Sometimes I want a different AI model’s perspective, not another account, billing dashboard, or conversation that starts from zero.
I might be working through a product idea, refining a brief, or asking for a second opinion on a draft.
The task hasn’t changed. But switching tools can turn into its own task.
I’m KAT, co-founder of 123sudo. I work on product experience, creative direction, and growth, and I use our AI workspace, 9xchat, daily.
An older article I wrote focused heavily on token allowances and getting started without API keys. Looking back, I’d explain the problem differently now.
Getting access to a model is only the beginning. Keeping the work connected is the bigger challenge.
Access and continuity are different problems
There are several ways to use AI.
You can use a provider’s own app. You can work through an API. You can run a compatible model locally. Or you can use a workspace that brings multiple models together.
None of those approaches is automatically right for everyone.
For me, the friction appears when one piece of work stretches across several tools:
- The project background sits in one conversation.
- A useful draft sits in another.
- A decision is buried in chat history.
- A different model needs the same explanation again.
- Usage is spread across separate billing systems.
The problem isn’t having choices.
It’s the work required to move between them.
Why we’re building one workspace
9xchat brings multiple AI models, persistent memory, notes, and agentic workflows into one workspace.
The idea is straightforward: make it easier to continue the work when you change models or move to the next task.
For example, imagine you’re preparing a product brief:
- Explore the problem and audience.
- Draft a possible approach.
- Ask another model to challenge the assumptions.
- Save the decisions that matter.
- Continue with the next task using relevant context.
That’s an illustrative workflow, not a claim that switching models automatically improves the result.
A second answer can be useful. It can also repeat the first model’s mistakes.
I still need to evaluate the output.
API keys should be a choice, not the opening hurdle
Some people want to bring their own API keys. Others just want to start a conversation without setting up provider accounts first.
9xchat supports both approaches: bring your own keys, or use ours.
You don’t need to log in to try the app. Open it and start chatting.
That doesn’t mean usage is unlimited or free forever. It means the initial setup doesn’t have to begin with an API tutorial.
If you bring your own keys, provider pricing and billing still matter. If you use workspace credits, check the current usage information before starting a large task.
A token balance isn’t a context window
This is something I’d make much clearer than I did in my older article.
These are different concepts:
- Usage allowance or credits: what you can spend.
- Context window: how much information a model can handle in a request.
- Persistent memory: saved information that can support later conversations.
Having a token allowance doesn’t mean every model has a context window of that size.
And a large context window doesn’t mean a fixed amount of money buys the same amount of work across every model.
Costs depend on the model, input and output, and the type of task. Image generation and other operations may use different pricing units.
That’s why I wouldn’t promise that a particular balance lasts a certain number of weeks or produces a fixed number of images.
The useful question is what your actual workflow costs, not how impressive the token number sounds.
Memory should help, not become another pile of old information
Persistent memory matters to me because some context stays relevant across tasks:
- Which product we’re discussing.
- Who the audience is.
- Which decisions are confirmed.
- Which constraints the work must respect.
But not everything deserves to carry forward.
An abandoned idea shouldn’t quietly become a requirement. A temporary instruction shouldn’t become a permanent preference.
Memory is useful when the context is relevant and current.
It also doesn’t make model processing free. Depending on the implementation, remembered information may still become part of the input a model processes.
I think of memory as a continuity feature, not a guaranteed cost-saving mechanism.
Cloud and local models need an honest distinction
“One workspace” doesn’t mean “one data path.”
When you choose a cloud model, your prompt and the attachments you send go to that model’s service for processing.
A model running on your own machine can provide a different processing path. But connected tools and other actions may still involve external services.
Before using confidential material, check the relevant settings and policies for the model and tools involved.
I wouldn’t treat the word “local” or “private” as a substitute for understanding what a specific task sends and where.
What I’d check before adopting any AI workspace
Whether you’re considering 9xchat or another tool, I’d start with these questions:
- Model access: Does it support the models you actually need?
- Context: Can you understand and manage what carries into later tasks?
- Costs: Can you see how usage is charged?
- Data handling: What stays on your device, and what goes elsewhere?
- Actions: What can connected tools do, and what controls apply?
- Workflow fit: Does it reduce steps in your real work, or just add another interface?
You don’t need every feature.
You need the combination that makes your recurring work easier to manage.
The goal isn’t collecting more models
It’s being able to use the right tools without rebuilding the workspace around every task.
That’s the direction we’re taking with 9xchat.
Not a promise that one interface eliminates every trade-off. Not a claim that every model is equally suitable.
Just a practical goal: less setup, clearer usage, and better continuity.
Disclosure: I’m a co-founder of 123sudo, the team behind 9xchat. This is a product perspective, not an independent review.
AI helped structure and draft this article.
Explore 9xchat through 123sudo.
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