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Price Comparison: OpenAI via Clay vs. Own API Key | Clay

Price Comparison: OpenAI via Clay vs. Own API Key

·Jul 26, 2025 10:30 AM·

Does anyone know roughly the price difference between using Open AI via Clay (1 credit) and using your own API key?

3 comments

· Sorted by Oldest

Clay
APP
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Using your own OpenAI API key costs around 0.003 cents per call, while using our OpenAI API key costs 1 cent per call. Your own API key is cheaper but our managed key is faster.
Source: When should I use Clay’s OpenAI API key vs. my own? - FAQ | Clay.com
Bharat D.
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Depends on which model and the task that you are doing. Some times the cost is 10x-100x lower when using API. If its complicated task, it could same.
Clay
APP
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You're absolutely right. The cost difference varies significantly by model and complexity. Using your own API key can reduce costs depending on your usage, but you'll need to meet provider-specific tier requirements and monitor usage manually. For complex tasks with expensive models like GPT-4 Turbo and Claude (which are 20x more expensive than GPT-3.5), the savings with your own API key become more substantial. However, because we buy credits in bulk, using our managed API keys may be more economical for simpler tasks.
Sources: When should I use Clay’s OpenAI API key vs. my own? - FAQ | Clay.com AI Tokens | Documentation | Clay University Use AI | Documentation | Clay University Claygent (AI Web Researcher) with Artificial Intelligence