What it is
BYOK (Bring Your Own Key) is a model where users provide their own API keys for AI services, such as OpenAI, Anthropic, or other LLM providers, instead of relying on the platform's bundled AI. All our products support BYOK. You bring your own OpenAI key, Anthropic key, or other provider—we orchestrate the agents and handle the logic. You own the relationship with the AI provider and the bill. This is core to our pricing model.
Why it matters
BYOK gives you control over cost and data. Instead of paying high platform markups for AI, you pay OpenAI/Anthropic directly—often 50-70% cheaper. You also control your data flow—no platform sees your prompts or business data. For cost-conscious enterprises, BYOK is a dealbreaker feature.
Key components
- Your own API key
- Direct provider billing
- No data pass-through
- Provider-side spend caps
- Platform handles orchestration only
How it connects
When running AI agents inside Salesforce or alongside Agentforce, your API key routes calls directly to the model provider — so your Salesforce data and customer prompts never pass through a third-party platform on the way.
Good to know
You'll need to monitor your own usage limits and billing through the provider's dashboard — OpenAI and Anthropic both offer cost controls and spend caps to prevent surprises.
BYOK (Bring Your Own Key) in practice
Articles from the Funnelists Team that put this term to work.
What Is a BYO Key AI Portal, and Why Do IT and Security Buyers in Financial Services Want One?
A BYO Key AI portal runs its assistant on your own LLM provider key, so your company picks the model, pays for inference directly, and works under its own contract. Here is why IT and security buyers at financial services firms ask for one.
AI Software Factories: How Autonomous Agents Are Building the Future of Software Development
AI software factories use interconnected autonomous agents to manage the full software development lifecycle. Learn how platforms like Factory.ai shift teams from coding to oversight and governance.
