AI Providers Overview
What is BYOK (Bring Your Own Key)?
OpenClaw Host uses a Bring Your Own Key model. Instead of charging you a markup on AI usage, you connect your own API key from the AI provider of your choice. This means:
- You pay the provider directly at their published rates — no middleman fees.
- You control your spending through the provider's own billing dashboard.
- You can switch providers at any time, or use multiple providers simultaneously.
- Your keys stay on your instance — OpenClaw Host never stores or proxies your API keys outside your dedicated pod.
Go to your Instance page in the OpenClaw dashboard, open the Integrations tab, click the provider card you want, hit Connect, and paste your API key. That's it.
Provider Comparison
| Provider | Free Tier | Setup Difficulty | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anthropic (Claude) | $5 free credits (expires in 14 days) | Medium | Most capable coding agent with deep reasoning |
| OpenAI (Codex) | No free credits | Medium | ChatGPT ecosystem users, strong general-purpose coding |
| Google (Gemini) | Generous free tier (no credit card needed) | Easy | Getting started for free, large context windows |
| DeepSeek | Credits available on signup | Easy | Budget-friendly, competitive quality at low cost |
| OpenRouter | Pay-as-you-go | Easy | Access to multiple models (Claude, GPT, Gemini, Llama, etc.) with one key |
Which Provider Should I Choose?
Choosing a provider depends on your priorities. Here are some quick recommendations:
Just want to try it out — no credit card?
Go with Google Gemini. You can generate a free API key with just a Google account, and the free tier is generous enough to explore OpenClaw thoroughly.
Want the best coding agent experience?
Start with Anthropic Claude. Claude Sonnet offers an excellent balance of speed, quality, and cost. If you are on a new Anthropic account, you get $5 in free credits to test with.
Already paying for ChatGPT Plus?
Consider OpenAI Codex. Note that ChatGPT Plus/Pro subscriptions are separate from API billing — you will still need to add API credits. But if you are already in the OpenAI ecosystem, the setup will feel familiar.
On a tight budget?
DeepSeek offers competitive model quality at significantly lower prices than other providers. Great for high-volume usage where cost matters.
Want flexibility across models?
OpenRouter lets you access Claude, GPT, Gemini, Llama, Mistral, and many more models through a single API key. Useful if you want to experiment or switch models without managing multiple accounts.
OpenClaw Host supports connecting more than one provider at a time. You can set a primary provider and configure fallbacks so your agent keeps working even if one provider is temporarily unavailable.