Frequently asked questions

What is digestVid?

A browser extension that turns online videos into readable summaries and clean transcripts, using your own AI API key. You can also browse summaries other people have published on digestvid.com.

Can I try digestVid without an API key?

No. digestVid runs on your own AI API key. Groq, Gemini and Mistral have free tiers, so it can cost nothing: how to add a key.

Which videos does digestVid work with?

YouTube videos, and Vimeo videos that have captions or subtitles. Summaries and transcripts are made in the digestVid Chrome extension from the video's own transcript or captions.

Which Vimeo videos work?

At our free and low-cost plans we can only support Vimeo videos that have captions or subtitles. Need transcripts for Vimeo videos without captions? Speak to us about Vimeo transcripts.

Which browsers does the extension work in?

Chrome, Edge and Brave. Download and install the extension.

How do I install the extension?

Download the zip from the extension page and unzip it. Open chrome://extensions, turn on Developer mode (top right), click Load unpacked and pick the unzipped folder. Keep that folder: the browser runs digestVid from it. A Chrome Web Store version is coming soon.

How do I update the extension?

Download the new zip from the extension page, replace the old folder with the new one, then click the reload arrow on the digestVid card in chrome://extensions. Your settings and keys stay. digestVid shows a banner when a newer version is out.

Do I need my own AI key?

Yes: digestVid runs on your own AI API key (Gemini, Groq, Mistral, OpenAI or Anthropic), and you pay your AI provider directly for what you use. Your key stays in the extension and is sent only to the provider you choose. Gemini, Groq and Mistral have free tiers; OpenAI and Anthropic need prepaid credit. How to get your API keys.

If DigestVid.com is down, will the extension still work?

Yes, absolutely. The extension works independently of the site. (With your own AI API key (Gemini, Groq, Mistral, OpenAI or Anthropic) you can keep summarizing; only browsing digestvid.com, signing in, publishing, the community cache and Premium's digestVid AI (for existing Premium accounts) need the site.)

Do I need a digestVid account?

Not to summarize: the extension works on its own with your API key. A free account lets you publish summaries to digestvid.com and keep your saved summaries. Create a free account.

How do I summarize a video?

Open a YouTube or Vimeo video (or paste its link into the extension), click the digestVid icon, pick an AI engine, a style (Brief, Balanced or Detailed) and a language, then click Summarize. On YouTube it works best with the video's transcript or chapters panel open.

Why is digestVid community-backed?

Because published summaries are shared with everyone. If someone else has already digested a video with the same choices you picked (AI engine, style and language), it's ready for you instantly: the extension opens their published summary or clean transcript instead of making a new one, so it uses none of your AI quota. All it takes is signing in to digestVid in the extension's Settings: “Use website results and public cache” is on by default (extension 1.2.10 and newer). Publish your own and the next person gets it instantly too. Anyone can also browse published summaries on digestvid.com.

Which languages can summaries be in?

The same language as the video, or English, Hebrew, French, Italian, German, Spanish or Yiddish. Choose in the extension's Language menu.

What do Neatify and Neatify & Fix do?

Neatify turns the raw transcript into clean, readable text: no timestamps or caption fragments, proper paragraphs, chapter headings where the video has chapters. It is the full transcript, not a summary. Neatify & Fix then lightly corrects punctuation, capitals and caption mistakes. Neatify & summarize gives you the clean transcript and a summary together. When publishing is on (always, on the Free plan while signed in), the result is also published to digestvid.com.

Can I copy, print or email a summary?

Yes. Every summary in the extension has Copy, Print (choose Save as PDF in the print dialog to get a PDF) and Email (opens a Gmail draft with the summary). On digestvid.com every summary and transcript page has Print / Save PDF for everyone, and Pro adds a Download Markdown button that saves that one summary or transcript as a .md file.

Is digestVid free?

Yes. Every feature is free, no card needed: summaries and transcripts, publishing and sharing up to 10 summaries a day on digestvid.com, saved summaries and a Download Markdown button on every summary and transcript page. Public summary pages show ads. Your only cost is your AI provider's, and several have a free tier. Paid plans are no longer offered; accounts that already have one keep it until it ends.

How do I cancel my plan?

Any time: go to your account and click Manage billing (Stripe's secure billing page). Your plan stays on until the end of the period you've already paid for.

What will I see on my card statement?

SMARTAPZ* DIGESTVID. Payments are processed by Stripe; your card details go to Stripe's checkout page and are never sent to or stored by digestVid. SmartApz is the company that makes digestVid.

Are my summaries public?

On the Free plan, yes: while you're signed in to digestVid in the extension, every new summary and transcript is published to digestvid.com and shared with the community (extension 1.2.10 and newer). Pro accounts can untick “Publish new results publicly” in Settings and keep them in their own browser. If you use the extension without signing in, nothing is published. A published summary (video link, title, summary, categories and tags) stays public until you or an admin remove it. Unlisted YouTube videos and unlisted Vimeo links are never published, on any plan: the result stays in your own browser (extension 1.2.11 and newer). Only summarize public videos you're allowed to share. See Privacy & publishing.

What do you store about me?

Your account email, a hashed password, your sessions and registered extension installs, your publishing usage and, on Pro, your plan and Stripe customer reference. Your AI keys stay in your browser and never reach us. On Premium, the text an AI action needs passes through our server to our AI provider and is not kept; we keep only a monthly usage count. digestVid only uses the cookies needed for signing in. Full details: Privacy & publishing.

How do I get a published summary removed?

Use Report on the summary's page, or email info@digestVid.com. To delete your data permanently, email us.

Why didn't my video work?

• No API key: open the extension's Settings and save a key for the engine you picked.
• Vimeo with no captions: we can only read Vimeo videos that have captions or subtitles.
• Private or restricted Vimeo video: Vimeo won't let digestVid open it.
• YouTube video with no transcript: the summary can only use the title and description. Try the Gemini YouTube video engine, which works from the video itself.
• AI provider busy or out of quota: wait a minute and try again, or pick another engine.

How do I contact you?

Use the contact form, or email info@digestVid.com. You can also report a bug or send a suggestion. Please don't include passwords or API keys.