You can pay with credits for models from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, DeepSeek, xAI, Moonshot AI, Z.ai, and other built-in providers. Availability is per model; the model catalog shows which providers support it. For providers that require your own credentials, bring your own provider key.
What you’ll need
- An ngrok account.
- An access key from app.ngrok.ai.
- Credits in your AI Gateway account.
Create an access key
Create an access key in app.ngrok.ai. Use this key as the API key in your SDK. The access key authenticates your application to the gateway. It is different from a provider key, which authenticates the gateway to an upstream provider.Call a supported OpenAI model
Call a supported Anthropic model
How billing works
When you pay with credits, credits cover:- The upstream model cost.
- Hosted tools the provider bills, such as web search, code execution, and image generation.
- The AI Gateway processing fee.
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For providers or models you can’t pay for with credits, or when you want usage billed directly by the provider, bring your own provider key.
When to bring your own key instead
Bring your own provider key when:- You already have a provider account.
- You want usage billed directly by the provider.
- You have negotiated provider pricing.
- You need a provider or model that requires your own credentials.
Next steps
- Credits: Learn how credits work
- Choose a model: Choose model IDs and provider-qualified models
- Bring your own provider key: Use your own upstream provider credentials