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YouTube Transcripts, Plain Text Out.

Paste a link, get the full transcript in seconds. Works even when the video has no captions.

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Paste a YouTube URL and get a preview. Sign in to get the full transcript at no cost.

Paste a URL and hit Extract.

From Link to Transcript. No Waiting, No Guesswork
Get your transcript in seconds

No signup required to try it. Just paste, extract, and download.

  1. Step 1
    PASTE

    Drop your YouTube URL

    Any link works — full URLs, shortened youtu.be links, or just the video ID.

  2. Step 2
    EXTRACT

    We check for captions first

    If the video already has captions, we pull them straight out — fast, and free to preview.

  3. Step 3
    TRANSCRIBE

    No captions? AI handles it

    If a video has no captions at all, we transcribe the audio automatically — no extra steps, no separate tool.

  4. Step 4
    EXPORT

    Download in your format

    Plain text, SRT, VTT, or JSON — pick what fits your workflow.

Pricing

One credit ≈ $0.013 at the Growth tier. Credits from any paid pack never expire.

Free trial

7-day free trial · 150 credits

No credit card required. Enough for a handful of audio-transcribed videos while you kick the tires. Unused trial credits become unusable when the 7 days end unless you buy a pack.

Start Free Trial
Or Buy a Credit Pack
starter
$9
600 credits
$0.015 per credit
  • Caption + AI audio transcription
  • All export formats (TXT, SRT, VTT, JSON)
  • 20 requests/hour
  • Community/FAQ support
Recommended
growth
$29
2,200 credits
$0.013 per credit
  • Everything in Starter
  • 60 requests/hour
  • Priority support email
business
$79
6,800 credits
$0.012 per credit
  • Everything in Growth
  • 200 requests/hour
  • Dedicated support email

Frequently asked

The short version. Ask via support if yours isn't here.

Is yt2text affiliated with YouTube?
No. yt2text is an independent tool. It's not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by YouTube, Google LLC, or any of their subsidiaries.
How does yt2text get the transcript?
Two paths, picked automatically per video. When the video has a caption track (auto-generated or human-authored), we pull that directly. When it doesn't, we extract the audio and run it through AI. Slower and more expensive per minute, but still returns the same output shape.
Which export formats do I get?
Four: TXT for plain-text reading, SRT and VTT for subtitle players, and JSON for further processing (each segment with its start time, duration, and text). Pick the format on each extraction; the same request works for all four.
How does the credit system work?
Every extraction costs credits: 1 credit per caption-based transcript, and roughly 1 credit per 20 seconds of audio for the AI transcription path (minimum 3 credits). Credits are pulled from your balance at the moment of extraction; nothing is billed per-second.
What's the free trial?
7 days and 150 credits, no credit card required. Enough for around 150 caption-based transcripts or a handful of audio-transcribed videos while you kick the tires. Any unused trial credits become unusable when the 7 days end unless you buy a pack. Buying any pack unlocks your remaining trial credits permanently.
Do purchased credits expire?
No. Credits from any paid pack (Starter, Growth, or Business) don't expire. Buy once, use whenever.
What are the rate limits?
Per account, per hour: 10 requests on trial, 20 on Starter, 60 on Growth, 200 on Business. Hitting the ceiling returns a 429 with the reset time; no credit is spent on rate-limited requests, so you don't lose money to the cap.
How accurate is the AI audio transcription?
Our AI model handles clear speech very well, with typical word error rates in the low single digits. Accuracy degrades on heavy accents, overlapping speakers, poor audio, or noisy backgrounds. For those cases, the caption path (when captions exist) is usually more reliable.
Which languages are supported?
For the caption path, whatever languages YouTube's caption track exposes for that video (often 10+ per popular video, including auto-generated and human-authored). For the AI audio path, our AI supports 90+ languages; we default to English detection, but the model auto-detects the dominant language.
Can I transcribe private, unlisted, or age-restricted videos?
Public and unlisted videos work as long as the URL is accessible without sign-in. Private videos and most age-restricted videos won't work as the extractor can't see what a signed-out visitor can't see. Live streams that have finished and generated a VOD work; ongoing live streams don't.
How do I get support?
Trial and Starter accounts: use the standard support email shown in your signed-in status line. Growth and Business accounts get a distinct priority support address. Same team, faster response. Both are monitored inboxes; email is the only channel right now.

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Enter your email & we'll send a sign-in link. No password, no card, 150 credits waiting on the other side.