YouTube Transcript API is a research & education tool that extracts and translates YouTube video transcripts. It converts videos to text, even without captions, and supports various export formats.
YouTube Transcript API is a comprehensive tool designed to extract, translate, and download transcripts from YouTube videos. It leverages both YouTube's native caption data and advanced AI-powered audio transcription for videos without existing captions, ensuring broad compatibility. Users can convert videos to text and download transcripts in multiple formats including TXT, SRT, VTT, and JSON, all with accurate timestamps. The platform also offers translation to over 100 languages, batch processing for playlists, and a developer-friendly REST API with SDKs for various programming languages. It's trusted by over 3,000 users for its reliability and extensive features.
Best used for
Ideal for content creators who need to generate subtitles for their videos, students who want to transcribe lectures for study, and researchers analyzing video content. Especially valuable for converting YouTube videos to text, even when no native captions are available, and translating them for a global audience.
$9/month for 1,200 credits or $0 for basic access. Check youtubetranscript.dev for current pricing.
FAQs
How does YouTubeTranscript.dev handle videos without existing captions?
For YouTube videos that do not have default captions, YouTubeTranscript.dev utilizes advanced AI-powered audio transcription. This allows the tool to generate accurate transcripts directly from the video's audio track, making it suitable for podcasts, lectures, and interviews.
What export formats are available for downloaded transcripts?
Users can download YouTube transcripts in several popular formats. These include plain text (TXT), subtitle files (SRT and VTT), and structured data (JSON). All formats come with accurate timestamps, and SRT/VTT are ready for use in video editors.
Can I extract transcripts from multiple YouTube videos at once?
Yes, YouTubeTranscript.dev supports bulk extraction. You can extract transcripts from entire YouTube playlists with a single request. The Business plan allows processing up to 100 videos simultaneously, with channel-level extraction planned for future release.
Is there an API for programmatic access to YouTube transcript extraction?
Yes, YouTubeTranscript.dev provides a developer-friendly REST API. It supports both synchronous and asynchronous modes, includes webhooks for managing long-running jobs, and facilitates batch processing. SDKs are available for Python, JavaScript, and Dart to aid integration.