# BYOK (bring your own key)

**Source:** https://promtable.com/glossary/byok

> BYOK is the SaaS pattern where the user supplies their own API key (OpenAI, Anthropic, Google) instead of the SaaS providing inference — common in dev tools (Cursor, Cline, Continue.dev) and chat platforms (Janitor AI, Poe Pro).

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BYOK is the SaaS pattern where the user supplies their own API key (OpenAI, Anthropic, Google) instead of the SaaS providing inference — common in dev tools (Cursor, Cline, Continue.dev) and chat platforms (Janitor AI, Poe Pro).

Two billing models for AI tools: bundled (the SaaS pays the inference provider, charges users a subscription that includes usage) or BYOK (the user supplies their own API key, the SaaS only charges for the app / UI). BYOK is popular for: low-margin dev tools (Cline, Continue.dev), enterprise (compliance / data residency requires customer-owned inference), and power users (avoid markup). Trade-offs: BYOK is cheaper for high-volume users but transfers key management to them; bundled is simpler for casual users but expensive at scale. Many SaaS now offer both: bundled default + BYOK option in settings. Security gotcha: BYOK requires careful client-side key handling; never store in cleartext, never log in traces.

## When to use

- Power-user / enterprise tiers.
- Compliance / data-residency-sensitive deployments.

## Common mistakes

- Logging the API key in trace data — sensitive credential leakage.
- Forcing BYOK on casual users — friction kills onboarding.

## Related terms

- [bring-your-own-llm](https://promtable.com/glossary/bring-your-own-llm)
- [self-host-llm](https://promtable.com/glossary/self-host-llm)

*Last updated: 2026-06-01*
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Original page: https://promtable.com/glossary/byok
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