BRING YOUR OWN KEY · NO MARKUP · NO CREDITS
Stop paying markup on AI.
Build for a fraction.
AI app builders resell Claude, GPT and Gemini to you as credits. Zeltro connects your own AI straight to the model, at the provider’s own price, or runs one free on your computer. Same models, same work. A much smaller bill.
Three live client apps, about 600 AI requests a month, hosting and domains included on both sides. How we worked it out.
WHERE YOUR MONEY GOES
Cut out the middleman.
Most AI app builders are a layer on top of the same few models. Zeltro has no AI of its own and sells you none.
A hosted AI builder
- You
- Their creditsmarkup, monthly limits, top-up packs
- Claude, GPT or Gemini
Credits reset, run out mid-project, and get spent on the AI’s own failed fixes.
Zeltro
- You
- Straight to the modelyour key or plan, the provider’s own price
- Any model you like
Nothing expires. Switch provider or model whenever you want.
PICK HOW YOU PAY
Three ways to pay less.
Cents
A wholesale API key
OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, OpenRouter or DeepSeek bill you per token at their own price. A fast coding model like DeepSeek V4.1 Flash costs a few cents a request.
$0 extra
A plan you already pay for
Claude Pro or Max, ChatGPT Plus or Pro, Google AI Pro. Zeltro runs the coding agents those plans include, so there’s no second AI bill.
Free
A local model
Ollama or LM Studio on your own machine: no key, no account, no bill. A 30B coding model runs on a 24 GB graphics card or a Mac with 32 GB.
SAME WORK, SIDE BY SIDE
What a month really costs.
A freelancer with three live client apps. With Zeltro that’s a $20 AI plan plus a small server.
- With Zeltro$28–$30/mo
- Replit Agent$66–$246/mo
- Emergent$150–$312/mo
- Lovable$200/mo
- Bolt.new$200–$250/mo
- Base44$200/mo
- Hercules$259–$379/mo
SAVINGS, PART TWO
Tokens you never spend.
A cheaper price per token is half of it. Zeltro also cuts how many tokens you spend.
$0.22 $0
Ready-made apps, no AI needed
An agent took four minutes and $0.22 to install Plausible Analytics from scratch. From Zeltro’s library it’s one click, and so are 213 others.
Day one
Projects start already working
Laravel, Django, Next.js, Vite and the rest come ready to run, database included, so the agent builds your app instead of the plumbing.
AGENTS.md
Every session starts oriented
Each project carries its address, database and commands for the agent, so it doesn’t burn tokens working them out again.
Arriving in the next app update
Your first builds are on us.
No AI set up yet? No problem. Zeltro comes with a free starter credit built in. It kicks in by itself: no key, no account, no email.
- 1Install Zeltro. Free for personal use.
- 2Describe your idea. Type what you want in Create with AI.
- 3Watch it build. The AI runs on us, on a fast coding model.
When the credit runs out, the app shows you where to plug in your own AI: a plan you already have, an API key, or a free local model. Everything you built stays yours.
What you’ll never pay for again.
- Monthly credits that reset while you sleep
- Top-up packs when a project runs long
- Credits spent on the AI fixing its own mistakes
- A fee per app, per site or per seat
- Markup on someone else’s model
- A price hike on a platform you can’t leave
One small server at $5 to $7 a month holds every project you put online.
Questions
What does "bring your own key" mean?
It means you use your own account with an AI provider, an API key or a subscription, instead of buying credits from the tool you build with. You pay the provider directly at its own price, and you can switch providers or models whenever you like.
How much can I save by bringing my own key?
For a freelancer with three live client apps, about $28 to $30 a month with Zeltro against $66 to $379 on hosted AI builders, hosting included on both sides. Put in your own numbers with the savings calculator.
Do I need an API key to start?
No. New installs come with a free starter credit, so your first builds run with no key at all. After that, a Claude, ChatGPT or Google AI plan you already pay for works with its own sign-in, and a local model through Ollama needs no key or account.
What is the free starter credit?
A small amount of AI built into the Zeltro app for new users. The first time you build with AI and haven't chosen one yet, Zeltro uses it by itself, on a fast coding model. There's no key, account or email involved. When it runs out, the app shows you where to plug in your own AI. It's arriving in the next app update.
Which AI providers and models can I use?
Any that your agent supports. Claude Code, Codex, Gemini, Qwen Code, Aider, OpenCode and Hermes Agent all work, with their own sign-ins or with API keys from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, OpenRouter, DeepSeek and others, or with a local model through Ollama or LM Studio. See Working with AI and Cheap and local models.
Is my API key safe with Zeltro?
Your key stays on your own computer and goes only to the provider you chose. Zeltro never sends your key, your prompts or your code to us. In the app, keys saved in AI profiles are stored encrypted.
Is Zeltro free?
Yes, for personal use, with no account. A business using it buys a lifetime commercial license once. The command line tool is open source (MIT). Either way, you pay your AI provider directly, or nothing with a local model.
Keep more of your money
Install Zeltro, point it at the AI you already pay for or a free local model, and keep building. Free for personal use, with no account.
Rather not set it up yourself? I’ll do it for you.