ADs uses your own AI key, so you pay the provider directly at their prices, usually cents.
Settings, AI Providers: add one or more providers for writing (copy) and for pictures. One key is enough to start. Under every provider, "How to get your key in 60 seconds" gives the exact steps with clickable links, what the key looks like, and a "Click here to get your key" button; then press Save AI providers and "Test this provider" on that card. ADs uses the cheapest working one first and falls back to the next if one fails. Groq, OpenRouter and Google Gemini have free tiers for writing; Cloudflare Workers AI is free for pictures; OpenAI is the strongest for pictures with words in them. Use Test after saving each key.
Settings, AI budget and spend:
- Set a monthly budget. Tick "Stop AI features when it is reached" for a hard stop.
- See the last 30 days by feature (ads, keywords, pictures, the analyst) and by provider.
- The Dashboard shows this month's AI spend next to your budget.
Picture costs are always shown before anything is made, and one picture cut to every size costs one picture.
If a provider refuses, you see the provider's own message, so you know whether it is the key, the credit or the model.