Zilla routes every image, video, and audio generation through your own kie.ai / fal.ai keys — at cost. Runs local, saves instantly, drives from any AI agent over MCP. One flat $9/mo. No per-generation tax.
We were spending $3,000/mo on AI creatives. Then we did the math.
Half on Higgsfield, half raw on kie.ai + fal.ai. When Higgsfield's MCP launched we were about to move everything over — genuinely great product. So we calculated the bill first.
same usage, on higgsfield
$6,000+/mo
To get $3,000 of raw generation through a credit reseller, you pay roughly double. The markup is invisible until you're at volume — then it's the biggest line on the invoice.
same usage, on zilla
$3,009/mo
Your raw API spend, untouched, plus one $9 subscription. We built our own router with zero markup — so we keep the 2× and you do too. ~$3,000/mo saved.
Honest caveat: this isn't for everyone. If you're making sub-100 creatives a month, just use Higgsfield — their bundled plans are simpler and the savings won't cover Zilla's $9. But if you push volume, run the calculator below.
setup takes 2 minutes
Four steps. No backend, no markup, no lock-in.
01
Download the app
Runs local. Generations save straight to your machine, instantly. No cloud round-trip, no bloat, no account wall.
02
Bring your own keys
Paste your kie.ai / fal.ai keys — or whatever's cheapest this week. You pay the API directly, at cost. We never touch your spend.
03
Connect any AI agent
A local MCP server exposes every model as a tool. Drive generation, editing, and renders straight from Claude or any MCP client.
04
Track raw spend in one place
Every generation logged with its true cost — manual vs MCP, per day, per model. Know exactly what you're spending, to the cent.
do the math
How much would you actually save?
Drag your real monthly volume. We compute raw API cost from live kie.ai/fal.ai rates, compare it to a credit reseller's ~2× markup, and add Zilla's flat $9. Every assumption is editable — be skeptical.
your monthly volume
AI images / month≈ flux pro, seedream, nano banana
800
AI video clips / month≈ 8s each · kling, veo, sora, seedance
150
assumptions — edit anything
$
$
×
$/mo
Your raw API spendbyok · what the model actually costs
$128/mo
On a reseller (~2×)raw × markup
$256/mo
On Zillaraw + $9 flat
$137/mo
you save with zilla
$119/mo
that's $1,428 a year back in your pocket
You're well past break-even. At this volume, BYOK + $9 beats paying a markup on every generation.
what's inside
A full creative studio — that happens to be local and honest.
37 frontier models
Image, video, and audio in one composer — Flux, Nano Banana 2, Seedream, Veo 3.1, Sora 2, Kling 3.0, Seedance, ElevenLabs, Suno, and more. Star your favourites.
Local MCP server
Every model exposed as an agent tool. Generate, upscale, assign to projects and render compositions directly from Claude or any MCP client — no copy-paste.
Runs entirely local
The app is the backend. Generations land on disk the moment they finish — no cloud library, no upload, no waiting. Your assets never leave your machine.
Projects & library
Organise generations into nested projects, drag any output back in as a reference, and keep a searchable gallery of everything you've made.
Built-in video editor
Stitch clips, images, text and audio on a real timeline — then render. JSON-backed compositions mean your AI agent can edit the cut too.
coming soon
Honest cost tracking
A live usage breakdown — per day, per model, manual vs MCP — priced at the real rate. No credits, no funny money. You always know the true number.
the fair question
Why not just use the raw API key?
You can — the keys are yours, that's the whole point. But a key is an endpoint, not an app. The $9 isn't a tax on your generations — you pay those at cost, direct. It's for everything the raw key doesn't give you. There are really three ways to buy AI creatives:
the diy path
Raw API keys
$0 markup · endless setup
Zero markup — you pay providers direct
No app — it's curl & JSON, every call
Every model = its own endpoint, auth & async polling
No library, projects or cost tracking
No MCP — your agent can't drive it
Real cost = $0 + the app you'd have to build and maintain yourself.
the easy path
Reseller (Higgsfield)
~2× markup · zero setup
Polished app + MCP out of the box
Nothing to set up or maintain
~2× markup baked into every generation
Cost scales against you at volume
Locked to their lineup & their rates
Easiest to start — the most expensive line on your invoice once you scale.
raw price + the app
Zilla
$9/mo flat · zero markup
Your key, your price — zero markup, ever
37 models, one composer, one cost view
Local library, projects & true cost tracking
Built-in MCP — any agent drives it
Swap keys to whatever's cheapest — no rewrites
You keep the markup the reseller would take. We charge $9 for the software, not the pixels.
