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Groq Free Tier Setup

Groq is the recommended provider for the free-tier OpenScribe setup. It gives you fast transcription, strong polish, and a simpler one-key setup.

Check current plan limits first

Groq publishes separate free-plan and developer-plan limits. Review the current rate limits and spend limits before you rely on a setup.

1. Create a Groq API key

  1. Sign in to the Groq Console.
  2. Create a new API key.
  3. Copy it once and keep it ready for OpenScribe.

2. Add the key to OpenScribe

  1. Open Settings > Providers.
  2. Paste the key into the Groq field.
  3. Use Verify.
  4. Use Refresh models.

OpenScribe stores provider keys in the macOS Keychain.

3. Use Groq for transcription

For the recommended free-tier setup:

  1. Open Settings > Transcribe.
  2. Choose Groq Whisper as the provider.
  3. Pick whisper-large-v3-turbo.
  4. Leave language on auto.

This is the speech-to-text setup Stefan is using on this machine.

4. Use Groq for polish

For the recommended free-tier setup:

  1. Open Settings > Polish.
  2. Turn polish on.
  3. Choose Groq as the provider.
  4. Pick openai/gpt-oss-120b.

This is the polish setup Stefan is using on this machine.

Groq publishes a shared free-plan rate-limit table. As of March 9, 2026, the recommended models are listed there with these base limits:

  • whisper-large-v3-turbo: 20 RPM, 2K RPD, 7.2K ASH, 28.8K ASD
  • openai/gpt-oss-120b: 30 RPM, 1K RPD, 8K TPM, 200K TPD

Groq defines ASH as audio seconds per hour and ASD as audio seconds per day.

Check Groq's current docs before you rely on a limit in production because plan details can change.

6. Why this is the recommendation

Groq handles both stages well, keeps setup simpler than a two-provider path, and still gives you room to experiment with Gemini or OpenRouter later.

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