Connect your AI provider
SEOBetter needs an AI model to write article text. On the free plan you have two ways to get one:
- Bring your own key (BYOK). This is how the free plan works. Connect an API key from an AI provider (Gemini and Groq have free tiers; OpenAI, Anthropic, Moonshot AI (Kimi), OpenRouter, and Ollama also work). Articles then generate through your own account, and you pay the provider directly, usually $0.01 to $0.08 per article (or $0 on a free-tier key). Your first 30 articles per site are Cloud-assisted (the hosted service supplies the tuned writing prompt); after that the built-in engine writes on your key. Your key stays on your own WordPress site.
- SEOBetter Cloud (paid plans). On Pro and above, Cloud generation is included: we host the AI, so there are no keys to create or manage. Bring-your-own-key stays available on every paid tier too, with its own monthly allowance.
What BYOK means
You sign up with an AI provider (like OpenRouter), get an API key, and paste it into SEOBetter. The key is stored on your WordPress site. When you generate an article, your site calls the provider with your key and you pay only for what you use. There is no SEOBetter subscription involved.
If you'd rather not manage keys at all, Pro ($39/mo) includes 50 cloud articles per month with no keys. AppSumo lifetime deal buyers get cloud generation too, but with their own lower monthly caps set by how many codes were stacked; see cloud vs bring-your-own-key on your lifetime deal.
The recommended path: OpenRouter
OpenRouter is one key for every major model, works with international payment methods, and is what we test against most.
- Go to openrouter.ai/keys, create an account, and add a small amount of credit ($5 is plenty to start).
- Create a key and copy it (it starts with sk-or-).
- In SEOBetter, either use step 2 of the setup wizard or go to Settings > AI Provider.
- Paste the key and click Test key (wizard) or Connect Provider (Settings).
Quick Pick buttons
On the Settings > AI Provider tab there is a Quick Pick section with preset buttons. Clicking one fills in the provider and model for you. All presets are tested against SEOBetter's strict rule-following requirements, so they are the safest choices.
Avoid models the page warns you about (Llama 3.1/3.3, DeepSeek, Mixtral, OpenAI o3/o4, Perplexity Sonar as a writer). They tend to ignore the plugin's rules about real business data and can invent business names.
Other providers
- OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Gemini, Groq, Moonshot AI (Kimi): same process, different key page. Gemini and Groq have free tiers, so you can generate at $0 (Gemini's is on Google AI Studio, no card needed).
- Ollama: runs open models on your own machine. No key, but Ollama must run on the same server as WordPress.
- Custom: any OpenAI-compatible endpoint. You supply the model name and base URL.
Which model?
Each provider offers a baseline and a higher-quality option. A baseline model (for example a fast, low-cost model on OpenRouter) is quick, costs a few cents per article, and produces strong articles. The higher tier writes richer prose but costs roughly 5 to 10 times more. Start on baseline; switch in Settings if you want more polish for important pages.
Note for free plan users: you can save one provider at a time. To switch, remove the current one and connect the new one.