<!-- Generated from providers.html. Do not edit by hand. -->

> Markdown twin of https://conduitllm.com/providers.html
> How to use OpenRouter, Anthropic, OpenAI, Gemini, DeepSeek and 12 more providers in Conduit with your own API key, or run local models with no key.

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1. [Conduit](https://conduitllm.com/)
2. Provider guides

Provider guides

# Your API key, *in a real desktop app*

Conduit is a free, open-source desktop AI client that talks to seventeen model providers with your own key, or to a model running on your own machine with no key at all. These guides cover one provider each: how to set it up, what it costs, which Conduit features work with it, and where it falls short.

## Guides

- [**OpenRouter**](https://conduitllm.com/providers/openrouter.html) — one key for hundreds of models from many companies, including models no chat subscription offers. Setup, the 5.5% credit fee, free-model limits, and web search billed to the same key. Checked 4 October 2026.
- [**DeepSeek**](https://conduitllm.com/providers/deepseek.html) — low-cost models that think before they answer. Setup, peak and off-peak prices, tools in thinking mode, where DeepSeek stores data, and what Conduit doesn't do with DeepSeek yet. Checked 4 October 2026.

More guides are on the way. Every provider below already works in Conduit, and the setup is the same for all of them.

## Set up any provider in four steps

1. Create an API key on the provider's website. Local providers (Ollama, LM Studio) need none.
2. In Conduit, open **Settings → Providers & keys** and pick the provider from the **Provider** list.
3. Paste the key into **Provider secret** and choose **Save provider key**. Conduit stores it in your operating system's keychain; the interface never sees it again.
4. Choose **Load models** and pick one from the **Model** list. Conduit lists whatever models the provider offers your key.

You can keep keys for several providers and switch between them mid-conversation with Ctrl+Shift+P (⌘+Shift+P on macOS), or pick any model from the model menu under the message box.

## Every provider Conduit supports

| Provider | What you need | Custom endpoint |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [OpenRouter](https://conduitllm.com/providers/openrouter.html) | API key | No |
| Anthropic | API key | Yes |
| OpenAI | API key | Yes |
| Google Gemini | API key | No |
| xAI | API key | Yes |
| [DeepSeek](https://conduitllm.com/providers/deepseek.html) | API key | No |
| Z.ai | API key | Yes |
| Moonshot AI | API key | Yes |
| Qwen | API key | Yes |
| Mistral | API key | No |
| Groq | API key | No |
| Together AI | API key | Yes |
| Fireworks AI | API key | Yes |
| OpenCode Zen | API key | No |
| Ollama | Ollama running on your machine; no key | Yes |
| LM Studio | LM Studio's server running; key optional | Yes |
| OpenAI Compatible | Any server that speaks the OpenAI API, such as vLLM or LiteLLM; key optional | Yes |

"Custom endpoint" means you can change the address Conduit sends requests to, for instance to route Anthropic or OpenAI traffic through a LiteLLM proxy. MiniMax has no provider of its own in Conduit; reach it through OpenRouter, OpenCode Zen, or an OpenAI-compatible endpoint.

## What Conduit adds, and what it doesn't

Conduit is free and open source (AGPL-3.0), with no account and no subscription. Requests go from your machine straight to the provider you picked; Conduit does not proxy them, resell tokens, or add anything to what the provider charges. What you get on top of the raw API is a desktop app: [MCP tools that ask before they act](https://conduitllm.com/use-cases/mcp-client.html), [answers cited from your own files](https://conduitllm.com/use-cases/chat-with-documents.html), runs you can steer while they work, and conversations stored on your own disk. Whether paying per token beats a monthly plan depends on how much you use it — the [API vs subscription calculator](https://conduitllm.com/api-vs-subscription.html) works it out from your own numbers.

[Download Conduit](https://github.com/runningpixels/conduit/releases)

Running models locally instead? See [local models with a real app around them](https://conduitllm.com/use-cases/local-llm.html). Weighing Conduit against another client? See [all comparisons](https://conduitllm.com/compare.html). Everything we publish is on the [resources page](https://conduitllm.com/resources.html).

The provider list and the custom-endpoint column match Conduit v1.0.0-rc.7 and are checkable in [the source](https://github.com/runningpixels/conduit). Found an error? [Tell us](https://github.com/runningpixels/conduit/discussions) and we will fix it.