Why pay per use instead of a monthly plan
A flat monthly subscription makes sense if you use AI heavily every day. If you do not, you are paying for capacity you never touch. BYOK flips that: you bring your own API key and pay each provider only for the messages you actually send, at their list price.
Oriveo has no required subscription to use your own keys — you connect them and pay providers directly. There is an optional Pro plan for premium features, and an Oriveo Free tier so you can start with no key at all.
How to keep costs low
Pay-per-use only saves money if you can see it. Oriveo shows the estimated cost of every conversation in real time, so you can choose cheaper models for routine tasks and reserve premium models for the hard ones.
- Bring your own keys for 15 official providers and pay list price with no markup.
- See per-conversation estimated cost in real time, not just a month-end provider total.
- Mix cheaper and premium models to balance quality and spend.
- Start on the Oriveo Free tier before connecting any key.