Get started
Set up Zumik in about five minutes
Zumik is one API key that works with every major AI model. You point your app or coding tool at it instead of at OpenAI, and it sends each request to whichever model can do that job for the least money. Here is the whole setup, step by step.
What Zumik is
A single API that connects your software to every major AI model - OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, xAI and more - through one key and one bill.
What it does for you
It picks a model per request instead of making you commit to one, reuses work you have already paid for, and shows you what each choice cost.
What it is not
Not a chat app, not a model of its own, and not a subscription. If you are looking for something to talk to in a browser, Zumik is not that.
The whole setup
Three steps, and only one of them touches your code.
Create an account
Sign up with email, Google, GitHub, or Microsoft. It takes about a minute and no payment method is needed yet.
Then open the API keys tab and click Create key. Copy the key that appears - it starts with zk_live_ and is only shown once. Treat it like a password.
Open the consoleAdd credits
Go to Billing and add credits. The minimum is $5, and that $5 buys real usage - there is no subscription and nothing recurring.
Credits are drawn down per request at the published price of whichever model answered. Unused credits stay on your balance. You can set a hard spending cap so you can never be surprised.
See what things costChange one setting
Wherever your app or coding tool currently points at OpenAI, point it at Zumik instead and use your Zumik key.
That is the whole integration. Zumik accepts the same requests OpenAI does and sends back the same responses, so nothing else in your setup has to change.
Jump to the setupStep 3, in detail
Point your tool at Zumik
Pick what you are using and copy the values. Every option below is the same three pieces of information in a different place: a URL, a key, and a model name.
VS Code extension
- 1Open Cline and click the settings gear.
- 2Set API Provider to "OpenAI Compatible".
- 3Paste the three values below into Base URL, API Key, and Model ID.
- 4Close settings and send a message. That is it.
https://api.zumik.ai/v1zk_live_…autoThe three values, wherever you need them
Different tools call these different things. The base URL may be labelled "API endpoint", "API base", or "custom URL". The model may be labelled "model ID". They are all the same three values.
Your key is a password. Keep it in an environment variable or your tool's secret store, never in code you commit or a screenshot you share. If one leaks, delete it in the console and make a new one - old keys stop working immediately.
https://api.zumik.ai/v1zk_live_…autoChoosing a model
You do not have to choose a model.
Put auto in the model field and Zumik decides per request. If you would rather steer it, these names bias the choice without pinning you to one provider. Any specific model from the catalog also works.
| Put this in the model field | Short version | Use it when |
|---|---|---|
auto | Start here. | Zumik picks the cheapest model that can handle the request well. Good for almost everything. |
auto.fast | Cheap and quick. | For simple work - short answers, classification, formatting, bulk jobs. |
auto.best | Quality first. | For work where a wrong answer costs more than the tokens do. |
code.fast | Small coding jobs. | Quick edits, renames, single-file changes. |
code.best | Hard coding jobs. | Multi-file refactors and long agent sessions. |
reasoning.best | Deep thinking. | Maths, proofs, planning, tricky debugging. |
Checking it worked
How to tell Zumik is handling your requests
You got an answer
The most reliable signal. If your tool replies normally, the request went through Zumik - nothing else is using that key.
Usage appears in the console
Open the Usage tab. Requests show up within a few seconds, with the model that answered and what it cost.
Your balance moves
Billing shows credits drawn down per request. A balance that never moves means requests are still going somewhere else.
When it does not work
The five things that actually go wrong
Zumik returns plain HTTP errors with a short reason. Match the reason to the row below.
| What you see | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
401 · invalid_api_key | Zumik does not recognise your key. | Check the key was copied whole and starts with zk_live_. Keys are shown once, so if you lost it, delete it in the console and make a new one. |
402 · credits_required | Your balance is empty. | Add credits in the Billing tab. Zumik has no free tier, so a brand-new account gets this on its first request until credits are loaded. |
404 · model_not_found | That model name is not one Zumik can route. | Check the spelling, or just use auto. The full list of valid names is on the models page. |
429 · quota_exceeded | You hit a spending cap you set. | Raise or remove the cap in Billing. This is your own limit, not a Zumik rate limit. |
Nothing happens / it hangs | The tool is probably still pointed at the old URL. | Confirm the base URL ends in /v1 - https://api.zumik.ai/v1 - and that you saved the settings. Some editors need a reload before a new provider takes effect. |
Still not working? Contact support with the error text and the tool you are using, or check status.zumik.ai to rule out an incident on our side.
After setup
Worth knowing once you are running
Set a spending cap
Pick a monthly ceiling and get alerts at 50%, 80% and 100%. Nothing can charge past it.
OpenSee where money goes
The console breaks spend down by model, provider, and API key so you can find the expensive path.
OpenCut the repeat cost
Agents re-send the same instructions constantly. Zumik can reuse that work instead of paying for it twice.
OpenBring your own keys
Already have provider accounts? Use them through Zumik and keep the provider billing relationship.
OpenLearn the vocabulary
Tokens, context windows, prompt caching, latency - defined in one sentence each.
OpenRead the API reference
Every endpoint, parameter, and SDK, with examples.
OpenQuestions
Answered without the jargon
What does Zumik actually do?
It sits between your app and the AI providers. You send it a request the same way you would send one to OpenAI; Zumik works out which model can do that job for the least money, sends it there, and returns the answer. You get one bill, one key, and one URL instead of an account with every provider.
Do I have to rewrite my code?
No. Zumik accepts the same requests and returns the same responses as the OpenAI API, so you change the base URL and the API key and nothing else. If your tool has an "OpenAI compatible" setting, that is the one to use.
Do I need to know which model to use?
No. Use the model name "auto" and Zumik chooses for you on each request. You can name a specific model any time you want to - "auto" is a convenience, not a restriction.
How much will it cost me?
You pay per request out of prepaid credits, at the published price of whichever model answered. There is no subscription, no seat fee, and no minimum monthly spend. The smallest top-up is $5, and you can set a hard cap so spend can never run away.
What happens to my prompts?
They are passed to the provider that answers the request and are not used to train anything. You can delete stored state at any time and get back a receipt showing what was removed. The privacy policy has the full detail.
Do I need my own provider accounts?
No. By default Zumik handles the provider accounts and you just pay for what you use. If you already have your own OpenAI or Anthropic keys you can bring them instead, and the provider bills you directly while Zumik charges a small routing fee.
Can I try it without paying?
You can create an account, look around the console, and run a free workload diagnostic without a payment method. Running actual requests needs credits, because every request costs Zumik real money at the provider.
Ready when you are
Create an account, add $5, and change one setting. If it turns out Zumik does not save you anything, you have spent five dollars and five minutes.