What is Lava?
Lava is a platform that helps developers and businesses route, meter, price, and control AI spend across 38+ providers — all from a single integration.
Instead of managing separate API keys, billing systems, and usage tracking for every AI provider you use, Lava gives you one gateway that handles it all. Think of it like Stripe for AI usage: you connect once, and Lava handles routing, metering, billing, and payouts automatically.
Three Products, One Platform
Lava offers three products that work together:
- Lava Build — A transparent AI gateway for developers. Route API requests to 38+ AI providers (OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, and more) with automatic usage metering, logs, and retries. Integration takes two lines of code.
- Lava Monetize — Usage-based billing for AI services. Set up prepaid credits, tiered pricing, embedded checkout, and automated payouts. Turn your AI features into a revenue stream without building billing infrastructure.
- Lava AI Spend — Per-tool budget controls for AI users. Create isolated spend keys for each AI tool (Cursor, ChatGPT, Claude, etc.) with daily, weekly, or monthly spending limits and model restrictions.
Key Benefits
- One integration, 38+ providers — No need for separate API keys and billing for each AI service
- Less than 20ms latency — Lava's transparent proxy adds minimal overhead
- Pre-funded wallet — No surprise charges. Users fund their wallet and control their spending
- Real-time usage tracking — Sub-cent accuracy for every API call
- Automated payouts — Revenue calculated and paid out automatically via Stripe Connect
Who is Lava for?
- Developers building AI-powered applications who need production-grade infrastructure for metering and billing
- SaaS companies who want to monetize AI features without months of billing development
- Individuals and teams who use multiple AI tools and want consolidated spending with budget controls
Lava is a Y Combinator S20 company. Visit lava.so to get started.