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Big tech infrastructure

Cloudflare: what they buy and what they pay

Cloudflare is profiled here as big tech infrastructure[1]. Data types cited in this profile include: Publisher content, Web content[1].

Last verified November 3, 2026

Quick facts

TypeBig tech infrastructure[1]
StatusActive (closed beta)[1]
Websitehttps://www.cloudflare.com/[1]
HQSan Francisco, CA (101 Townsend St.)[2]
FoundedNot published
OwnershipPublicly traded (NYSE: NET) since September 13, 2019[2]
ProgramPay Per Crawl (feature of AI Crawl Control)[1]Pay Per Use (beta)[3]https://developers.cloudflare.com/ai-crawl-control/features/pay-per-crawl/[4]
PriceMinimum $0.001 USD per crawl[5]
Pricing basisPer successful content retrieval (HTTP 200) by an AI crawler[5]Dynamic pricing available via origin 'crawler-price' header or a Worker (June 2026)[6]Pay Per Use (beta): each AI company defines the use it will pay for and sets a price; publishers choose the model that suits them[3]
Payment timingMonthly payouts to publishers in good standing[7]Payouts are subject to settlement periods and minimum payout thresholds[7]
How to startRequest to join the closed beta via the Pay per crawl signup form, or via account executive for Enterprise customers[1]Prerequisite: domain on Cloudflare nameservers or DNS managed by Cloudflare[8]

What they buy

Data typesPublisher content, Web content[1]
ExcludedNot published
Intended usePaid access for AI crawlers[1]

Price and payment

PriceMinimum $0.001 USD per crawl[5]
Pricing basisPer successful content retrieval (HTTP 200) by an AI crawler[5]Dynamic pricing available via origin 'crawler-price' header or a Worker (June 2026)[6]Pay Per Use (beta): each AI company defines the use it will pay for and sets a price; publishers choose the model that suits them[3]
Payment timingMonthly payouts to publishers in good standing[7]Payouts are subject to settlement periods and minimum payout thresholds[7]
Seller feesNot published
Platform's cutNot published
Referral bountyNot published

Deal terms

Deal structureCloudflare aggregates the charge events, charges the crawler and distributes the earnings to the publisher[9]Pay Per Use: Cloudflare aggregates reported uses, charges the buyer and pays publishers monthly through their connected payment account[3]
ExclusivityNot published
TermNot published
Field of useNot published
Onward transferNot published
Seller keeps ownershipNot published

Process

Steps
  1. Enable in account settings
  2. Set a pay per crawl price
  3. Select crawlers to charge
  4. Monitor activity
  5. Manage payouts[7]
TimelineNot published
Sample before offerNot published
How to startRequest to join the closed beta via the Pay per crawl signup form, or via account executive for Enterprise customers[1]Prerequisite: domain on Cloudflare nameservers or DNS managed by Cloudflare[8]

Track record

Named deals

  • Ceramic 'pay-per-query' model: publishers who opt in can be paid when their content appears in Ceramic's search results[10]
  • You.com: agents can pay on demand for a specific piece of premium content, without upfront commitment[10]

Coverage

  • TechCrunch: from September 15, 2026, Cloudflare's default settings will block 'mixed-use' crawlers from pages that host ads[11]

Watch for

None found in public reporting as of November 3, 2026.

Sources

  1. What is Pay Per Crawl? · Cloudflare AI Crawl Control docs, developers.cloudflare.com. Published July 28, 2026. Accessed October 30, 2026. (company's own site)
  2. About Cloudflare, cloudflare.com. Accessed October 30, 2026. (company's own site)
  3. Pay Per Use: when AI uses your work, you should get paid, blog.cloudflare.com. Published September 30, 2026. Accessed November 3, 2026. (company's own site)
  4. Pay Per Crawl · Cloudflare AI Crawl Control docs, developers.cloudflare.com. Accessed October 30, 2026. (company's own site)
  5. Set a pay per crawl price · Cloudflare AI Crawl Control docs, developers.cloudflare.com. Published July 28, 2026. Accessed October 30, 2026. (company's own site)
  6. Changelog · Cloudflare AI Crawl Control docs, developers.cloudflare.com. Published June 16, 2026. Accessed October 30, 2026. (company's own site)
  7. Manage payouts · Cloudflare AI Crawl Control docs, developers.cloudflare.com. Published April 23, 2026. Accessed October 30, 2026. (company's own site)
  8. Enable in account settings · Cloudflare AI Crawl Control docs, developers.cloudflare.com. Published April 23, 2026. Accessed October 30, 2026. (company's own site)
  9. Introducing pay per crawl: Enabling content owners to charge AI crawlers for access | Cloudflare Blog, blog.cloudflare.com. Published July 1, 2025. Accessed October 30, 2026. (company's own site)
  10. Making AI search smarter | Cloudflare Blog, blog.cloudflare.com. Published July 1, 2026. Accessed October 30, 2026. (company's own site)
  11. Cloudflare’s new policy pushes AI companies to pay for publishers’ content | TechCrunch, techcrunch.com. Published July 1, 2026. Accessed October 30, 2026. (press)

Last verified November 3, 2026