What is an API key and why would I want one?
The whole thing, in one breath
An API key is a private password from an AI company like Anthropic or OpenAI. You paste it into AIStoryHub once, and from then on your writing runs on their best models while you pay them directly, usually cents per scene.
Like you're five
Think of a coffee shop loyalty card with your name on it. The card is yours, it is tied to your account, and when you buy a coffee it quietly charges you. An API key is that card, but for AI. You show it, you get the good stuff, and the bill goes to you, not to us. Lose the card and someone else could buy coffee on your tab, so you keep it private.
A little more grown-up
Why bother, when there is a free model?
You do not have to bother. AIStoryHub gives you a built-in free model so you can start writing in seconds with no key at all. The key is for when you want more: the sharpest models like Claude Opus or GPT, full control over which one drafts your prose, and no shared queue.
You pay the AI company, not us
This is the part people find surprising. With your own key, the tiny usage cost goes straight to Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, or OpenRouter. AIStoryHub never charges you a subscription and never marks up your usage. Most writing sessions cost a few cents. A whole busy day rarely tops a dollar or two.
Getting one is a five-minute errand
You make an account with an AI provider, add a little credit, copy the key they give you, and paste it into Settings. That is it. You can add keys for several providers and switch between them whenever you like, or mix them: the free model for feedback, your own key for the prose that matters.
So what, for your writing?
The key is what makes AIStoryHub free forever without cutting corners. There is no subscription squeezing you and no tier gating the good model. You bring the fuel, you own the account, and you pay real cost, which is almost always less than any monthly plan you were dreading.
See exactly what a session costs and how keys work on the pricing page.
See the pricingWords that showed up
- API key
- A private password from an AI company that lets an app use their models on your account.
- Provider
- The company that makes the model: Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, or OpenRouter.
- BYOK
- Bring Your Own Key. The setup where you supply the key and pay the provider directly.