Setup takes about 2 minutes. Free and paid tiers are both available.
Google's Gemini API has a free tier and a low-cost paid tier. Combined with TidyText, it becomes an AI writing and translation tool with no TidyText account, no TidyText servers and no subscription. Here is exactly how to set it up — and which tier to choose.
TidyText has three built-in providers — Gemini, OpenAI and Anthropic Claude — plus a custom option for any OpenAI-compatible endpoint, such as Groq, DeepSeek, Mistral or OpenRouter, where you enter the endpoint and model name yourself. For most users, Gemini is the right default for three reasons:
Google's free tier needs no billing information, and daily limits vary by model. But on the free tier Google may use your text to improve its products and human reviewers may read it (except in the UK, EEA and Switzerland, where Google applies its paid-tier data terms). The paid tier doesn't use your text that way and typically costs fractions of a penny per writing request. OpenAI and Anthropic require a paid account before you can use their APIs.
Before you use a Gemini key: you must be 18 or over, and Google describes the Gemini API as being for developers building for professional or business purposes, not for consumer use — so check that your use fits Google's terms. On Google's free tier, Google may use what you send to improve its products and human reviewers may read it, so don't paste sensitive, confidential or personal text. If you're in the UK, the EEA or Switzerland, Google says it applies its paid-tier data terms to free usage instead — but its terms also say only paid services may be used for apps made available to users there, so in those regions we recommend a key from a Google Cloud project with billing turned on. A paid key doesn't change Google's statement about consumer use. Read Google's Gemini API terms for the full details.
The recommended model for TidyText is gemini-3.5-flash. It handles multilingual text accurately, responds quickly, and costs fractions of a penny per request if you do exceed the free tier. It is not the most powerful model Google offers, but it is the right balance of speed, quality, and cost for writing improvement tasks.
You need a Google account. The free tier needs no payment method; for the paid tier, turn on billing for the Google Cloud project your key belongs to. Then paste the key into TidyText and you're done.
Open aistudio.google.com in your browser. Sign in with any Google account. If this is your first visit, accept the developer terms of service — this takes about 10 seconds.
You will see the API keys management panel. Click Create API key. When prompted, choose "Create API key in new project" — this keeps it clean. The key generates in a few seconds.
Click Copy. Store it somewhere safe — a password manager or a text file. Google will not show it to you again in full after this screen.
Go to tidytextai.com. Click the settings icon in the top-right corner. The Settings panel opens as a drawer from the right side.
In the Provider dropdown, choose Google Gemini. A model selector and API key field will appear below it.
Select gemini-3.5-flash from the model dropdown — this is the recommended model for most writing tasks. Paste your API key into the key field.
Settings saves to your browser. Close the drawer. Paste any text into the main area and click Improve or Translate. Your first request goes live immediately.
Your API key is stored in your browser's localStorage and never transmitted to TidyText's servers. If you use TidyText on a different device, you will need to paste the key again — it does not sync across devices.
TidyText supports all current Gemini models. Here is what each is best for:
| Model | Best for | Free tier |
|---|---|---|
gemini-3.5-flash Recommended |
Most writing tasks — fast, accurate, handles all 44 languages well | Yes |
gemini-3.5-pro |
Complex or nuanced text where accuracy matters most; slower | Limited |
gemini-3.6-flash |
Newest fast model; strong reasoning at a lower price than 3.5 Flash | Yes |
gemini-3.5-flash-lite |
Cheapest, lowest-latency option for straightforward text | Yes |
Start with gemini-3.5-flash. If you find the output is missing nuance on particularly complex text, try gemini-3.5-pro. For everything else, Flash is the right choice.
Note: Google is retiring the old AIza... key format in favor of new AQ.... keys. Both work with the models above — if your key stops working, create a fresh one in AI Studio.
Paste text in any language and click Improve. TidyText detects the language automatically and edits in that same language — fixing grammar, improving flow, and sharpening clarity without translating or imposing English conventions. It works equally well whether you paste in English, French, Arabic, Japanese, or any of the 44 supported languages.
Switch to Translate mode, select a target language, paste your source text. TidyText sends a prompt that instructs Gemini to produce idiomatic output — the kind that sounds written by a native speaker, not word-for-word translated. You also receive notes explaining key decisions: why a phrase was restructured, what equivalent the translator chose, which cultural nuance was handled.
If the first output is not quite right, click the Retry button on the output card. TidyText sends your original input and the previous output back to Gemini with an escalating prompt — asking it to take a fresh approach. You can retry up to three times, getting progressively more distinct alternatives.
A typical Improve request on a 200-word email uses approximately 600 tokens total. At Gemini 3.5 Flash's paid rate, that's less than £0.001. Light use may fit within Google's free daily allowance, but check the free-tier conditions above before relying on it.
When you click Improve or Translate, your text travels directly from your browser to Google's Gemini API. TidyText has no server — there is no proxy, no logging layer, no copy of your text stored anywhere we control.
Your API key stays in your browser's localStorage. It is not sent to TidyText. It is sent only to Google's API as part of your authenticated request — exactly as it would be if you used the Gemini API in any other application.
Google then processes your text under its own terms. On the free tier, Google may use it to improve its products and human reviewers may read it (outside the UK, EEA and Switzerland); on the paid tier it doesn't, and keeps it for a limited period to detect policy violations. See what Google's terms say or read Google's Gemini API terms directly.
Get your free Gemini key at aistudio.google.com, then open TidyText. Two minutes, zero cost.
Open TidyText →No account · No subscription · Your key, your data