BYOAIK (Bring Your Own AI Key) is a directory of AI tools that run on your own API key.

Cherry Studio

All-in-one desktop AI client where you plug in your own provider keys for chat, agents, and 300+ assistants.

Website Source code

Category:
Desktop AI Assistants
Maintenance:
Actively developed (last commit today)
Pricing:
Open Source
Open source:
Yes (AGPL-3.0)
Self-hostable:
No
Local-first:
Yes
Platforms:
Desktop
AI providers (bring your own key):
OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Gemini, Azure OpenAI, DeepSeek, Perplexity, Ollama, Custom / OpenAI-compatible
API key storage:
Stored locally on device
Key risk level:
LOW
Trust score:
82/100

Cherry Studio is an open-source (AGPL-3.0) cross-platform desktop AI productivity client for Windows, macOS, and Linux. It runs on a bring-your-own-key model: users paste their own API keys under Settings -> Model Providers for cloud providers (OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Gemini, Azure OpenAI, DeepSeek, and others) or run local models via Ollama and LM Studio. A Custom Provider option lets users enter their own API key plus a configurable Base URL to connect any OpenAI-, Anthropic-, Gemini-, or Azure-compatible endpoint (e.g. vLLM, OpenRouter, self-hosted gateways). The app bundles smart chat, RAG/knowledge bases, autonomous agents, and a large library of preset assistants. The project is actively maintained (v1.9.11 released June 2026, 7,000+ commits) and very popular (~47.6k GitHub stars).

Why this trust score (82/100)

Trust measures how the tool treats your API key and how much of that has been verified. It contains no popularity signal.

  • Key Safety 23/25: The key is held on your own device.
  • Request Routing 17/20: Requests go straight from you to the AI provider.
  • Transparency 20/20: Source is public under AGPL-3.0, so anyone can check how the key is handled.
  • Privacy 11/15: Local-first: it works without sending your data anywhere.
  • Maintenance 10/10: Actively developed: 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.

  • [REPORTED · RESEARCH] This listing was compiled by an AI-assisted research pass over the tool's public website, README and documentation. No person independently confirmed it.
  • [STRONG · SOURCE_SCAN] Supports a local model backend, so it can run with no cloud provider key at all. source
  • [CONFIRMED · SOURCE_SCAN] Most recent commit 2026-08-15, about 0 month(s) ago. source

How your API key is handled

Your API key is stored locally on your device. Requests are sent directly to the AI provider.

Setup

Open settings, paste your provider API key, choose a model, and start. The key stays on your device.