Introducing BYOD: Bring Your Own Device and Keep Full Ownership of Your AI Assistant

Today we're formally announcing our BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) approach — a clearer, more transparent way to launch your private AI assistant where you hold the keys, not us. If you've been waiting for a version of "personal AI" that doesn't quietly lock you into someone else's platform, this is for you.

The problem with "hosted" AI assistants

Most AI assistant services work like a hotel. You check in, you use the room, but you never own it. The company running the service holds all your data, controls the server, and can change the rules — or the price — whenever they like. If they shut down, so does your assistant. And your conversations? They live on someone else's machine, under someone else's terms.

That never sat right with us, especially for privacy-conscious people, busy professionals, and small-business owners who want a capable AI assistant without handing over the deed to their digital life.

So we built the opposite.

How BYOD works at LaunchMy.ai

Instead of renting you a room, we help you build your own house — and then we handle all the construction.

Here's the plain-English version:

1. You bring your own device

Your assistant runs on a server (a Raspberry Pi, Windows or Mac machine) that you own and that is connected to the internet from your house. You own it outright. We don't operate it for you, and we never hold the keys to your machine.

If that sounds technical, don't worry — you don't set any of it up by hand. Our Launchpad walks you through connecting your device with clicks, not commands. No Linux. No terminals. No cryptic setup files.

2. You bring your own AI usage

Your assistant is powered by your own Anthropic API usage, billed directly to you. That means the "brain" behind your assistant is on an account you control, with usage you can see and manage yourself. Nothing is routed through a mystery middle layer.

3. We do all the hard parts

This is the whole point. "Bring your own" usually means "figure it out yourself." Not here. LaunchMy.ai's Launchpad handles the deployment — the tedious, technical launch process that would normally require real engineering knowledge — so you never have to touch the plumbing.

4. Dex keeps it running

Once your assistant is live, Dex — the built-in AI sysadmin — looks after your server behind the scenes: monitoring, routine maintenance, and repairs. Dex is why "bring your own server" doesn't turn into "become your own IT department." You get the ownership benefits without the ongoing homework.

Why ownership actually matters (and where we're honest with you)

BYOD isn't a marketing gimmick for us — it changes the fundamentals of the relationship.

• You own the server. It runs on your device. You can see it, control it, and it belongs to you.
• You own your usage. Your AI usage is on your own account.
• We're a launcher, not an operator. We help you deploy and Dex helps keep things healthy, but we don't run your assistant for you or hold the keys to your machine.

We also want to be straight about what BYOD doesn't mean. It doesn't mean we can make impossible promises. Our service is provided "as is" under our Terms of Use — we don't guarantee specific outcomes, and we're not going to pretend otherwise. What we can offer is a genuinely more private, more owned setup than the typical rent-a-room model, explained honestly.

What this costs — clearly

One of the nicest things about the BYOD model is transparency. There are two parts to what you pay, and we'd rather you understand both up front.

What you pay LaunchMy.ai

• Launch offer: $5.99/month for your first 6 months (40% off), then it renews at $9.99/month.

Optional:

• Family Add-On: $6.99/month per additional assistant (up to 5 more, 6 total). Launch offer: $4.19/month each for the first 6 months.
• Annual option: $99.90/year for Starter, $69.90/year per add-on ("pay 10 months, get 12"). The launch offer brings your first year to $79.90 for Starter.
• Expert Help (optional): one-time setup support at $49, $99, or $199 if you'd like a hand.

What you pay directly (because you own it)

Because BYOD means you own the infrastructure, you'll also pay:

• Your AI usage (Anthropic), billed to you directly based on how much you use.

We flag this openly because it's the flip side of ownership: the Anthropic account is yours, so those bills come to you, not through us. No hidden markups buried in a monthly fee.

Who BYOD is really for

You don't need to be technical. In fact, BYOD is designed specifically for people who would never self-host on their own:

• Privacy-minded individuals who want their assistant on a server they control.
• Busy professionals who want a capable assistant without a weekend of setup.
• Small-business owners who want a private assistant — and maybe a few for the team, using Family Add-Ons.

If you've ever read a "how to self-host your own AI" tutorial and immediately closed the tab, BYOD is the version that skips the tutorial and does the hard parts for you.

Getting started

1. Head to our Launchpad and follow the guided steps.
2. Connect your own cloud account — clicks, not commands.
3. Launch your assistant and let Dex keep the server healthy afterward.
4. Grab the launch offer at $5.99/month for your first 6 months while it lasts.

BYOD is our answer to a simple question: what if you could have a private AI assistant that you truly own — without needing to be a developer to get it? That's exactly what we built, and today it's ready for you.

Own everything. Skip the hard parts. Let Dex keep it running. That's LaunchMy.ai, BYOD-style.