How The Wire Works
The Wire uses the x402 payment protocol on Stacks to enable instant microtransactions for journalism. No accounts, no subscriptions, no ads.
Medium + Bitcoin = The Wire
We're building the crypto version of Medium - but better. Imagine paying only for articles you actually read, with 100% going directly to journalists. No subscriptions, no ads, no middlemen.
📰 Traditional Medium
$5/month subscription
Pay for content you never read
30-50% platform fees
Medium takes huge cut from writers
Centralized control
Corporate censorship possible
Monthly payouts
Writers wait weeks for payment
âš¡ The Wire (x402-powered)
$0.03-0.06 per article
Pay only for what you read
0% platform fees
100% goes directly to journalists
Decentralized
Censorship-resistant on Stacks
Instant settlement
Bitcoin finality in ~30 seconds
The result: Writers earn more, readers pay less, and journalism becomes sustainable through direct reader-to-writer microtransactions.
Four Steps. Zero Friction.
Connect Your Wallet
No email, no password. Connect a Stacks-compatible wallet like Leather or Xverse. Your wallet is your identity.
Browse & Discover
Explore articles from independent journalists. Each article shows its price upfront. Most cost less than a cup of coffee.
Pay to Read
When you find an article worth reading, pay the microtransaction via the x402 protocol. Your STX, sBTC, or USDCx goes directly to the journalist.
Instant Access
The x402-stacks facilitator verifies and settles your payment on the Stacks blockchain. Access is granted instantly. Bitcoin finality in ~30 seconds.
The x402 Protocol
x402 activates the dormant HTTP 402 "Payment Required" status code. When you request a paid article, our server responds with payment instructions. Your wallet signs and submits the transaction. The x402 facilitator verifies and settles the payment. Access is granted.
GET /article/1402 Payment RequiredPayment-Signature: base64...200 OK + ContentSTX
Native Stacks
sBTC
Bitcoin-Backed
USDCx
Stable Value
Why It Matters
No Subscriptions
Pay only for what you read. No $10/month for one article. No bundled content you never touch.
Direct Compensation
100% of your payment goes to the journalist. No ad networks, no content aggregators, no middlemen.
Self-Custodial
Your funds stay in your wallet until you choose to spend them. We never hold your money or keys.
On-Chain Transparency
Every payment is recorded on the Stacks blockchain. Verify any transaction on the public explorer.
Bitcoin Security
Stacks settles on Bitcoin, inheriting the security of the most trusted blockchain network.
Open Protocol
Built on the x402 open standard. Any publisher can integrate. No vendor lock-in.
Start reading. Start paying fairly.
Connect your wallet and support independent journalism with microtransactions.