October 6, 2025
You're paying for ChatGPT Plus. Or Claude Pro. Or Google AI Pro. Maybe all three. You think you're getting premium AI access.
You're not. You're getting scammed.
Here's what you're actually paying for: a subscription business model that needs to extract maximum revenue from you while giving you the minimum access necessary to keep you subscribed.
Let me show you the better way: using API keys directly with OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google AI Studio.
What Even Are API Keys?
API keys are how developers access AI models directly. Instead of using ChatGPT's consumer interface, you connect straight to the provider's API and pay only for what you use.
Think of it like this:
- Consumer apps (ChatGPT Plus, Claude Pro, Google AI Pro): You pay a monthly subscription to use their interface, which connects to their API on your behalf. They control everything. You get what they give you.
- API keys: You pay the provider directly per token. No middleman. No markup. No artificial limits. You get flagship models at cost.
The best part? Most people spend $2-10/month on API usage. A fraction of subscription costs.
Direct API access. Add your OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google AI Studio keys. Pay them directly. No middleman markup. No subscription rent-seeking.
Why API Keys Beat Consumer Apps
1. You Pay Way Less
Consumer apps charge monthly subscriptions whether you use them once or a thousand times.
API access: You pay per token. Here's real pricing:
- GPT-5: ~$0.02 per 1,000 tokens
- GPT-5 Turbo: ~$0.01 per 1,000 tokens
- Claude Sonnet 4.5: ~$0.003 per 1,000 input tokens, ~$0.015 per 1,000 output tokens
- Gemini 2.5 Flash: ~$0.0003 per 1,000 input tokens, ~$0.0025 per 1,000 output tokens
A typical conversation might be 5,000-10,000 tokens total. That's $0.10-0.20 per conversation.
Most people spend $2-10/month with normal usage. Power users might hit $15-20/month, but that's with usage that would hit artificial limits constantly on consumer apps.
I tracked my usage for a month using Cumbersome (which shows real-time costs): Much less than the monthly cost of a subscription. The difference is absurd.
2. You Get Better Models
Consumer apps secretly route to cheaper models to manage costs. ChatGPT Plus claims you're using GPT-5, but during peak times or when you hit vague "usage limits," they route to GPT-5 Turbo or older versions.
With direct API access, you pick the exact model. GPT-5? You get GPT-5. Claude Sonnet 4.5? You get Claude Sonnet 4.5. Gemini 2.5 Pro? You get Gemini 2.5 Pro. No bait and switch.
Choose any model from OpenAI, Anthropic, or Google. What you pick is what you get. No secret routing to cheaper versions.
3. No Artificial Usage Limits
ChatGPT Plus limits you to ~40 messages per 3 hours with GPT-5. Claude Pro and Google AI Pro have similar vague limits that change based on "demand."
These limits don't exist to protect server capacity. They exist to protect subscription margins. If heavy users could use unlimited flagship models, the providers would lose money on their subscription plans.
With API keys, there are no message limits. You pay per token, so there's no reason to restrict you. Want to process 100 documents? Go ahead. Want to have a 500-message conversation? Your call. The only limit is your budget.
4. Full Technical Control
Consumer apps hide parameters to keep interfaces "simple." You can't adjust temperature, top-p, frequency penalty, or max tokens. You get what they give you.
With API access, you control everything:
- Temperature (creativity vs consistency)
- Max tokens per response
- Frequency and presence penalties
- Custom system prompts
- Streaming vs batch responses
This is the same control developers get. You're not treated like a child who can't handle "advanced" settings.
5. You Can Use Multiple Models Without Multiple Subscriptions
Want to try GPT-5 for creative writing, Claude for analysis, and Gemini for fast responses?
- Consumer route: Monthly subscriptions for ChatGPT Plus + Claude Pro + Google AI Pro. Multiple recurring charges.
- API route: Add keys for each provider. Pay only for tokens you actually use across all three. Total cost: still $2-10/month for most people.
Switch models mid-conversation. Compare responses. Use the best model for each task. No need to maintain multiple monthly subscriptions.
Every model from OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google in one app. Switch mid-conversation. Compare responses. Pay only for what you actually use.
But I'm Not a Developer...
You don't need to be. Getting API keys takes 5 minutes and requires zero coding knowledge.
And once you have them, you get access to features like Face/Off Mode that generate multiple responses and pick the best one automatically.
Here's exactly how to do it:
How to Get OpenAI API Keys (Step-by-Step)
Step 1: Create an OpenAI Account
Go to https://auth.openai.com/create-account
Sign up with email or Google. This is NOT a ChatGPT account. This is a developer account that gives you API access.
Step 2: Add a Payment Method
OpenAI requires a payment method for API access. This is pay-as-you-go billing. You're charged only for what you use.
Go to https://platform.openai.com/settings/organization/billing
Add a credit card. Set a spending limit if you're worried about costs (e.g., $10/month max).
Step 3: Create an API Key
Go to https://platform.openai.com/settings/organization/api-keys
Click "Create new secret key."
Give it a name (e.g., "My iPhone").
Copy the key. You'll only see it once. Store it somewhere safe temporarily (you'll enter it in the app next).
Step 4 (Optional): Enable Streaming
This isn't required, but it makes responses appear word-by-word instead of all at once (much better UX).