Being honest: if you're a dev pushing low volume, raw keys plus a script is genuinely fine — we mean that. Zilla earns its $9 the second you want a real interface, a searchable library, or your AI agent generating on its own.
be honest with yourself
"I could just build this myself."
Yeah. You could — it's a router, not magic. But "just building it" means owning every one of these, forever:
37 model adapters that change weeklyasync job polling, retries & failuresa local MCP servera gallery, projects & a databasereal-time cost trackinga render & video pipelinemacOS + Windows packagingupdates, bugs & support — forever
Or pay $9/mo and it already works — today. Your weekend's worth more than nine dollars. 🤷
Most studios put their whole team on a reseller — and pay its markup on every seat's output. That 2× compounds across everyone. Zilla teams pool one set of keys: a shared library, per-member spend visibility, one pooled bill, zero markup. The bigger the team, the more obscene the tax you skip.
zilla.studio
Team
preview
team spend · this month
$4,010
active members
5 / 10 seats
saved vs reseller markup
+$4,010
memberrolespend · this month
TMToby M.toby@studio.com
owner
$1,240
SKSarah K.sarah@studio.com
admin
$980
MLMarcus L.marcus@studio.com
member
$760
PRPriya R.priya@studio.com
member
$620
JTJordan T.jordan@studio.com
member
$410
+invite pendingalex@studio.com
member
—
Invite member
pooled balance · $1,840
Roles & permissions
Owner, admin and member seats. Control who can manage keys, invite people, and touch billing — everyone else just creates.
Pooled spend, per seat
One set of keys, one bill — but see exactly what every member spent, by day and by model. The same honest cost tracking, team-wide.
Shared library & projects
Every generation lands in one workspace. Pick up where a teammate left off, reuse references, and keep the whole studio's output in one place.
pricing
One price. The markup is yours to keep.
zilla — everything
$9/ month
Flat, recurring. You bring the API keys and pay providers directly — at cost, zero markup.
no card to try the app · keys stay on your machine
faq
Questions, answered.
Is it really zero markup?
Yes. You connect your own kie.ai / fal.ai keys and pay those providers directly, at their list price. Zilla never sits between you and the bill. The only thing you pay us is the flat $9/mo for the app.
Then how do you make money at $9/mo?
The $9 is for the software, not the compute. Because we're not reselling generations, we don't need a margin on your usage — we just need enough subscribers to cover building and maintaining the app. Incentives stay aligned: we win when the app is good, not when you spend more.
What do I need to get started?
A kie.ai or fal.ai API key (whichever's cheapest for the models you want), the Zilla app, and about 2 minutes. Paste the key, optionally connect your AI agent over MCP, and you're generating.
Do my API keys or images ever leave my machine?
No. Zilla runs locally — keys are stored on your device and every generation saves straight to your disk. There's no Zilla cloud sitting in the middle of your work.
Which AI agents can drive it?
Anything that speaks MCP. Zilla runs a local MCP server that exposes every model as a tool, so Claude — or any other MCP client — can generate, organise into projects, and render compositions for you.
What models are included?
37 across image, video and audio — Flux, Nano Banana, Seedream, Imagen, Ideogram, GPT Image, Midjourney, Veo, Sora, Kling, Seedance, Hailuo, ElevenLabs, Suno and more. New ones get added as providers ship them.
macOS and Windows? What about Linux or mobile?
macOS and Windows at launch. It's a desktop app — a local-first tool needs to run on a real machine, so there's no mobile or web version. Linux isn't supported yet.
When is Zilla actually available?
The app is in final polish. Hit any Download button and drop your email to get the build the moment it's live. Teams and the built-in video editor land shortly after launch.
When should I not use Zilla?
If you're making under ~100 creatives a month — honestly, just use Higgsfield. At low volume their bundled plans are simpler and the savings won't cover the $9. Run the calculator; if it says stick with Higgsfield, we mean it.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes — it's a flat monthly subscription, cancel whenever you like. Your keys are yours, and your generations already live on your own disk, so you lose nothing.
Is this affiliated with kie.ai, fal.ai or Higgsfield?
No — Zilla is independent. We just route to whichever provider is cheapest for you, so bring any key. Higgsfield is a genuinely good product; we built Zilla because at volume the markup stopped making sense for us.
get in touch
Questions, teams, or press? Talk to a human.
Sizing up a team rollout, stuck on setup, or just want to argue with the calculator? We read every email — and reply like people, not a ticket queue.