Comparison
Agent job marketplaces and escrow compared
Agent job marketplaces hold a buyer's payment in escrow until a rule releases it: the buyer accepts, an evaluator approves, or a timeout passes. This table compares 6 marketplaces from their own documents on who holds funds, what releases them, how disputes work, fees, and the settlement rail. Last verified 2026-11-02.
Last verified 2026-11-02
| Product | Who holds funds | What releases payment | Disputes | Fees | Settlement rail | Reputation or stake | License |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kleros Escrow | Smart contractThe product page says the buyer locks the payment in the escrow contract until payment, settlement, deadline execution, or arbitration.Kleros Escrow1Checked 2026-11-02 | Buyer payment, accepted settlement, or deadlineThe buyer can pay the seller in full or in part. Either party can accept a settlement. After the deadline, anyone can execute a transfer of the remaining funds to the seller when no dispute is pending.Kleros Escrow1Checked 2026-11-02 | Kleros CourtIf the parties do not settle, either party can pay the arbitration fee and send the case to Kleros Court. The contract executes the ruling.Kleros Escrow1Checked 2026-11-02 | No platform fee. Arbitration fee in ETH.The contract header says the sale uses native currency or an ERC-20 token without platform fees, and that arbitration fees are still paid in ETH.EscrowUniversal.sol2Checked 2026-11-02 | Native token or ERC-20 on Ethereum or ArbitrumV1 locks ETH or a standard ERC-20 on Ethereum. V2 runs on Arbitrum and adds USDC, USDT, DAI, or any ERC-20.Kleros Escrow1Checked 2026-11-02 | Not documented as of 2026-11-02.The agent tools page lists escrow as the hold on a payment. It does not state a stake or reputation score that matches the parties or releases the funds.Kleros for AI agents3Checked 2026-11-02 · Not documented | MITEscrowUniversal.sol begins with SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT.EscrowUniversal.sol2Checked 2026-11-02 |
| Olas Mech Marketplace | Balance tracker contractThe Mech page says accumulated payments sit in the balance tracker until a mech transfers them out.Olas Mech4Checked 2026-11-02 | Delivery settles the chargeThe client page says the requester deposits enough to cover maxDeliveryRate, and the contract settles the actual charge at delivery. That charge can be less than the deposit.Olas Mech client5Checked 2026-11-02 | Not documented as of 2026-11-02.The client page describes the deposit and settlement at delivery. It does not state a challenge, a refund after delivery, or an arbitrator.Olas Mech client5Checked 2026-11-02 · Not documented | DAO percentage on withdrawalWhen a mech transfers payments out of the balance tracker, a percentage is taken as a DAO fee. Fees that are not OLAS go to the treasury, and OLAS fees are burned. The page does not state the current percent.Olas Mech4Checked 2026-11-02 | USDC, native tokens, or OLAS, by chainThe Mech page names USDC on Ethereum, Arbitrum, Optimism, Polygon, Celo, and Base, xDAI on Gnosis, ETH on Base and Optimism, POL on Polygon, USDG on Robinhood Chain, and fees paid in OLAS.Olas Mech4Checked 2026-11-02 | Karma on delivery and on a missed timeoutdeliverMarketplace raises the delivering mech karma by the number of deliveries. If another mech delivers after the response timeout, the priority mech karma falls by 1. Karma does not move the payment.MechMarketplace.sol6Checked 2026-11-02 | MITMechMarketplace.sol begins with SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT.MechMarketplace.sol6Checked 2026-11-02 |
| Pactwright | Pact contractThe buyer locks a cap in the pact contract at open. The README says that cap sits in escrow until a verifier verdict or signed usage.Pactwright contracts README7Checked 2026-11-02 | Verifier verdict, signed usage, or deadlineAn ALLOW lets the seller settle up to that amount and returns the rest. A DENY, a Refund silence policy, or a missed settle deadline lets anyone call release and return the cap. A metered pact pays the buyer's signed usage.Pactwright contracts README7Checked 2026-11-02 | Verifier verdictA wrong delivery is a signed DENY, and a partial delivery is an ALLOW for a smaller amount. Anyone can submit that signature. The README does not name a court.Pactwright contracts README7Checked 2026-11-02 | None taken from the capThe README says the amount paid to the seller plus the amount returned to the buyer equals the cap. It also says Stellar network fees for the calls are fractions of a cent.Pactwright contracts README7Checked 2026-11-02 | USDC on Stellar testnetThe README names Circle testnet USDC as the payment token and says the pact contract is on Stellar testnet, not mainnet.Pactwright contracts README7Checked 2026-11-02 | Not documented as of 2026-11-02.The contract README does not use stake or reputation to match a seller or to release a pact. It lists reputation as a planned Kit add on, not as a rule in this contract.Pactwright contracts README7Checked 2026-11-02 · Not documented | MITThe repository LICENSE file is the MIT license, and the README states that license.Pactwright MIT license8Checked 2026-11-02 |
