Description
No API key. No account. No setup. Unlike almost every other AI summary plugin, which makes you sign up for OpenAI or Anthropic and paste in your own paid API key, AltoSum runs the AI on our hosted service, so there is nothing to configure. You generate each summary with one click from the post editor, free for the first 25 every month.
AltoSum reads your post and writes a short TL;DR plus a few key-takeaway bullets, then shows them in a tidy box at the top (or bottom) of the article. Great for readers in a hurry and for the AI search engines that increasingly quote summaries.
The free plan covers 25 summaries per month; AltoSum Pro removes the monthly limit (subject to fair use) and can summarise automatically on publish.
- No API key or third-party account. The AI runs on our service.
- One click to generate a summary from the post editor.
- Show it via the
[altosum]shortcode, or auto-insert it into single posts. - Optional key-takeaway bullets.
- Privacy-friendly: automation is off until you switch it on. To generate a summary we send the post title and content, with a hashed site ID and the plugin version that do not identify you. The External services section below lists everything that is sent.
- Pro: unlimited summaries (subject to fair use) and auto-summarise when you publish.
External services
This plugin connects to the Really Useful App Company API to generate summaries. It is required
for the plugin’s core feature.
- What is sent and when: the plugin sends the post title and post content to the API on
each of these actions, and nothing else triggers a send:- when you click “Generate summary” in the editor
- when you publish a post with auto-summarise on
- Also sent: a non-identifying site ID (a hash of your site URL) for usage counting, and the
plugin version, so we can tell which release a report relates to. Neither identifies you. Whether this site’s review prompt was shown, snoozed, dismissed or clicked is also sent, so we can tell whether that prompt is working. It records the site, not the individual user, and says nothing about what you did on WordPress.org afterwards. - Where it goes: the API (default
https://api.thereallyusefulappcompany.com), which uses Anthropic as an AI
subprocessor to generate the text. - Terms / privacy: https://www.thereallyusefulappcompany.com/altosum/terms , https://www.thereallyusefulappcompany.com/altosum/privacy ,
https://www.anthropic.com/legal/privacy
No data is sent until you click generate or publish with auto-summarise enabled.
Screenshots
Installation
- Install and activate AltoSum.
- Go to Settings AltoSum, review the external-service notice, and choose how the box should display.
- Edit a post and click Generate summary in the AltoSum box, or enable auto-insert / auto-summarise.
- (Optional) Enter a AltoSum Pro licence key to remove the monthly limit.
FAQ
-
Do I need an AI API key?
-
No. The AI runs on our service.
-
Where does the summary appear?
-
Wherever you place the
[altosum]shortcode, or automatically at the top/bottom of single posts if you enable that. -
Does it send my content anywhere?
-
Only when you generate a summary, and only the title and content. See the External Services section.
Reviews
There are no reviews for this plugin.
Contributors & Developers
“AltoSum – AI Post Summary, TL;DR & Key Takeaways” is open source software. The following people have contributed to this plugin.
Contributors
Translate “AltoSum – AI Post Summary, TL;DR & Key Takeaways” into your language.
Interested in development?
Browse the code, check out the SVN repository, or subscribe to the development log by RSS.
Changelog
1.0.10
- Fixed: a generated summary could be saved and never appear anywhere on your site, with nothing to explain why. The panel now says where your summary will appear, and when it will not appear it tells you how to switch it on.
- Added: a Settings link on the Plugins screen, and a short notice after activation saying where to go. Previously the plugin gave no sign it was there.
- Fixed: after generating, the button no longer looks like the main thing to click again. It now reads Regenerate summary and shows that your summary is saved.
1.0.9
- Added: the plugin now reports whether this site’s review prompt was shown, snoozed, dismissed or clicked, so we can tell whether the prompt is working at all. It rides the request the plugin already makes, so no new outbound request is made and no new action triggers a send. It records the site rather than the individual user, and nothing about what happens on WordPress.org afterwards.
- Housekeeping: the front-end style is now registered with a version. No functional change; it silences a checker warning that could not apply here, so a standing warning does not hide a real one later.
1.0.8
- Fixed: when the AI could not be reached, the summary was still labelled “AI-generated”. It now says plainly that the text came from your own sentences and is worth rewriting.
- Added: the review prompt now appears in the post editor, where summaries are actually written, instead of only on the settings screen.
- Added: the plugin now reports its own version with each request, so we can tell which release a problem relates to. No personal data is involved.
- Housekeeping: the list of actions that send data is now checked automatically against the code before every release.
1.0.7
- Compatibility: tested with WordPress 7.1.
- New: a “Your usage” panel on the settings screen showing how much of this month’s
allowance you have used, with a progress bar. - New: an “Upgrade to Pro” link on the settings screen for free-plan users.
- When a monthly limit is reached, the message in the editor now includes an upgrade link.
1.0.6
- Corrected the AltoGraph name in the list of our other plugins shown on the settings screen.
- Small wording tidy-ups on the settings screen.
1.0.5
- Added an optional, dismissible prompt on the settings page inviting an honest review after you’ve generated a few times. No tracking; dismiss any time.
- Added: AltoScribe to the list of our other plugins shown on the settings screen.
1.0.4
- Added: AltoFAQ to the list of our other plugins shown on the settings screen.
1.0.3
- Fixed: “Generate summary” now works on a brand-new post before you save it, by reading the content straight from the editor.
1.0.2
- Updated: plugin name and listing details so it’s easier to find and clearer about what it does.
1.0.1
- Added: a reminder to review AI-generated summaries for accuracy before publishing (summary box and settings screen).
- Added: links to our other Really Useful App Company plugins on the settings screen (dismissible, no tracking).
1.0.0
- Initial release: one-click summaries, key-takeaway bullets, shortcode, auto-insert, and Pro auto-summarise.