BYOK Explained: Use Your Own Keys and Save

Every AI platform charges a markup. You pay them, they pay the provider, and the difference is their margin. That is how the business works. We do the same thing — our platform key routes your requests through our accounts with Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, and the rest, and we add a small markup to cover infrastructure and keep the lights on.

But here is the thing: some of you are power users. You are making thousands of API calls a day. At that volume, even a small markup adds up fast. So we built BYOK.

What BYOK Actually Does

BYOK — Bring Your Own Key — lets you plug your own API keys from providers directly into your Zubnet workspace. When you make a request to a model from that provider, we route the request using your key instead of ours.

The markup? Zero. You pay the provider directly at their published rates. We do not take a cut on BYOK requests.

Everything else stays the same. Same unified API. Same interface. Same streaming, same error handling, same model switching. The only difference is whose credit card gets charged for the compute.

How to Set It Up

It takes about two minutes:

1. Go to your workspace settings on zubnet.com

2. Find the “API Keys” or “BYOK” section

3. Select a provider (e.g., Anthropic)

4. Paste your API key from that provider

5. Save

That is it. From that moment, any request you make to an Anthropic model goes through your key. No code changes. No configuration in your app. The routing happens server-side, automatically.

Your key is encrypted at rest.

We store BYOK keys using AES-256 encryption. They are decrypted only at the moment of the API call, used, and discarded from memory. We never log them, never display them after initial setup, and never use them for anything other than routing your specific requests.

BYOK + Platform Key: They Coexist

You do not have to choose one or the other for your entire account. BYOK works per provider. If you add an Anthropic key but not an OpenAI key:

• Anthropic models (Claude) → your key, zero markup
• OpenAI models (GPT-4.1) → platform key, standard pricing
• Google models (Gemini) → platform key, standard pricing
• Every other provider → platform key, standard pricing

Mix and match. Use BYOK for the providers you hit hardest, and platform keys for everything else.

Priority rule: when a BYOK key is configured for a provider, it always takes priority. If you want to temporarily switch back to the platform key, remove or disable the BYOK key in settings.

When BYOK Saves You Money

The math is straightforward. Our markup on platform-key requests covers infrastructure costs — routing, streaming proxies, logging, load balancing, CDN for generated assets, and the engineering to keep 367 models working simultaneously. For most users, this cost is negligible.

But if you are a high-volume user, the numbers change:

Example: heavy Claude Sonnet usage

Say you spend $500/month on Claude Sonnet through our platform key. Our markup might add $50–75 to that. With BYOK, you pay Anthropic $500 directly and Zubnet $0 for those specific requests. At $50/month in AI spend? The markup is a few dollars. Probably not worth managing a separate API key for. At $5,000/month on a single provider? BYOK is a no-brainer.

When the Platform Key Is Actually Cheaper

This surprises people, but there are real scenarios where using our key costs you less:

Bulk negotiated rates. We negotiate volume discounts with providers that individual users cannot get. For some providers, our per-token cost is lower than the published API rate. If your BYOK key pays list price and our platform key pays a negotiated rate, the markup can actually be less than the discount.

Low volume usage. If you are spending $20/month across five providers, the markup adds maybe $2–4 total. Managing five separate API keys, five separate billing relationships, and five separate usage dashboards is not worth $3 in savings.

Free tier credits. Some of our plans include a monthly credit that covers a certain amount of platform-key usage. BYOK requests do not count against these credits because they bypass our billing entirely.

Supported Providers

BYOK is available for 25+ providers, including all the major ones:

• Anthropic — Claude models
• OpenAI — GPT models, DALL-E, Whisper
• Google — Gemini models, Imagen
• Mistral — Mistral Large, Codestral
• Cohere — Command R+
• Perplexity — Sonar models
• DeepSeek — DeepSeek R1, V3
• Together.ai — open-source model hosting
• Groq — ultra-fast inference
• Fireworks — optimized open-source models
• Replicate — image and video models
• ElevenLabs — voice synthesis
• Stability AI — Stable Diffusion, Stable Audio
• Black Forest Labs — FLUX image models
• Kling — video generation
• Runway — Gen-4 video
• Suno — music generation
• Tripo — 3D model generation
• And more added regularly

If a provider you need is not on the list, let us know. Adding BYOK support for a new provider is usually straightforward if we already integrate their API.

Transparency: What You See

One thing we believe in is transparency. Whether you use BYOK or the platform key, your usage dashboard shows:

• Which model was used for each request
• How many tokens were consumed
• Whether the request used your BYOK key or the platform key
• The cost at the provider’s published rate (so you can compare)

No hidden fees. No surprise charges. If you are paying markup, you can see exactly how much. If you are on BYOK, you can verify that the markup is indeed zero.

Common Questions

What if my BYOK key runs out of credits?

The request fails with the provider’s error (usually a 402 or 429). We do not automatically fall back to the platform key — that would surprise you with unexpected charges. If your BYOK key has issues, you will see the provider’s error message in the response.

Can I use BYOK and still get Zubnet features?

Yes, all of them. Conversation history, streaming, the unified API, model switching, the web interface — everything works identically. BYOK only changes who pays the provider for the compute.

Is my key shared with anyone?

No. Your BYOK key is used exclusively for your workspace’s requests. It is never pooled, never shared, never used for any other purpose.

The bottom line: BYOK exists because we think you should have the choice. Use our platform key for convenience. Use your own keys for savings at scale. Mix both for the best of both worlds. No lock-in, no games — just honest options.

BYOK is available on all paid plans. Set it up in your workspace settings in under two minutes.