Link or file: which one to use
| Paste a YouTube link | Upload a video file | |
|---|---|---|
| Where the text comes from | The video's caption track | Our speech model listens to the audio |
| Speed | A few seconds, any length | About a minute per 30 minutes of video |
| Price | Free and unlimited | 120 min free a month, then Pro or a minute pack |
| Speaker labels | No — captions don't name speakers | Yes, renameable, carried into every export |
| Works without captions | No | Yes — new uploads, unlisted videos, screen recordings, Zoom files |
| Max length | None | 120 min per file free, 3 hours on Pro |
| Best for | Lectures, talks, tutorials, podcasts on YouTube | Interviews, your own footage, anything that must be word-perfect |
Not sure? Try the link first — if the video has no captions, ScribeCue says so and you can switch to Upload without leaving the page.
How to generate a video transcript
- Choose link or file. Paste a YouTube link to use its captions, or switch to Upload for a video file of your own.
- Generate. Links return in a few seconds. Files are transcribed by our speech model in about a minute per 30 minutes of video — 120 minutes free each month.
- Name the speakers. On an uploaded file, click Speaker 1, Speaker 2… to rename them once; every export uses the new names.
- Export. TXT or Word to read and edit, SRT or VTT to subtitle the video.
What people generate video transcripts for
| Use | Start with | Download |
|---|---|---|
| Study notes from a lecture | YouTube link | TXT or DOCX, plus the AI summary |
| Subtitles for your own video | Upload the file | SRT for Premiere, Resolve or CapCut; VTT for the web |
| Quotes from an interview | Upload, with speaker labels | DOCX with names and timestamps |
| Repurposing a video into a blog post | Link or file | TXT without timestamps |
| Accessibility for a course or webinar | Upload the recording | SRT or VTT |
How accurate is it?
| Source | What to expect |
|---|---|
| Creator-written YouTube captions | Usually word-for-word, punctuated |
| YouTube automatic captions | Good on clear speech; misses names, jargon and crosstalk — labelled Auto-generated |
| ScribeCue AI transcription (upload) | Punctuated sentences and speaker turns, transcribed fresh from the audio |
For a transcript you will quote or publish as subtitles, upload the file: it is transcribed fresh from the audio rather than from automatic captions.
ScribeCue vs. other video transcript generators
Most video transcript generators do one of the two jobs: link tools only read YouTube captions, and file tools want an account before the first minute. Checked logged out on 3 November 2026:
| ScribeCue | YouTubeToTranscript | youtube-transcript.io | NoteGPT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| YouTube link | Free, unlimited, no account | Free, with ads | 25 free tokens | Free, basic mode |
| Upload your own video | Yes, 120 min free a month | No | No | Yes, with an account |
| Speaker labels | Yes, renameable | No | No | Paid option |
| SRT / VTT subtitles | Yes, exact timing | No | No | Yes |
| Word (DOCX) | Yes | No | No | No |
Which file to download
| You want to… | Download | Timing kept |
|---|---|---|
| Read, quote or paste into ChatGPT / Notion | TXT | Optional |
| Edit and share in Word or Google Docs | DOCX (video title as the heading) | Optional |
| Add subtitles in Premiere, Resolve, CapCut or re-upload to YouTube | SRT | Yes |
| Subtitles in a web player or HTML5 <track> | VTT | Yes |
Related guides
- Transcript generator — audio, video or a YouTube link, one place.
- YouTube to transcript — a link to the full text in seconds.
- Playlist transcripts — a whole playlist or channel as one ZIP.
- MP4 to transcript — speakers, timestamps and SRT from a video file.
- SRT generator — subtitle files that line up exactly.
- Video summarizer — TL;DR, key points and chapters.
Frequently asked questions
Is the video transcript generator free?
Yes. Transcripts from YouTube links are free and unlimited with no account. Uploaded video files are free for 120 minutes a month; after that, Pro or a one-off minute pack.
Which video files can I upload?
MP3, M4A, WAV, AAC, OGG, FLAC, MP4, MOV, WebM and MKV. Up to 120 minutes per file on the free plan and 3 hours on Pro.
Can it generate a transcript for a video without captions?
Yes, from the file. A YouTube link with no caption track has no text to read, so upload your own copy of the video and our speech model transcribes the audio.
Does it tell speakers apart?
On uploaded files, yes: it labels Speaker 1, Speaker 2 and so on, and you can rename them once for the whole transcript.
What happens to my video file?
It is used only to make your transcript and is deleted automatically afterwards. We never use your files to train models.
Can I make subtitles from the transcript?
Yes. Download SRT or VTT; both keep the timing of every line, so they drop straight into Premiere, Resolve, CapCut or YouTube Studio.
Does it work on a phone?
Yes. Paste a link, or upload a video from your camera roll, in any mobile browser — nothing to install.