Key facts
| API compatibility | OpenAI-compatible /v1/chat/completions, /v1/embeddings and /v1/models |
| Migration effort | Change base_url and model name; keep your OpenAI SDK |
| Plane for this market | EU plane, Frankfurt (eu-central-1) - the same region anchors German commercial cloud |
| Models | 30+ models behind one API, from free tiers to frontier reasoning |
| Pricing | Flat monthly self-serve plans, no per-token billing; see the live pricing page |
| Free tier | plugsky-micro and plugsky-lite with no credit card |
| Compliance alignment | The EU plane is aligned with GDPR and ISO 27001 expectations |
| Roadmap endpoints | Audio, images, moderation, files, batch, fine-tuning, assistants and responses are coming soon |
TL;DR
- Keep the OpenAI SDK; switch base_url to api.plugsky.com and map model names.
- Pin the EU plane (Frankfurt) or deploy in your own network to satisfy the GDPR as supplemented by the BDSG.
- Flat monthly pricing replaces per-token cost surprises on self-serve plans.
- Start free with plugsky-micro and plugsky-lite, or use the 14-day full-access trial for deeper testing.
- Where Plugsky does not replace OpenAI yet: audio, image and fine-tuning endpoints are still roadmap items.
How it works, step by step
- Inventory which OpenAI endpoints you call: chat, embeddings, streaming and tools.
- Create a Plugsky workspace and API key; the free plan needs no card.
- Point your OpenAI SDK at api.plugsky.com and map model names.
- Re-run your existing tests and evaluations against the same prompts.
- Pin the deployment or plane that satisfies the GDPR as supplemented by the BDSG.
- Cut over gradually and keep the old base URL for rollback.
- Document the residency evidence Germany reviewers will ask for.
Original data
Try it yourself
Test compatibility with the OpenAI API tester →
Why Germany teams look for an OpenAI alternative
German buyers often reject US-only processing for regulated workloads, making residency and key custody the first questions in any OpenAI alternative evaluation. Most evaluations start with cost predictability, followed by residency proof and model breadth; migration effort is usually the deciding factor, because rewrites are expensive.
Sovereign AI cloud is a set of choices, not a single product: where inference runs, where prompts and embeddings rest, who holds the encryption keys, and what evidence you can hand an auditor. Plugsky exposes those choices separately, so a regulated workload can be pinned while everything else stays on the default plane.
Migration: keep your OpenAI SDK and code
Because the API is OpenAI-compatible, migration is a configuration change rather than a rewrite: point the client at api.plugsky.com, map model names, and re-run your evaluation suite before cutting over.
- Inventory which OpenAI endpoints you actually call: chat, embeddings, streaming, tools.
- Create a Plugsky workspace and a scoped API key; the free plan needs no card.
- Point your SDK at api.plugsky.com and map model names.
- Re-run your existing tests and evaluations on the same prompts.
- Pin the deployment that satisfies the GDPR as supplemented by the BDSG.
- Cut over gradually and keep the old base URL for rollback.
Data residency and compliance for Germany
The GDPR applies as supplemented by the Bundesdatenschutzgesetz (BDSG); the BfDI and the Lander authorities coordinate through the DSK. BSI C5 attestation and IT-Grundschutz are common procurement baselines, and CLOUD Act exposure drives sovereign-cloud demand.
German teams can pin the EU (Frankfurt) plane for in-country processing, or go further with VPC, on-prem and air-gapped deployments where CLOUD Act exposure must be removed entirely. The EU plane is aligned with GDPR and ISO 27001 expectations.
Residency is enforced in the data plane rather than promised in a contract: processing, storage and logs all stay in the selected region, and Enterprise adds customer-managed keys and audit export.
What it costs, and what is still missing
Cost control is the headline: flat monthly self-serve pricing instead of per-token billing, a free plan with two models, and a 14-day full-access trial. Verify current plans on the live pricing page.
Works councils scrutinise the employee-monitoring implications of AI tooling, so involve them early in rollout planning. Meet the mirror check: audio, image generation, moderation, files, batch, fine-tuning, assistants and responses are coming-soon endpoints rather than live today. Treat them as roadmap items when comparing vendors, and verify per-plane model availability before you commit.
Honest comparison
| Capability | Plugsky | OpenAI | Building in-house |
|---|---|---|---|
| API compatibility | OpenAI-compatible chat, embeddings and models endpoints | Native SDKs and API | Full rewrite |
| Pricing model | Flat monthly self-serve plans; see the live pricing page | Per-token billing | GPU plus operations cost |
| Model choice | 30+ models from one endpoint | OpenAI models only | You host each model |
| Data residency | Region-locked planes plus VPC, on-prem and air-gapped | US default with some enterprise options | Wherever you deploy |
| Migration effort | One-line base URL change | Not applicable | Months of engineering |
| Free tier | plugsky-micro and plugsky-lite, no card | Limited trial credits | Not applicable |
Frequently asked questions
Is Plugsky a drop-in replacement for OpenAI in Germany?
Yes for the live surface: chat completions, streaming, JSON mode, function calling, embeddings, RAG and agent loops all work through OpenAI-shaped requests. You change the base URL and model name and keep your SDK.
How does data residency work for Germany teams?
The GDPR applies as supplemented by the Bundesdatenschutzgesetz (BDSG); the BfDI and the Lander authorities coordinate through the DSK. BSI C5 attestation and IT-Grundschutz are common procurement baselines, and CLOUD Act exposure drives sovereign-cloud demand. German teams can pin the EU (Frankfurt) plane for in-country processing, or go further with VPC, on-prem and air-gapped deployments where CLOUD Act exposure must be removed entirely. Plugsky publishes planes in the EU (Frankfurt), GCC (UAE), APAC (Singapore) and US (Virginia), with Riyadh on Enterprise.
How is pricing different from OpenAI?
Self-serve Plugsky plans are flat monthly with no per-token metering, so forecasting is simpler; the free plan includes plugsky-micro and plugsky-lite, and a 14-day full-access trial exists. See the live pricing page for current plans.
Can we keep using the OpenAI SDK?
Yes. Plugsky exposes an OpenAI-compatible chat completions endpoint, so you change base_url to api.plugsky.com and map your model names while keeping existing SDK code.
How does the GDPR as supplemented by the BDSG affect migration?
The GDPR applies as supplemented by the Bundesdatenschutzgesetz (BDSG); the BfDI and the Lander authorities coordinate through the DSK. BSI C5 attestation and IT-Grundschutz are common procurement baselines, and CLOUD Act exposure drives sovereign-cloud demand. German teams can pin the EU (Frankfurt) plane for in-country processing, or go further with VPC, on-prem and air-gapped deployments where CLOUD Act exposure must be removed entirely.
Does streaming and function calling work?
Yes, streaming, JSON mode and function calling are live, as are embeddings, RAG and agent tool loops; check the docs for the per-model capability matrix.
What is not available yet?
Audio, image generation, moderation, files, batch, fine-tuning, assistants and responses endpoints are coming soon. Keep those workloads on their current provider until the status page marks them live.
How do we migrate and roll back safely?
Run both providers behind a routing flag: send a percentage of traffic to Plugsky, compare latency and quality on your own evaluation set, then switch fully. Rolling back is the same one-line base URL change in reverse.