Go to https://platform.openai.com/settings/organization/general
Find the "Verify your organization" option and complete verification. This typically requires a phone number and maybe a $5 initial credit purchase.
Once verified, streaming works automatically.
How to Get Anthropic API Keys (Step-by-Step)
Step 1: Create an Anthropic Account
Go to https://console.anthropic.com/login
Sign up with email. This gets you access to the Anthropic Console and API.
Step 2: Add a Payment Method
Like OpenAI, Anthropic and Google AI Studio use pay-as-you-go billing.
Go to https://console.anthropic.com/settings/billing
Add a credit card. Anthropic might give you some free credits to test with.
Step 3: Create an API Key
Go to https://console.anthropic.com/settings/keys
Click "Create Key."
Copy the key. Store it somewhere safe temporarily.
How to Get Google AI Studio API Keys (Step-by-Step)
Step 1: Create a Google Account
Go to https://aistudio.google.com/
Sign in with your Google account. This gives you access to Google AI Studio and the Gemini API.
Step 2: Enable Billing
Google AI Studio requires billing for API access beyond free tier limits.
Go to https://console.cloud.google.com/billing
Set up a billing account. Google uses pay-as-you-go pricing. Gemini models are extremely cost-effective, often 10-100x cheaper than OpenAI or Anthropic for many tasks.
Step 3: Create an API Key
Go to https://aistudio.google.com/apikey
Click "Get API key" or "Create API key."
Copy the key. Store it somewhere safe temporarily.
Now What? How Do I Actually Use These Keys?
You need an app that supports direct API access. You've got a few options:
- OpenAI Playground / Claude Console / Google AI Studio: Free browser tools. Decent for testing, but browser-only. No mobile app. No cross-device sync.
- Build your own: If you're a developer, you can build a custom interface. Most people don't want to do this.
- Use Cumbersome: Native iPhone, iPad, and Mac app that supports your OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google AI Studio API keys directly.
Cumbersome is built specifically for this use case. It's 100% free. You add your keys, and the app connects directly to the providers on your behalf.
Settings → API Keys. Add your OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google AI Studio keys. The app connects directly to their APIs. Your conversations never pass through our servers. We don't see your data. We're completely out of the money flow.
What About Privacy?
This is actually where API keys are dramatically better than consumer apps.
With ChatGPT Plus, Claude Pro, or Google AI Pro: Your conversations go to their servers. They store them. They promise not to train on your data (maybe), but they still have access to everything you've ever typed.
With API keys in Cumbersome: Your device connects directly to OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google AI Studio. Your conversations sync via your personal iCloud account, not our servers. We literally cannot see your data because it never passes through our infrastructure.
This isn't a privacy policy promise. It's architectural. We don't have a backend database. We can't see your conversations even if we wanted to.
iPhone, iPad, Mac. Your conversations sync via your personal iCloud account. API keys sync via iCloud Keychain. We never see your data. Privacy by architecture, not by policy.
But What If I Use It A LOT?
Even power users typically spend $10-20/month. Consumer apps would limit you WAY before you hit this usage. You'd be constantly hitting artificial message limits.
With API access, you pay for what you use. And if you're worried about runaway costs, you can set spending limits in OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google AI Studio's dashboards.
What About API Rate Limits?
APIs do have rate limits. These cap how many requests you can make per minute or how many tokens you can process per day. New accounts start with aggressive limits.
Here's what matters: these limits loosen automatically over time. As you use the API and spend money, providers increase your tier. After a few weeks of normal usage, most individual users have limits high enough that they never think about them.
This is the opposite of consumer app limits. ChatGPT Plus limits you the same whether you've been paying for a month or three years. Those limits exist to protect margins, not manage capacity. API rate limits exist to prevent abuse and scale with trusted users.
Your first week might feel constrained if you're a heavy user. But the limits fade as you build history with the provider.
The Real Reason Consumer Apps Exist
AI providers make WAY more money from subscriptions than from API usage.
Think about it: Most consumer app users pay monthly but use only a fraction of that in actual API tokens. That's a massive markup, plus the providers control the experience, own the relationship, and can upsell you to "teams" or "enterprise" plans.
The entire consumer app model is designed to extract maximum revenue while giving minimum access. They're not trying to give you the best AI experience. They're trying to maximize ARPU (average revenue per user).
API keys flip the script. You pay only for what you use. No markup. No artificial limits. No subscription rent-seeking.
Who Should Use API Keys Instead of Consumer Apps?
Honestly? Almost everyone who currently pays for ChatGPT Plus, Claude Pro, or Google AI Pro.
This is perfect for:
- Anyone paying monthly subscriptions for ChatGPT Plus, Claude Pro, or Google AI Pro (you'll save big)
- Power users hitting usage limits on consumer apps (no limits with API access)
- People who care about privacy (your data never goes through third-party servers)
- Multi-model users who want to try different AI models without multiple subscriptions
- Anyone who likes transparency over black-box interfaces
The only people who should stick with consumer apps:
- You don't want to manage API keys (fair)
- You genuinely use AI so much that subscriptions are cheaper than your token usage (rare, and you'd hit usage limits anyway)
Try It
Get Cumbersome for iPhone, iPad, or Mac. It's 100% free. Add your API keys. Start paying way less for better AI access.
Or keep paying monthly subscriptions for artificial limits and watered-down models. Your call.
Bless up! 🙏✨