The short version
A bring-your-own-key (BYOK) helpdesk does everything a normal helpdesk does: shared inbox, help center, assignment, reporting. The difference is where the AI comes from. Instead of the helpdesk running the model and charging you per answer, you paste an API key from an AI provider you choose. The helpdesk calls the model with your key, and the provider bills you directly.
Why it matters: the AI line on your bill
Metered helpdesks price the AI by what it does. Intercom's Fin bills $0.99 per outcome. Zendesk bills $1.50 per automated resolution on a committed volume. Help Scout's AI Answers is $0.75 per resolution. Freshdesk's Freddy bills $49 per 100 sessions once its one-time free allowance is gone.
The model call behind one support answer costs far less than that. On a small, fast model, we measured about 3¢ per answer, and it realistically runs 1–5¢ depending on the model, the length of the ticket and how much of your help center the AI reads. With your own key, that few cents is the whole AI cost. Run the numbers for your own volume in the AI markup calculator.
How it works in Kerux
- Pick a provider. Groq, OpenAI, Anthropic, xAI, Google Gemini, Mistral, DeepSeek, OpenRouter, or any OpenAI-compatible endpoint, including a model you run yourself. There's no built-in key: nothing is sent to any AI until you connect one.
- Paste the key. It's stored encrypted, only owners and admins can change it, and after saving Kerux shows just its first 8 characters. The setup guide has the exact steps for each provider.
- Set how sure it must be. The AI answers from your help-center articles when it's confident enough for the threshold you set. Below that, it hands the ticket to your team with a short note on why. You can also have it save drafts for approval instead of sending.
- Switch models whenever you like. A cheaper model for routine questions, a stronger one if you need it. Your Kerux price doesn't change either way.
What you pay Kerux
One flat price per agent: $29, $49 or $79 a month depending on the plan. Kerux never meters the AI and never marks it up, so answering twice as many tickets changes your Kerux bill by nothing and your provider bill by cents.
When BYOK is the wrong choice
- You don't want to touch an AI account at all. Creating a key takes a few minutes and needs a card on file with the provider. If that's a dealbreaker, an all-in-one product is simpler.
- Your AI volume is tiny. If the AI handles a handful of tickets a month, a metered bill stays small and the difference won't matter much.
- You want a heavily tuned agent that runs procedures. Products like Fin are built to act inside your systems. A BYOK helpdesk is strongest at answering from your own documentation.
The bottom line
If the AI is answering a real share of your tickets, paying per answer means the bill grows exactly as the AI gets better. Bringing your own key turns that line into a few cents per answer, paid to the provider you picked. Compare Kerux side by side with Intercom, Zendesk, Help Scout and Freshdesk.