> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.stenox.app/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Providers

> Choose your transcription and AI enhancement providers

## The Stenox Pipeline

Your voice goes through two stages:

<div className="stenox-pipeline">
  <div className="stenox-pipeline-step">
    <lord-icon src="https://cdn.lordicon.com/laqlvddb.json" trigger="loop" delay="2000" colors="primary:#3b82f6,secondary:#93c5fd" />

    <span className="stenox-pipeline-label">Speech</span>
  </div>

  <span className="stenox-pipeline-arrow">→</span>

  <div className="stenox-pipeline-step">
    <lord-icon src="https://cdn.lordicon.com/egmlnyku.json" trigger="loop" delay="2200" colors="primary:#8b5cf6,secondary:#c4b5fd" />

    <span className="stenox-pipeline-label">Transcribe</span>
  </div>

  <span className="stenox-pipeline-arrow">→</span>

  <div className="stenox-pipeline-step">
    <lord-icon src="https://cdn.lordicon.com/bmlkvhui.json" trigger="loop" delay="2400" colors="primary:#f59e0b,secondary:#fcd34d" />

    <span className="stenox-pipeline-label">Enhance</span>
  </div>

  <span className="stenox-pipeline-arrow">→</span>

  <div className="stenox-pipeline-step">
    <lord-icon src="https://cdn.lordicon.com/aqrzgjfy.json" trigger="loop" delay="2600" colors="primary:#10b981,secondary:#6ee7b7" />

    <span className="stenox-pipeline-label">Output</span>
  </div>
</div>

<Tip>
  Each stage is **independent** — mix local and cloud providers however you like. Use WhisperKit or Parakeet (local) for transcription and Gemini (cloud) for enhancement, or go fully local with Parakeet + MLX.
</Tip>

***

## Privacy Options

<CardGroup cols={3}>
  <Card title="100% Local" icon="lock" href="/providers/local-privacy">
    Complete privacy — nothing leaves your Mac.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Cloud + BYOK" icon="key" href="/providers/cloud-byok">
    Use your own API keys for full control.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Stenox Cloud" icon="cloud" href="/providers/transcription/stenox-cloud">
    Managed service — no API keys needed.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

***

## Transcription Providers

Convert your speech to text.

| Provider                                                  | Type    | Speed     | Best For                    |
| --------------------------------------------------------- | ------- | --------- | --------------------------- |
| [WhisperKit](/providers/transcription/whisperkit-local)   | Local   | Fast      | Privacy, offline use        |
| [Parakeet](/providers/transcription/parakeet-local)       | Local   | Very Fast | Best accuracy, multilingual |
| [DeepGram](/providers/transcription/deepgram)             | Cloud   | Very Fast | Real-time, high accuracy    |
| [OpenAI Whisper](/providers/transcription/openai-whisper) | Cloud   | Fast      | Multi-language support      |
| [AssemblyAI](/providers/transcription/assemblyai)         | Cloud   | Fast      | Enterprise, EU compliance   |
| [Groq Whisper](/providers/transcription/groq-whisper)     | Cloud   | Very Fast | Ultra-fast, free tier       |
| [Stenox Cloud](/providers/transcription/stenox-cloud)     | Managed | Fast      | Simplicity, no API keys     |

### Choosing a Transcription Provider

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Best for privacy" icon="shield-halved">
    **WhisperKit** or **Parakeet** — Run entirely on your Mac. Audio never leaves your device. No internet required.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Best accuracy" icon="bullseye">
    **Parakeet** — NVIDIA's Parakeet TDT achieves state-of-the-art accuracy (6% WER), running locally on your Mac's Neural Engine. For cloud, **DeepGram Nova-3** offers industry-leading accuracy with real-time processing.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Best free option" icon="gift">
    **Groq Whisper** — Extremely fast with generous free tier. No credit card required.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Best for multiple languages" icon="globe">
    **Parakeet v3** (local, 25+ languages), **OpenAI Whisper**, or **WhisperKit (multilingual)** — Support multiple languages with automatic detection.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

***

## AI Enhancement Providers

Improve your transcribed text with grammar correction, formatting, and tone adjustment.

| Provider                                        | Type    | Speed     | Best For                     |
| ----------------------------------------------- | ------- | --------- | ---------------------------- |
| [MLX](/providers/llm/mlx-local)                 | Local   | Fast      | Privacy, offline use         |
| [OpenAI](/providers/llm/openai)                 | Cloud   | Fast      | Quality, GPT-4o              |
| [Google Gemini](/providers/llm/google-gemini)   | Cloud   | Very Fast | Free tier, excellent quality |
| [Groq LLMs](/providers/llm/groq-llms)           | Cloud   | Very Fast | Ultra-fast processing        |
| [Stenox Cloud](/providers/llm/stenox-cloud-llm) | Managed | Fast      | Simplicity, no API keys      |

### Choosing an AI Enhancement Provider

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Best for privacy" icon="shield-halved">
    **MLX** — Runs locally on Apple Silicon. Text never leaves your Mac.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Best quality" icon="sparkles">
    **OpenAI GPT-4o** or **Google Gemini** — Top-tier language models for professional writing.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Best free option" icon="gift">
    **Google Gemini** — Generous free tier (1,500 requests/day) with excellent quality. No credit card required.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Fastest processing" icon="bolt">
    **Groq** — Powered by custom hardware for sub-second responses.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

***

## Skip AI Enhancement

Don't need grammar correction? Set AI Enhancement to **None** in your profile settings. This:

* Reduces processing time by 1-3 seconds
* Inserts raw transcription directly
* Still applies vocabulary replacements

<Note>
  Raw transcription is great for quick notes or when you'll edit the text anyway.
</Note>

***

## Provider Combinations

Here are popular setups:

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="100% Private" icon="lock">
    **Parakeet + MLX** — Everything local. Best accuracy. No internet. Complete privacy.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Maximum Speed" icon="bolt">
    **Groq Whisper + Groq LLMs** — Sub-second processing. Free tier available.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Best Quality" icon="crown">
    **DeepGram + OpenAI GPT-4o** — Top-tier accuracy and enhancement.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Balanced Free" icon="scale-balanced">
    **Groq Whisper + Gemini** — Fast and high-quality. Both have free tiers.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

***

## Next Steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="100% Local Setup" icon="lock" href="/providers/local-privacy">
    Complete guide to privacy-first configuration.
  </Card>

  <Card title="BYOK Setup" icon="key" href="/providers/cloud-byok">
    Use your own API keys with cloud providers.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Create Profiles" icon="sliders" href="/profiles/creating-profiles">
    Different providers for different contexts.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Pricing" icon="credit-card" href="/pricing/overview">
    Compare Free, Plus, and Lifetime options.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>