Many AI apps bundle model access into a recurring subscription. Scowld takes the opposite approach: the app is free and open source, while you connect the AI and voice providers you already want to use.
What BYOK means here
Bring your own key means Scowld does not sell a pool of AI usage. You add a key from a supported provider, choose a model and the app makes the request directly from your device.
The same idea applies across the stack. You can independently choose an AI chat provider, speech-to-text provider and text-to-speech provider instead of being locked into one bundled service.
Where the keys and chats live
Provider keys are stored in iOS Keychain. Chat history is stored locally on the device. Scowld has no intermediary backend that receives or stores those keys or conversations. Removing a key or deleting the app removes that local access.
The trade-off
BYOK asks for a little setup: you need a provider account and API key. In return, you can switch models, see the provider's own usage and pricing, and stop access by deleting the key. For light personal use, usage-based provider billing can also be less expensive than another flat subscription.
Why open source matters
Privacy claims are more useful when they can be inspected. Scowld is released under the MIT License, so its storage and networking behavior can be reviewed directly.
- App Store: https://apps.apple.com/app/id6760672848
- Source code: https://github.com/apoorvdarshan/scowld
- BYOK explainer: https://scowld.xyz/blog/bring-your-own-key-ai-app
If you use different providers for chat, transcription and speech, I would be interested to hear which combination works best for you.
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