[ SilentAPI Alternatives ]
The closest SilentAPI alternatives are NanoGPT and PayPerQ. Both have an API and take Monero, and neither needs an account. Neither runs on I2P, and SilentAPI is the only service here with private chat, an API, Monero, Tor, and I2P on one account. For free chat only, Duck.ai and Proton Lumo are fine, but they have no API.
What SilentAPI offers
- A private web chat and one OpenAI compatible key for 39 chat models and 81 services in total
- Signup with a username and password. No email, phone, or KYC
- Anonymized crypto payments, so your wallet can not be tied to your account, plus direct Monero deposits
- Website and API on Tor and I2P
- No stored prompts or outputs. The model providers do not see your IP address, and they can not link a request to your account
- Per key budgets and expiry dates, fallback routes, and a public status page
SilentAPI alternatives compared
| Feature | SilentAPI | OpenRouter | NanoGPT | PayPerQ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type | API and web chat | API and web chat | API and web chat | API and web chat |
| API | Yes. OpenAI, Anthropic, and Gemini request formats | Yes, OpenAI compatible | Yes, OpenAI compatible | Yes, OpenAI compatible |
| Models | 39 chat models, including GPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, DeepSeek, Qwen, Kimi, GLM, MiniMax, and Mistral | Hundreds of models, including closed models from OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google | 1,000+ models, including GPT, Claude, and Gemini | Text, image, video, and voice models from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Mistral, Meta, DeepSeek, and others |
| Other services | Image, video, speech, transcription, music, embeddings, OCR, vision, moderation, and IP and email lookups | Image, video, speech, embeddings, and reranking | Image, video, and audio | Image, video, and voice |
| Signup | Username and password. No email, no phone, no KYC | Account required | No account required (a generated user ID) | No signup required. Optional account |
| Payment | Crypto through NowPayments, or a direct Monero deposit. Payments are anonymized, so your wallet can not be tied to your account | Card, AliPay, and crypto | Crypto, including Nano and Monero, and card | Bitcoin, Lightning, Litecoin, Liquid, Monero, and card |
| Monero | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Pricing | Prepaid credits (1 credit = $0.01). Pay per request, no subscription | Provider prices, plus a 5.5% fee on card purchases ($0.80 minimum) and a 5% fee on crypto purchases | Text models at list price, with no deposit fees. Optional subscription | Pay per use. Optional web app plan |
| Prompt logging | SilentAPI does not keep your prompts or outputs. Providers do not see your IP address, and they can not link a request to your account. Many models use zero data retention routes | Request metadata is logged. Prompts are not logged unless you opt in. Zero data retention routing is available | Chats stay on your device by default. Zero data retention is best effort | No prompt logs. Usage is linked to a random ID. Encrypted hardware (TEE) option for chat |
| Tor and I2P | Yes. Website and API on Tor and I2P | No | Tor onion API. No I2P | No |
Sources: OpenRouter FAQ, OpenRouter privacy policy, OpenRouter terms, NanoGPT API and Tor, NanoGPT pricing, NanoGPT privacy, NanoGPT privacy guide, PayPerQ, PayPerQ privacy policy, PayPerQ TEE models.
More comparisons
| Feature | Venice.ai | Tinfoil | Duck.ai | Proton Lumo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type | API and web chat | API and web chat | Web chat | Web and app chat |
| API | Yes, OpenAI compatible | Yes, OpenAI compatible | No | No |
| Models | Private open models, and anonymized access to frontier models including Grok | Open models such as Kimi K3, GLM 5.3, DeepSeek V4.1 Flash, Gemma 4 31B, GPT-OSS 120B, and Llama 3.3 70B | Models from OpenAI, Anthropic, Mistral, and others. Advanced models with the DuckDuckGo subscription | Open source models in Proton data centers in Europe |
| Other services | Image, video, music, speech, embeddings, and web search | Speech, transcription, embeddings, and document processing | Chat only | Chat only |
| Signup | Account for the app and API keys. USDC wallet payments work without an account | Email, Google, or Apple account | None | None for the free tier. A Proton account saves encrypted history |
| Payment | Card, Bitcoin for plans, USDC wallet credits, and VVV or DIEM staking | Card through Stripe | Free. The DuckDuckGo subscription adds advanced models | Proton plans |
| Monero | No | No | No | No |
| Pricing | Free tier (10 text prompts per day), paid plans, and pay as you go API | Pay per token for the API. Private Chat costs $20 per month | Free with daily limits, or the DuckDuckGo subscription | Free tier, or Lumo Plus at 12.99 per month (9.99 per month on a yearly plan) |
| Prompt logging | Chats stay in your browser. Requests are relayed without being stored. Model provider policies apply | Prompts run in secure enclaves (TEE) and are not kept after the response | Chats are not stored or used for training. Providers delete data within 30 days, with limited exceptions | No logs policy. Saved chats use zero access encryption and are not used for training |
| Tor and I2P | No | No | No | No |
Sources: Venice.ai pricing, Venice.ai privacy, Venice.ai API docs, Tinfoil model catalog and prices, Tinfoil pricing, Tinfoil privacy policy, Tinfoil inference API, Duck.ai privacy help, Duck.ai privacy policy and terms, DuckDuckGo subscription, Lumo pricing, Lumo launch post, Lumo privacy.
The 7 main SilentAPI alternatives
1. OpenRouter
Best for the largest model catalog with card billing.
One API for hundreds of models. It needs an account and adds a 5.5% fee on card purchases and a 5% fee on crypto. No Monero.
2. NanoGPT
Best for the largest pay per use model list with no account.
Pay per use chat and API with 1,000+ models, no account, crypto and Monero payments, and an official Tor onion API.
3. PayPerQ
Best for pay per query with no signup and encrypted hardware chat.
Pay per query chat and API with Bitcoin, Lightning, Litecoin, and Monero payments, no signup, and chat in encrypted hardware (TEE).
4. Venice.ai
Best for a private consumer chat app with a free tier.
Private chat app and API. Chats stay in your browser, and requests are relayed without storage. It takes card, Bitcoin for plans, USDC wallet credits, and VVV staking, but not Monero.
5. Tinfoil
Best for open models in verifiable secure hardware, paid by card.
Private chat and an OpenAI compatible API that run open models in secure enclaves. Email or Google sign in, card only, and higher token prices than SilentAPI on shared models.
6. Duck.ai
Best for free private chat in the browser.
Free private chat by DuckDuckGo. Your IP address is removed before prompts reach the model provider. No public API.
7. Proton Lumo
Best for Proton users who want encrypted chat history.
Private chat by Proton with a no logs policy and zero access encryption. Open source models in European data centers. No public API.
How we compared
We compared each service on the points that matter for private AI chat and API use: signup, payment, Monero, logging, Tor and I2P access, and model range. We read each service's own pricing, privacy, terms, and documentation pages on October 6, 2026, and we link those pages under each table.
Found a fact that is out of date? Contact us.
Questions
What is the best SilentAPI alternative?
It depends on what you need. NanoGPT and PayPerQ are the closest, because both have an API and crypto payments and neither needs an account. For free chat without an API, Duck.ai and Proton Lumo are simple choices.
Which SilentAPI alternatives accept Monero?
NanoGPT and PayPerQ accept Monero. OpenRouter, Venice.ai, Tinfoil, Duck.ai, and Proton Lumo do not.
Which alternatives can I use over Tor?
NanoGPT has an official Tor onion API. SilentAPI has its website and API on Tor and on I2P. The other services do not have an onion or I2P address.