Use your own AI key

The only form builder where you own the AI

Generate forms using your own ChatGPT, Gemini, or Claude API key. Zero hidden AI costs. Zero data retention. Full provider choice. Use Gemini's free tier and pay $0 for AI form generation — forever.

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Why BYOK matters

What you get with BYOK

Bring your own API key and keep full control over cost, privacy, and provider choice.

Zero hidden AI costs

We never charge an "AI fee" on top of your plan. You use your own API key and pay your provider directly — often cents per month, or free with Gemini.

Zero-trust privacy

Your API key is never stored on our servers. It lives in your browser session only. Your form prompts go directly to your chosen AI provider — we never see them.

No vendor lock-in

Switch providers anytime. Start with Gemini free tier, upgrade to GPT-4o when you need it. Your forms aren't tied to our AI infrastructure.

Instant form generation

Describe the form in plain English — "Volunteer application for a food bank with background check consent" — and get a complete form in seconds.

How it works

How to generate forms with AI in 4 steps

1

Get a free API key

Sign up at Google AI Studio (free), OpenAI, or Anthropic. Copy your API key.

2

Paste it in formwhale

Open the AI Generate tab in our form builder. Paste your key — it stays in your browser, never our servers.

3

Describe your form

Type what you need: "Church youth retreat registration with emergency contacts and medical consent." Hit generate.

4

Edit and publish

Your form is ready in seconds. Drag, drop, tweak fields, then publish with one click.

Choose your AI provider

Switch providers anytime. No re-configuration required.

OpenAI / ChatGPT
Pay-as-you-go (~$0.01 per form)
Google Gemini
Free tier available (60 req/min)
Anthropic Claude
Pay-as-you-go (~$0.005 per form)

The honest comparison

Typeform AI costs $99/month. Ours costs $0.

Typeform's AI features are locked behind their Enterprise plan at $99+/month. They use their own AI — you don't control which model, and your data goes through their pipeline. formwhale BYOK lets you use Google Gemini's free tier for completely free AI form generation, with your data going directly to Google — never through us.

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Frequently asked questions

Is my API key stored on formwhale servers?
No. Your API key is saved in your browser's localStorage only. It is never transmitted to or stored on formwhale servers. You can clear it at any time from the AI Keys settings panel in the builder.
Is Google Gemini really free?
Yes. Google AI Studio offers a free tier for Gemini with generous rate limits (60 requests per minute). For a small nonprofit generating a few dozen forms per month, this is genuinely $0.
Does my form content go through formwhale when I use BYOK?
No. When you use BYOK, your form generation prompt is sent directly from your browser to your chosen AI provider. formwhale's servers are not in the request path.
Can I switch AI providers later?
Yes, anytime. Just paste a different API key in the AI Generate tab. All your previously created forms are unaffected.
Does this work on formwhale's free plan?
Yes. BYOK AI form generation is available on all formwhale plans, including free. You pay your AI provider (or nothing, with Gemini free tier) — not us.

Generate your first form with AI — free

Bring your own Gemini, ChatGPT, or Claude key. No credit card required.

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