BYOAIK (Bring Your Own AI Key) is a directory of AI tools that run on your own API key.
AI Engine (WordPress)
WordPress's most-installed AI plugin: every chatbot and content feature runs on the key you paste in.
- Category:
- Marketing and SEO Tools
- Maintenance:
- Actively developed (last commit 4 days ago)
- Pricing:
- Open Source
- Open source:
- Yes (GPL-2.0-or-later)
- Self-hostable:
- Yes
- Local-first:
- No
- Platforms:
- Web, Self-hosted, Docker
- AI providers (bring your own key):
- OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Gemini, Mistral, Perplexity, OpenRouter, xAI Grok, Azure OpenAI, Custom / OpenAI-compatible
- API key storage:
- User controls deployment
- Key risk level:
- LOW
- Trust score:
- 79/100
AI Engine is a WordPress plugin adding AI chatbots, content generation, image tools and an MCP server to any WordPress site. Setup requires the administrator to obtain an API key from their chosen provider and add it in the plugin settings; no AI credits ship with it. Stable connectors cover OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, xAI, Mistral, Perplexity, Azure OpenAI and OpenRouter, plus a custom connector for self-hosted Ollama, LM Studio, vLLM or LocalAI backends. GPL-2.0-or-later, over 100,000 active WordPress installs; the GitHub mirror carries few stars because WordPress.org is the real distribution channel.
How this tool was scored
Key handling 80/100 (where your key rests and who sees it, comparable across any licence) and verifiability 70/100 (how much of that BYOAIK could confirm, lower for closed source). Neither contains a popularity signal.
- Key Safety 21/25: The key lives in a deployment you run yourself.
- Request Routing 17/20: Requests go straight from you to the AI provider.
- Transparency 20/20: Source is public under GPL-2.0-or-later, so anyone can check how the key is handled.
- Privacy 10/15: Can be self-hosted, so the data path stays inside infrastructure you control.
- Maintenance 10/10: Actively developed, with commits within the last three months.
- Verification Confidence 1/10: Compiled from public documentation by an AI-assisted pass, not independently confirmed.
What was checked
Verification tier RESEARCH_ASSISTED, derived from the evidence below and not set by hand.
- [CONFIRMED ยท SOURCE_SCAN] Most recent commit 2026-09-25, about 0 month(s) ago. source
How your API key is handled
You self-host the app, so your API key lives in your own deployment. Requests are sent directly to the AI provider. Because it can be self-hosted, your key never has to touch a third-party backend.
Setup
Deploy it (Docker/compose), add your provider API key in the admin or environment config, then select models.