Decider
Best AI chat for Bring Your Own API
AI chat platforms that accept your own model API key — DeepSeek, OpenRouter, OpenAI, Anthropic, local Llama variants. For cost control, model choice, or escaping platform moderation.
- OpenRouter compatible
- DeepSeek + Claude routes
- Pay per token
- Model freedom
Top 5 platforms for Bring Your Own API
- Janitor AI
Chat with anime-styled AI characters; supports BYO API for uncensored roleplay.
Freemium · Web+App · 42M/mo #roleplay - SillyTavern
Self-hosted frontend for local and cloud LLMs — the power-user standard.
BYO API · Local · Global #local - Agnai
Open-source multi-user character chat — runs in browser or self-hosted with Mong…
Free · Local · Global #open-source - Backyard AI
Desktop app for local LLM character chat — runs GGUF models offline, no setup re…
Freemium · Desktop · Global #local - DreamGen
AI long-form writing platform with structured story, world, and plot tools plus …
Freemium · Web · Global #fiction
Three reasons to bring your own API key into an AI chat platform:
Cost — At 2026 prices, DeepSeek and OpenRouter routes cost a fraction of a typical subscription for the same usage volume. A heavy roleplay user spending $20+ on a closed platform’s premium tier often spends $2 on the same number of generations through OpenRouter, with model choice as a bonus.
Model choice — Closed platforms ship one model (or a small menu). With your own API key, you can route to the latest Claude / GPT / DeepSeek / Mistral, or to a fine-tune optimised for narrative work. The platform becomes a UI; the brain is yours to pick.
Moderation — Some platforms moderate at the API edge; some let you skip it entirely if you supply your own key. This is a less-clean motivation but a real one — power users who hit content filters on closed tiers often migrate to BYO-API setups specifically for the freedom.
The featured platforms below all support BYO-API as a first-class path: Janitor AI ships the easiest browser experience, SillyTavern the most powerful desktop setup, Agnai a self-hosted middle ground, Backyard AI a one-installer experience, DreamGen a writing-specific tool. Pick by the UX you want — the model layer is whatever you wire up.