A lifetime plan is paid once and never renews. It runs on your own keys: you connect your own AI service, Firecrawl and DataForSEO accounts, and work on them uses no PixelClaw credits. Each service bills you directly at its own prices.
What runs on your own keys
Writing: research briefs, outlines, drafts, rewrites, translations and pictures run on your own AI key (OpenAI, Claude, Gemini, DeepSeek, MiniMax, Kimi or OpenRouter).
Research: topic research, competitor checks and monthly keyword checks run on your own Firecrawl key.
Search numbers: monthly Google search numbers for your keywords run on your own DataForSEO login.
How credits work on a lifetime plan
Credits that come with your lifetime plan are added once and never refill. Credit packs you buy never expire.
Credits run on PixelClaw's keys until they are used. When they run out, your own keys take over, as long as you have connected them.
To use your own keys first instead, open Settings, then Integrations, then Models & credits, and change how your own AI keys are used.
Free extras run only on your own keys
Other plans get these free on PixelClaw's keys. On a lifetime plan they run on your own keys:
The first AI review of each post. Without your own AI key, the first review uses credits like any later review.
The AI keyword pick when you start a post. Without your own AI key, keywords are ranked without AI.
AI tagging of published posts. Without your own AI key, posts are not tagged automatically. You can still add categories and tags yourself.
Monthly checks of your tracked keywords. Without your own Firecrawl key, tracked keywords are not checked each month. A check you start yourself still works with credits.
Search numbers. On PixelClaw's account they use credits. On your own DataForSEO login they are free.
Connect your keys
AI: open Settings, then Integrations, then AI providers. Choose a service, then paste your key. Each card links to the page where that service shows your key.
Firecrawl: open Settings, then Integrations, then Research & keywords. Paste your key on the Firecrawl card.
DataForSEO: on the same tab, paste your API login and API password on the DataForSEO card. Step by step: Connect your DataForSEO account for search numbers.
PixelClaw checks each key with its service, stores it encrypted and never shows it again. Only owners and admins of the blog can connect, replace or remove keys.
What PixelClaw still covers
Quality checks by Jev and the keyword intent labels.
Search across your Brand & knowledge sources.
Hosting your blog and its address, sending its sitemap to Google while it is on its PixelClaw address (a blog on its own domain sends it once from Analytics, under Google Search Console), and telling other search engines about new posts through IndexNow.
A paid plan on top
If you also subscribe to a monthly or yearly plan, that plan's credits and free extras apply while the subscription runs.