How It Works · AI Models
Your AI, your keys, no markup.
Fred is the platform, not the AI model. You bring your own key from OpenAI, Claude, Gemini, or Grok, pay the provider directly at their published rates, and switch models without rebuilding a thing.
What that means for your bill.
Most AI chat vendors resell the AI to you with a markup on every message. Your success becomes their revenue: the more your visitors talk, the more you pay them. Fred charges for Fred, and the AI bill goes straight to the provider at the price everyone can see.
No platform tax
- One platform price for Fred
- AI usage billed by your provider at published rates
- Scaling up does not punish you
No vendor lock-in
- OpenAI, Claude, Gemini, or Grok, your choice
- Switch providers without rebuilding your setup
- Your content, rules, and leads stay put when you switch
The right model for the job
- Premium voice on OpenAI, budget-friendly on Gemini
- Deep reasoning on Claude for text-heavy businesses
- Mix to match what your visitors actually need
Four providers, one Fred.
Review the content, checks and lead-capture workflow for the model and deployment you choose. Provider capabilities and responses can differ.
OpenAI
- Voice and text, with built-in TTS voices
- The premium full-voice experience
Claude
- Text conversations with deep reasoning
- Strong on nuance and longer context
Gemini
- Voice and text, free tier available
- The cost-efficiency pick
Grok
- Text conversations
- For businesses already in the xAI ecosystem
Voice quality matters to you? Add ElevenLabs as a premium TTS layer with your own key, billed the same honest way.
We charge for Fred. The AI is between you and your provider.
Talk to Fred.
For the person who asks how.
What does BYOAPI actually mean?
Bring your own API key. You create an account with OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, or xAI, paste your key into Fred, and the provider bills you directly at their published rates. Fred never marks up a message. Our training videos walk you through getting a key, or add a paid setup and we configure it with you.
Can Fred fail over between models?
Yes, when you configure alternate providers with their own keys, Fred can switch or fail over without a rebuild. It is not magic redundancy out of the box; it is a choice you make by adding a second key, and most businesses add one after their first provider outage makes the case for them.
Which provider should I pick?
If voice is the experience you want, OpenAI is the premium pick and Gemini is the value pick, and both do voice and text. Claude is the reasoning specialist for text-heavy businesses. Grok covers text for the xAI crowd. You can start with one and change your mind later; that is the point.
Do my guardrails change if I switch models?
Provider choice can affect behavior. Configure and test your guardrails, content retrieval, lead capture, and scoring with the model and channels you plan to use. That story is here
What about voice quality?
Review the voice options available through your chosen provider and deployment. ElevenLabs is an optional voice-output provider. Confirm the controls and integrations required for both voice and text.
Is my API key safe?
Your connected provider credentials authorize requests to that provider. Data handling depends on the selected service and your deployment settings. Review redaction, retention, and provider data use before launch. trust page
Enterprise architecture. Owner-operator pricing.
One platform price, your own AI keys, and no tax on growing. See what Fred costs and what it replaces.