Why Bring Your Own Key?

Most AI chat apps follow a familiar pattern: you sign up for an account, they manage the API keys on their backend, and you pay them for access to models. ZDR Chat flips this model entirely with Bring Your Own Key (BYOK).

What is BYOK?

Bring Your Own Key means you supply your own API key — in this case, an OpenRouter API key — directly to the app. The app never sees or stores your key; it lives in your browser and is sent directly to the API provider when you make requests.

Privacy Benefits

No Middleman Access

When you use a traditional chat app, the provider’s servers handle your API key and your messages. They could, in theory, log or inspect either. With BYOK:

Your key never touches our servers — because there are no servers
Your messages go directly from your browser to OpenRouter — we can’t see them
Your usage is between you and OpenRouter — we have no billing relationship

No Vendor Lock-In

With BYOK, you’re not tied to ZDR Chat. Your OpenRouter key works with any OpenRouter-compatible client:

You can switch to a different client at any time
Your conversations are exportable from IndexedDB
Your spending is managed directly through OpenRouter, not through us

Cost Transparency

With traditional AI chat apps, pricing is opaque. You pay a monthly subscription fee, and it’s unclear how much goes to the model provider vs. the app.

With BYOK:

You pay OpenRouter directly for model usage
ZDR Chat is free to use — it’s an open-source, static PWA
You see exactly what each model costs in real-time
No hidden fees, no subscription tiers

Full Control Over Models

When you bring your own key, you decide:

Which models to use — any of the 300+ models on OpenRouter
How much to spend — set spending limits in your OpenRouter account
When to switch — change models mid-conversation if one isn’t working

How ZDR Chat Never Sees Your Key

The key is never transmitted to us — not even once. Here’s the flow:

You paste your key into the app’s input field
It’s stored in your browser’s localStorage
When you send a message, the app reads the key from localStorage and includes it in the request to OpenRouter
The request goes directly from your browser to openrouter.ai

We never have the opportunity to see, store, or transmit your key.

Cost Transparency

ZDR Chat shows you exactly what each session costs in the status bar — tokens in, tokens out, total cost, and remaining credit. There is no monthly subscription, no hidden fees. You pay OpenRouter directly for the tokens you use.

The app itself costs us next to nothing to host (it is a static PWA on Cloudflare’s free tier). We have no incentive to monetize your data or lock you into a subscription.

Getting Started

Ready to try it? Get your OpenRouter API key, paste it into ZDR Chat, and start chatting. Your key, your models, your privacy.

ZDR Chat is an independent, open-source project. We’re not affiliated with OpenRouter.ai — we don’t resell their services, earn commissions, or track your usage. We built this because private AI should be accessible.