What is BYOK?
BYOK (Bring Your Own Key) lets you connect your own AI API key to CompareKit. Instead of using CompareKit's built-in AI, your comparisons are processed through your own AI account.
Why use your own key?
- Unlimited comparisons — your plan's monthly comparison limit no longer applies
- Choice of provider — pick from 7 supported AI providers
- Model flexibility — use any model your provider offers, including the latest releases
BYOK is available on the Pro plan and on Development stores (for testing). Free plan stores use CompareKit's built-in AI with the standard 25 comparisons per month.
How BYOK affects your comparison limits
When you connect your own AI key:
- Comparisons made with your key do NOT count toward your plan's monthly limit
- Your dashboard shows an Unlimited badge instead of the usage progress bar
- If you later remove your key, your usage reverts to your plan's standard limit — only non-BYOK comparisons made during the current billing period count toward that limit
This means you can use BYOK alongside your plan limit. For example, if you're on the Pro plan with 2,000 comparisons and connect your own key mid-month, any comparisons you've already made still count, but all new comparisons using your key are unlimited.
Setting up your own AI key
- Open CompareKit in your Shopify admin
- Go to Settings from the sidebar
- Scroll down to the AI provider section
- Toggle "Use your own AI key for comparisons" to ON
- Select your AI provider from the dropdown
- Paste your API key into the API key field
- (Optional) Enter a specific model name in the Model field — leave blank to use the provider's default model
- Click Save
Your key is encrypted and stored securely. It is never shared or exposed.
Supported AI providers
Google Gemini
- Get your API key: ai.google.dev
- Available models & pricing: Gemini models documentation
- Default model: gemini-2.5-flash-lite
OpenAI
- Get your API key: platform.openai.com/api-keys
- Available models & pricing: OpenAI models documentation · Pricing
- Default model: gpt-4o-mini
Anthropic Claude
- Get your API key: console.anthropic.com/settings/keys
- Available models & pricing: Claude models documentation
- Default model: claude-3-5-haiku-latest
Mistral AI
- Get your API key: console.mistral.ai/api-keys
- Available models & pricing: Mistral models documentation
- Default model: mistral-small-latest
DeepSeek
- Get your API key: platform.deepseek.com/api_keys
- Available models & pricing: DeepSeek pricing
- Default model: deepseek-chat
xAI Grok
- Get your API key: console.x.ai
- Available models & pricing: Grok models documentation
- Default model: grok-3-mini-fast
Alibaba Qwen
- Get your API key: dashscope.console.aliyun.com
- Available models & pricing: Qwen models documentation
- Default model: qwen-turbo-latest
Choosing a model
Each provider has a range of models with different capabilities and price points. CompareKit uses a sensible default model for each provider (listed above), optimized for speed and cost-effectiveness.
You can override the default by entering any model name your provider supports in the Model field. Leave it blank to use the default.
When choosing a model, consider:
- Speed — Smaller/faster models generate comparisons more quickly
- Quality — Larger models may produce more detailed comparisons
- Cost — Check your provider's pricing page to understand per-request costs
Troubleshooting
"Invalid API key" error after saving Double-check that you've copied the full API key from your provider's dashboard. Some providers require you to create a new key (you can't view existing ones after creation).
Comparisons failing after adding a key Make sure your AI account has billing enabled and sufficient credits. Most providers require a payment method even for free-tier usage.
Want to switch providers? Simply select a different provider from the dropdown, enter the new key, and save. Your previous key is replaced.