Listen Orb
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Understand API usage and billing

Your OpenAI or xAI account · separate API billing · provider records

Local processing has no provider API usage charges. This guide covers OpenAI and xAI cloud processing. Learn about local processing.

Listen Orb is bring-your-own-key software. The Mac app sends requests directly to the speech provider you select — OpenAI or xAI — using that provider's API key stored in macOS Keychain. That provider bills the account that issued the key separately from the one-time Listen Orb license. A ChatGPT subscription does not include OpenAI API usage. SuperGrok, grok.com, Cursor, or an X login does not include xAI API usage.

What creates API usage

  1. Transcription. When you finish a dictation, the committed microphone audio is processed by the active provider to produce text. OpenAI uses Realtime transcription; xAI uses speech-to-text.
  2. Optional polish. Standard and Contextual polish can make an additional request to that same provider to edit the transcript. Off makes no polish request. A brief phrase can also bypass polish when no edit is needed.
  3. Orb Commands. An explicit command makes a separate text request to the active provider to rewrite selected text. On xAI, that request uses a more capable text model than polish. Live transcription can turn the capsule violet on OpenAI or xAI when an eligible turn begins with “Orb.” When a selection or temporary Undo makes a command possible, at most the first two seconds of audio may also go to a separate live session on that same provider for the violet visual cue. OpenAI uses GPT Live Transcribe; xAI uses streaming speech-to-text. The final transcript still decides whether a command runs.

Turning polish Off removes the optional polish request, but transcription still uses the API and Orb Commands remain independent. Turning Orb Commands off removes both the selected-text Responses request and its live visual prefix probe.

Check actual usage and billing

Use that provider's own records for the account associated with your key:

Those provider pages—not Listen Orb—are the source of truth for current rates, credits, and account totals. Listen Orb does not resell OpenAI or xAI usage and does not require a Listen Orb account.

See a real seven-day example

Our real API cost example is an OpenAI-only historical snapshot. It shows provider-recorded audio time, transcription charges, optional polish exclusions, and the privacy-safe method used to prepare the snapshot. xAI usage is billed by xAI and is not in that example.