Quota and API keys

Am I on the free plan or Pro? Where do I check?

Click Settings in the left sidebar → General at the top → find the Plan & Models section:

• The small tag in the top-right corner of the section says Free or Pro.
• The banner below says "You're on the Free plan" or "You're on Pro".

Can I chat on the free plan without adding a key?

No. On the free plan, chat runs on your own API key; without a key you can't chat:

• Until you've added a key, the spot at the top-right of the chat page that normally shows the model name says Add API key. Clicking it takes you straight to Plan & Models in Settings.
• If you send a message at this point it is stopped: the model isn't called and you aren't charged. Chat shows a notice that starts with "Please add your own API key first: Settings → Plan & Models.", with an Add API key in Settings button below it.
• Once you add a key for a provider, you can use that provider's models (see "Where do I enter my own API key?" below). The other providers' models are greyed out in the menu, marked "Add a … key to use", and can't be picked.
• Image and video generation need your own key too. On the free plan you need your own key for the provider first: OpenAI or Doubao for images, MiniMax or Doubao for videos.
• Voice input is available to everyone and needs no key; what it costs counts toward the daily quota.

What is my daily quota, how much is left, and where do I see it?

• The daily quota covers the part that is paid for by the platform, counted in US dollars and reset at midnight. Models running on your own key don't use it.
• On the free plan, chat and agents run on your own key and never use the daily quota; the free plan's daily quota only covers voice input.
• On Pro the platform pays for the models, with a daily limit (US$20 a day by default; the admin can change it), also reset at midnight. If you reach the limit, chat tells you directly.
• There is currently no page for regular users to see detailed usage or billing.

What happens when my quota runs out?

On the free plan you chat on your own key, which isn't limited by the daily quota, so typed chat is never stopped because the quota ran out. The two cases that can run out are:

1. Voice input on the free plan: once it's used up you'll see "Voice input counts toward your daily free quota ($…/day), which is used up. It resets at midnight; Pro has a higher limit." It comes back at midnight; typed chat is not affected in the meantime.
2. Pro's platform-paid quota: once it's used up, a new message is not sent to the model and nothing is charged. Chat shows a notice such as "You've reached today's Pro limit on platform-paid usage ($…/day, resets at midnight). Add your own API key to keep going without a limit." It resets automatically at midnight.

About upgrading to Pro: there is an Upgrade to Pro button in Plan & Models, but right now it only shows "Pro upgrade is coming soon." You can't upgrade yourself on the page yet.

Where do I enter my own API key?

1. Click Settings in the left sidebar → General at the top → find the Plan & Models section.
2. Click Add your own API key (if you've already added one, the button becomes Add another key).
3. The Add API key window opens: first click a provider, then paste your key into the API key box. The providers you can currently pick are OpenAI, DeepSeek, MiniMax and Doubao — go by what the window lists. Providers you've already added are greyed out.
4. Click Save key. Once saved, that provider's models appear in the chat model menu straight away. Each model in the menu is tagged Strongest, Everyday or Fast; if you haven't picked a model yet, the default is that provider's Everyday one.

A few reminders:

• You get a key from each provider's own website/console.
• Don't paste keys into the chat box; always add them here. Saved keys are never shown in chat.
• If you're on Pro, this section doesn't show the add-key button.

How do I remove or replace a key?

In Plan & Models, each provider you've added a key for has its own row marked Connected. Click Remove on the right of that row to delete it.

To switch to a new key: click Remove first, then add it again as in the previous section (providers you've already added are greyed out in the add window, so you have to remove the old one first).

Keys you've added also appear in the list under Settings → Security → Vault Credentials.

When I use my own key, who pays?

When you use models from a provider you've added your own key for, you pay that provider from your own account with them. Alphie doesn't charge anything extra and it doesn't count toward your daily quota. Only the platform-paid part (voice input on the free plan, or Pro's platform models) uses up the daily quota.