# Choose Gemini or OpenAI for AI editing

> What the AI editing pass does, what it sends, who bills you, and when you need no key at all.
>
> Verified against the current RoughCut app on 28 August 2026
> https://www.roughcuteditor.com/docs/choose-ai-provider

The AI editing pass is what removes retakes, false starts, tangents, and filler. It runs on a provider you choose — Gemini or OpenAI — under your own API key, and it receives transcript text and word timing only, never your video or audio. Gemini is RoughCut's default and recommendation because its long context usually fits a whole video in one pass; with OpenAI, long transcripts are split into overlapping chunks and merged back automatically. Your provider bills you directly at its published rates and RoughCut adds no markup. If you turn Bad-take removal off, no key is needed at all and RoughCut still removes silences locally.

## What the AI editing pass actually does

RoughCut removes silence entirely on your Mac, with no AI and no key. The AI pass is a separate, optional stage that reads the transcript and proposes removing spans it judges to be retakes, reworded retakes, false starts, tangents, filler, or noise. Every proposal lands in the review list with a category and a confidence score, and nothing is removed from your source file.

**What is sent:** transcript text and word timing context. **What is never sent:** your video, your audio, or your files. The one exception in the whole product is Pro [Cloud transcription](/docs/transcription-options), which is a different feature with its own per-job opt-in.

## When you need no key

Turn `Bad-take removal` off in the `New Rough Cut` screen. RoughCut then runs a silence-only cut using on-device analysis alone. This needs no provider, no key, no billing, and no network. The review list shows `LLM editor: skipped — silence-only cut.`

This is a genuinely useful mode, not a crippled fallback — for clean, well-rehearsed recordings, silence trimming alone often gets you most of the way.

## Comparing the two providers

| | Gemini | OpenAI |
|---|---|---|
| RoughCut default | Yes | No — select it in Settings |
| Why choose it | Long context usually fits an entire video in a single pass | You already have an OpenAI account and billing |
| Long transcripts | Typically one call | Split into overlapping chunks and merged back automatically |
| Key stored | macOS Keychain | macOS Keychain |
| Billing | Google bills your key directly | OpenAI bills your key directly |
| Also used for | Video goal summarising (Pro) | Video goal summarising (Pro), and Cloud transcription (Pro) |

RoughCut's own guidance in Settings is to prefer Gemini: its long context fits most videos in one pass, which avoids chunk boundaries entirely. Both providers are selectable in `Settings → LLM provider`.

> If you plan to use Pro **Cloud transcription**, you need an OpenAI key for that specifically, because Cloud transcription is an OpenAI feature. You can still run the editing pass on Gemini — the transcription source and the editing provider are two independent settings.

## What it costs

Neither provider is free, and RoughCut deliberately does not publish a per-video figure.

- The default Gemini model is on Google's **paid tier**, so billing must be enabled on the Google project behind your key.
- OpenAI bills API usage against prepaid credits or a payment method on your Platform account. A ChatGPT subscription does **not** fund API usage.
- On-device transcription costs nothing extra — it runs on your Mac.
- Longer recordings cost more, and [Second Look](/docs/second-look) adds another call.

Published rates change, so check your provider's current pricing page rather than trusting any figure quoted elsewhere.

## Where keys are stored

Keys go into the **macOS Keychain**, encrypted by the system — never into a settings file and never into an exported configuration. RoughCut sends a key only to the provider it belongs to. There is no RoughCut server in the path.

In `Settings → Basic` (or `Full → LLM`) each key field shows `Not set` with a paste prompt, or a green confirmation with the value masked once saved, alongside `Replace…` and `Remove`. The stored value is never displayed back to you.

## Common mistakes

- **Assuming a provider is free.** The default Gemini model is a paid-tier model, and OpenAI API usage is billed separately from any ChatGPT plan.
- **Confusing the transcription source with the editing provider.** They are separate settings. Choosing Gemini for editing does not change how audio is transcribed.
- **Adding a key you do not need.** For silence-only cuts, skip it.
- **Keeping copies of your key in notes or chats.** Treat it as a password; rotate it at the provider if it leaks.

## Next steps

- [Create and add a Gemini API key](/docs/gemini-api-key)
- [Create and add an OpenAI API key](/docs/openai-api-key)
- [Bad-take removal and aggressiveness](/docs/bad-take-removal)