BYOK model providers
VizChat unlocks BYOK (Bring Your Own Key) at Starter and above — the complete list of 8 supported providers.
BYOK (Bring Your Own Key) lets you plug your own provider API key into VizChat. Inference and generation requests are then billed to your account with that provider, and do not consume VizChat platform credits. For heavy users, this is the cheapest path.
Prerequisites
- Subscription tier ≥
Starter(Free does not support BYOK). New users get an auto-activated 30-day Starter trial on signup, no credit card required. - Paste the key in
Settings → Custom Model. VizChat AES-encrypts it at rest and only displays a masked preview. - Deleting a key does not fall back automatically. If the model selector is still pointed at a custom model from that provider, requests will fail until you add a new key or switch to an official model yourself.
Supported providers (8)
The provider IDs below align with OpenRouter's routing prefixes.
| Provider ID | Display name | Signup console |
|---|---|---|
openai | OpenAI | platform.openai.com |
anthropic | Anthropic | console.anthropic.com |
google | Google (Gemini) | aistudio.google.com |
deepseek | DeepSeek | platform.deepseek.com |
qwen | Alibaba Qwen | dashscope.console.aliyun.com |
moonshotai | Moonshot (Kimi) | platform.moonshot.cn |
x-ai | xAI | console.x.ai |
mistralai | Mistral AI | console.mistral.ai |
The exact models available per provider change over time. To see what's currently offered, open the provider's dropdown on the Custom Model settings tab.
Model routing
VizChat's frontend splits models into two slot types:
- Official: platform-hosted Smart / Fast slots, billed in credits.
- Custom: BYOK-injected models, grouped by provider in the dropdown.
The Agent defaults to the Official Fast slot; switch to a custom model and the whole conversation runs on BYOK. BYOK requests are gated only by subscription tier (Starter and above); no platform credits are debited, and VizChat applies no rate limit of its own — your provider's own limits still apply.
FAQ
- My key leaked — now what? Delete it in VizChat immediately, then revoke it in the provider's console. VizChat's ciphertext uses a project-level encryption key; after deletion it cannot be recovered.
- Can I configure multiple providers? Yes. Each provider holds at most one key, and they're independent.
- Does OpenRouter work? VizChat uses OpenRouter's catalog to list each provider's available models and pricing, but BYOK calls themselves always go straight to each provider's own native endpoint. Routing inference directly through an OpenRouter key isn't supported yet.