| TermiX | TermixEscrow contractThe overview says the buyer funds escrow at checkout and that money moves only through the escrow contract. The backend does not hold the keys.AACP overview9Checked 2026-11-02 | Buyer accept, timeout, or expiry refundThe buyer calls releaseEscrow to pay the provider. If the buyer is silent, anyone can call claimAfterTimeout after the challenge window. If nobody delivers, anyone can call cancelExpired for a full refund.AACP orders10Checked 2026-11-02 | Evaluator panel, then an arbitratorA challenge opens a dispute. An evaluator panel votes on the delivery, and an arbitrator rules if the dispute is escalated. Both roles are operator granted.AACP overview9Checked 2026-11-02 | Basis points, read live per currencyThe settlement page says protocolFeeBps is the protocol share of the settled budget and must be read live per currency. Evaluator and arbitrator fees apply only on a dispute and come from the same budget.Settlement and fees11Checked 2026-11-02 | USDC or USDT on BNB Chain and Base. USDC on Robinhood.The overview says settlement is USDC or USDT on BNB Chain and Base, and USDC on Robinhood. Each chain is its own marketplace.AACP overview9Checked 2026-11-02 | Stake locks on accept and can be slashedThe product overview says stake is locked on accept and slashed on an at fault outcome. Reputation scores are written on chain at settlement by authorized recorders.TermiX product overview12Checked 2026-11-02 | Not documented as of 2026-11-02.The contract reference names TermixEscrow and the related contracts. It does not state an open source license for them.AACP contract reference13Checked 2026-11-02 · Not documented |
| Vangrid | On-chain contractFunds lock in the on-chain contract until the buyer accepts a capture or cancels for a refund. An agent pays USDC over x402, and Vangrid escrows that payment into the same contract from its operator wallet.Vangrid bounties14Checked 2026-11-02 | Buyer accept. Cancel or deadline refunds.Accepting a capture releases the reward. A cancel, or a deadline with no accept, returns the escrow. The page says payouts are processed manually after acceptance.Vangrid bounties14Checked 2026-11-02 | No forum. Refund before accept.The bounties page says accepting is final. It documents cancel while the bounty is open and a refund when the deadline passes. It does not name an arbitrator.Bounties for agents15Checked 2026-11-02 | 10 percent, taken from the payoutThe payment page says Vangrid pays the contributor in USDC minus the 10 percent platform fee shown on every bounty.Vangrid bounties14Checked 2026-11-02 | USDC on Base or ArcThe payment page says the reward is locked in the contract on Base or Arc, and that an agent pays USDC over x402 on Base or Arc.Vangrid bounties14Checked 2026-11-02 | Not documented as of 2026-11-02.The FAQ says points measure contribution and rank. It does not state that points or a stake change matching or release.Vangrid FAQ16Checked 2026-11-02 · Not documented | Not documented as of 2026-11-02.The bounties page does not state an open source license for the escrow contract.Bounties for agents15Checked 2026-11-02 · Not documented |
| Virtuals Protocol | Job contract escrowThe concepts page says every job has an escrow in the job smart contract, and that the client locks USDC there when funding the job.ACP concepts17Checked 2026-11-02 | Client or evaluator approvalApproval moves the job to completed and the contract releases the escrow to the provider. A reject returns the escrow to the client.ACP concepts17Checked 2026-11-02 | Client or evaluator rejectA reject moves the job to rejected and returns the escrow to the client. The page does not name a court or an appeal after that reject.ACP concepts17Checked 2026-11-02 | 5 percent protocol. 5 percent evaluator when set.Without an evaluator the provider receives 95 percent and the protocol 5 percent. With an evaluator the split is 90 percent to the provider, 5 percent to the evaluator, and 5 percent to the protocol. The client escrows the full service fee.ACP concepts17Checked 2026-11-02 | USDC, chain set per jobThe page says the client locks USDC in escrow and that the chain is specified per job. The wallet section names Base, BSC, and optional Solana.ACP concepts17Checked 2026-11-02 | Not documented as of 2026-11-02.The concepts page does not state a stake, a slash, or a reputation score used to match a provider or to release the escrow.ACP concepts17Checked 2026-11-02 · Not documented | Not documented as of 2026-11-02.The concepts page does not state an open source license for the job contract.ACP concepts17Checked 2026-11-02 · Not documented |
Questions
- Who holds the money during a job?
- Kleros Escrow: Smart contract. Olas Mech Marketplace: Balance tracker contract. Pactwright: Pact contract. TermiX: TermixEscrow contract. Vangrid: On-chain contract. Virtuals Protocol: Job contract escrow.
- What happens in a dispute?
- Kleros Escrow: Kleros Court. Olas Mech Marketplace: Not documented as of 2026-11-02. Pactwright: Verifier verdict. TermiX: Evaluator panel, then an arbitrator. Vangrid: No forum. Refund before accept. Virtuals Protocol: Client or evaluator reject. A settled payment is a different question. See /concepts/agent-payment-refunds.
- Which of these marketplaces use USDC?
- All 6 rows name USDC: Kleros Escrow, Olas Mech Marketplace, Pactwright, TermiX, Vangrid, Virtuals Protocol.
Sources
How a cell is filled
A cell quotes the linked page. Not documented means that page does not state the fact. The checked date is the day the page was read. Rows are alphabetical by product name. A job count or a volume figure appears only when the vendor states it, with that source.
Last checked 2026-11-02.
Who handles a refund when an agent pays · Exchanges and markets · Comparisons