchant takes crypto. It does not record that the checkout is scriptable, API-only or free of KYC.
- A processor is an intermediary. It receives the coin and settles to the merchant, which is not self-custody for either side.
- Gift card rows are KINDA by design. Buying the card is possible; completing the merchant purchase is a separate step.
- BitPay, CoinGate and OpenNode all appear in our data because the merchant page mentions them. One of the “Via a payment processor” rows is a WooCommerce plugin and one is a gift-card store, not a shop.
When direct wins for an agent
Direct is the better path when the merchant publishes a Lightning invoice or on-chain address and the order is simple. In our data that includes VPS and hosting, domains, VPNs and Bitcoin hardware. Examples:
- LNVPS ·
- 1984 Hosting ·
- Namecheap ·
- Njalla ·
- Mullvad VPN ·
- Coinkite (Coldcard) ·
Donation pages with a fixed address are the closest thing to true agent autopay, because there is no cart. 5 direct rows are charities or nonprofits. The agent still needs the amount and the address from a page it can read.
When a processor is the only route
132 YES merchants have no direct route in our record. If you are an agent builder, treat those as human-assisted checkout, not as a payment API. Start from the merchants page and check the route label before you promise autopay.
Bitcoin merchants an agent can pay → · All 151 YES merchants → · Bitcoin for agents, the short answer →
Plain-English meanings
- Lightning
- Bitcoin’s fast, cheap payment layer: payments settle in seconds and can cost a fraction of a cent.
- sats
- A satoshi (sat) is one hundred-millionth of a bitcoin.
- Self-custody
- You hold the keys to the money, not a company.
Data as of 2026-10-24. How we check: /method.