Bring your own AI key: why we never mark up tokens
Use your own OpenAI, Anthropic or Google key with Kletso. Full control, no markups, no lock-in.
Priya Nair· Engineering · 18 Sept 2026 · 5 min read
Most chatbot platforms sit between you and your model provider and charge per message, per resolution or per credit. We think that is the wrong shape for a developer product.
The problem with metered AI
Per-resolution and credit-based pricing makes your bill a moving target. It also pushes vendors to route you to cheaper models than you chose. Every pricing page we studied while building Kletso had a hidden AI line item.
How Kletso does it
You paste your own key for OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Gemini, Groq or a self-hosted model. Kletso stores it encrypted, uses it only to make requests on your behalf, and never adds a markup. Your platform fee is flat, and your provider bill is exactly what you would pay directly.
Spend caps and model choice
Set a monthly spend cap per bot, pick a model per workflow step, and switch providers without changing a line of app code. The dashboard shows cost per conversation so you always know where the money goes.
No markup, no lock-in, no surprises. That is the deal.
