BYOAIK (Bring Your Own AI Key) is a directory of AI tools that run on your own API key.
Perplexica
Open-source, self-hostable AI search engine that answers with citations using SearXNG plus your own LLM provider.
- Category:
- Research Tools
- Maintenance:
- Actively developed (last commit 12 days ago)
- Pricing:
- Open Source
- Open source:
- Yes (MIT)
- Self-hostable:
- Yes
- Local-first:
- Yes
- Platforms:
- Web, Self-hosted, Docker
- AI providers (bring your own key):
- OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Gemini, Groq, Ollama, Custom / OpenAI-compatible
- API key storage:
- User controls deployment
- Key risk level:
- LOW
- Trust score:
- 81/100
Perplexica (rebranded to "Vane" in 2026 by the same maintainer, URL still resolves) is an MIT-licensed, self-hostable AI answering engine and Perplexity AI alternative. It searches the web via a bundled SearXNG instance, optionally reranks results with embeddings, and generates cited answers with an LLM of your choice. It ships as a single Docker image (bundles SearXNG) and is configured entirely through a web setup wizard where you paste your own provider API keys. It is fully provider-agnostic: run local models via Ollama/LM Studio/Lemonade, or bring your own OpenAI, Anthropic Claude, Google Gemini, or Groq key. It also supports any OpenAI-compatible base URL (vLLM, LocalAI, OpenRouter, DeepSeek, etc.). Features include Speed/Balanced/Quality search modes, file uploads, search history, image/video search, and it can be used as a browser search engine. Note: it ships with no auth layer, so an exposed instance can let anyone consume your API credits.
Why this trust score (81/100)
Trust measures how the tool treats your API key and how much of that has been verified. It contains no popularity signal.
- Key Safety 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 MIT, so anyone can check how the key is handled.
- Privacy 14/15: Local-first: it works without sending your data anywhere. Can be self-hosted, so the data path stays inside infrastructure you control.
- Maintenance 8/10: Commits within the last six 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] Ships a container definition, so it can be self-hosted on your own infrastructure. source
- [CONFIRMED · SOURCE_SCAN] Most recent commit 2026-04-11, about 4 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.