For adult and privacy-sensitive work, the signup flow matters as much as the model. A lot of developers specifically want an AI image API they can use without identity verification and without a card on file. Api18.dev is built that way: email to sign up, USDT to pay.
What “no-KYC” means here#
- Email-only signup. No identity documents to start an account.
- No card required. You fund the account with crypto instead of a payment card.
- $10 welcome credit to try every model in the playground before you pay anything.
No-KYC is about reducing friction, not about evading the law. Lawful use and the terms of service still apply, and illegal content is prohibited.
Paying with USDT#
Top up your balance with USDT on Solana or Tron. Both confirm in seconds with negligible fees, and because USDT is dollar-pegged, your balance maps directly to the USD price of each call.
- Open Billing and choose the crypto option.
- Select Solana or Tron and copy the deposit address (or scan the QR).
- Send USDT on that same network from your wallet.
- Balance updates after on-chain confirmation; start calling the API.
Send on the network you picked. USDT on Solana and USDT on Tron use different addresses, and cross-network sends can be lost.
Keeping the account private in practice#
- Use the API key server-side only; never expose it in a client app.
- Rotate keys from the dashboard if one is ever exposed.
- Store generated media yourself — outputs are temporary by design.
Next steps#
Ready to build? See the 5-minute quickstart, or the full pay-per-call with crypto walkthrough for how billing works end to end.