How to set up your own API keys in Orbit
Orbit agents run on your own API keys, not Orbit credits. You add an AI model key, plus optional keys for prospecting and voice, and the providers bill you directly at cost with zero markup from Orbit. For a solo user, that is usually cents to a few dollars a month. Here is how to add keys and which agents use which.
Why does Orbit make you bring your own keys?
Most AI tools wrap your usage in credits and mark up every action. You never see the real cost. Orbit flips that: you plug in your own provider keys, the provider charges you directly, and Orbit takes no cut. The honest version of pay-per-use.
For a one-person business, the math is small. The agents do focused jobs, so they sip tokens rather than guzzle them. Most solo users land between a few cents and a few dollars a month across everything.
This is the engine behind the free-forever plan. All 16 agents are on the free tier because you supply the fuel. That is what makes Orbit work for solopreneurs who do not want a per-seat subscription on top of model costs.
How do I add my API keys?
You only need one key to start. Add the others when you turn on the agents that use them.
- 1Open Settings and find the API Keys or Integrations section.
- 2Add your AI model key first. This powers the drafting, summarizing, and reasoning that most agents rely on. It is the only key you strictly need.
- 3Add a Firecrawl or Apify key if you want the prospecting and research agents to pull data from the web. Optional, and only used when those agents run.
- 4Add a YouTube key if you want Kai to watch YouTube for buying signals, alongside Reddit and LinkedIn.
- 5Add a Vapi key and connect your own phone number if you want the voice agents, Remy, Dex, and Piper, to make and answer calls. Voice is off by default.
- 6Save. Each agent now draws on the key it needs, and your provider bills you directly for what it uses.
Which agents use which key?
- AI model key: nearly all agents. Tess, June, Wes, Theo, Ava, Sam, Noa, Mia, Rio, and more use it to draft, summarize, and reason.
- Firecrawl or Apify key: the FIND agents. Niko, Ivy, and Kai use it to prospect, enrich, and watch for signals on the web.
- YouTube key: Kai only, to add YouTube to the channels it monitors for buying signals.
- Vapi key plus your phone number: the voice agents. Remy answers and calls back, Dex runs cold-call lists, Piper makes follow-up calls. All optional and off until you turn them on.
Cheapest combo that runs all 16 well in 2026: one good mid-tier AI model key handles every text agent for cents a month. Add Firecrawl only if you prospect, and Vapi only if you want calls. Start with the model key alone and grow into the rest.
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Frequently asked questions
How much do Orbit AI agents cost to run?+
You pay your providers directly at cost, with no markup from Orbit. For a solo user the agents are light, so most people spend somewhere between a few cents and a few dollars a month across everything. Voice calls cost more than text, but they are off by default until you turn them on.
Which API key do I need to start with Orbit?+
Just an AI model key. That single key powers the drafting, summarizing, and reasoning that nearly every text agent relies on. Add a Firecrawl or Apify key later if you want web prospecting, and a Vapi key plus a phone number if you want voice. The model key alone gets you most of the value.
Are all 16 agents really free on Orbit?+
Yes. The free-forever plan includes all 16 agents. It works because you bring your own API keys, so the model and tool costs go straight to your providers instead of through Orbit. Orbit never marks up that usage. Sync, MCP, and webhooks are the features reserved for the upcoming Pro plan.
Does Orbit mark up my API usage?+
No. Your providers bill you directly for exactly what the agents use, at their list prices. Orbit takes no cut of model or tool usage. That is the point of the bring-your-own-keys model: you see and pay the real cost, with no hidden credit markup in between.
Do I need a Vapi key to use Orbit?+
No. Vapi is only for the voice agents, Remy, Dex, and Piper, which are off by default. If you never turn on voice, you never need Vapi. The text agents, the CRM, and the prospecting agents all run without it. Add Vapi only when you want Orbit to make or answer calls on your own number.
Plug in one key, run a whole team
All 16 agents on the free plan, billed at cost by your own providers. Free plan, no credit card.
Free forever plan. No credit card. No spam.