Two ways to transcribe a YouTube video
Most transcript sites can only do the first one. ScribeCue does both, on the same site, with the same reader and the same downloads.
| From the link (captions) | Upload the file (AI transcription) | |
|---|---|---|
| How it works | Reads the caption track YouTube publishes for the video | Our speech model listens to the audio itself |
| Speed | A few seconds, any length | About a minute for a 30-minute file |
| Price | Free and unlimited | 120 min free a month, then Pro or a minute pack |
| Speaker labels | No (captions don't name speakers) | Yes — rename Speaker 1, 2… and the names go into every export |
| Works without captions | No | Yes — music, new uploads, your own unlisted videos |
| Languages | Every caption track the video has, plus translation into 24 | 30+ spoken languages, auto-detected |
| Best for | Lectures, talks, podcasts, tutorials | Interviews, videos without captions, when every word must be right |
Start with the link — about nine in ten talks, lectures and podcasts have captions. Use Video to text or Audio to text when they don't.
How to transcribe a YouTube video
- Copy the video link. From the address bar, or Share → Copy link in the YouTube app. Shorts, youtu.be and live-replay links work too.
- Paste it and press Get transcript. If the video has captions, the full transcript appears in a few seconds, in paragraphs, next to a player that follows along.
- No captions? Upload the file. Drop your own copy of the video or its audio on Video to text. ScribeCue transcribes the speech with timestamps and optional speaker labels — 120 minutes free each month.
- Copy or download. Copy all the text, or download TXT, DOCX, SRT or VTT. Turn timestamps on or off first.
Before and after: raw captions vs. ScribeCue
YouTube stores captions as short timed fragments, a few words each. Copied straight out of the Show transcript panel, that is what you get. ScribeCue joins the fragments into sentences and paragraphs, keeps one timestamp per paragraph and leaves every word as published. Three real examples, same seconds of each video:
| Video | Raw caption lines | ScribeCue paragraph |
|---|---|---|
| Steve Jobs, Stanford commencement (15 min) | 0:47 Today I want to tell you three stories from my life. That's it. · 0:52 No big deal. Just three stories. · 0:55 The first story is about connecting the dots. · 1:01 I dropped out of Reed College after the first 6 months, | [0:47] Today I want to tell you three stories from my life. That's it. No big deal. Just three stories. The first story is about connecting the dots. I dropped out of Reed College after the first 6 months… |
| Tim Urban, TED (14 min) | 0:19 Now, when a normal student writes a paper, · 0:21 they might spread the work out a little like this. · 0:23 So, you know -- · 0:25 (Laughter) · 0:26 you get started maybe a little slowly, | [0:12] … Now, when a normal student writes a paper, they might spread the work out a little like this. So, you know -- (Laughter) you get started maybe a little slowly… |
| Ken Robinson, TED (20 min) | 0:43 There have been three themes running through the conference, · 0:46 which are relevant to what I want to talk about. · 0:49 One is the extraordinary evidence of human creativity | [0:27] … There have been three themes running through the conference, which are relevant to what I want to talk about. One is the extraordinary evidence of human creativity… |
Switch timestamps off and the same text copies as clean prose; switch them on, or download SRT, and every original line keeps its exact timing.
How accurate is the transcript?
| Source | What to expect | We label it as |
|---|---|---|
| Creator-written captions | Usually word-for-word, with punctuation | Creator captions |
| YouTube automatic captions | Good on clear speech; misses names, jargon and crosstalk | Auto-generated |
| ScribeCue AI transcription (upload) | Punctuated sentences and speaker turns, transcribed fresh from the audio | Your file |
We never rewrite the words of a caption track, so a quote you copy matches what YouTube shows. If the automatic captions are not good enough for a quote or a subtitle file, upload the file for a fresh transcription.
ScribeCue vs. YouTubeToTranscript, youtube-transcript.io and Tactiq
The three sites people most often use for this, checked logged out on 2 November 2026 against the same questions:
| ScribeCue | YouTubeToTranscript | youtube-transcript.io | Tactiq | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free without sign-up | Unlimited | Yes, with ads | 25 free tokens, then account | Yes |
| Downloads | TXT, DOCX, SRT, VTT | Copy only | Copy, download | Copy, download |
| Videos without captions | Upload: AI transcription with speakers | No | No | No (meeting extension only) |
| AI summary with chapters | Yes, 3 a day free | Prompt library | Yes | Meeting prompts |
| Ads | None | Yes | None seen | None seen |
Our full test of five tools, with the method: Best YouTube transcript tools. Coming from NoteGPT? See ScribeCue vs. NoteGPT.
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
- YouTube to text — the transcript as clean paragraphs, ready to paste.
- YouTube to transcript — a link to the full text in seconds.
- Playlist transcripts — a whole playlist or channel as one ZIP.
- Video transcript generator — from a link or a video file.
- Transcript with timestamps — every line timed; click to jump the video.
- Transcript translator — read or download it in 24 languages.
- YouTube summarizer — TL;DR, key points and clickable chapters.
- SRT generator — subtitle files for Premiere, Resolve or CapCut.
Frequently asked questions
Is YouTube video transcription free?
Yes. Transcribing any YouTube video that has captions is free and unlimited, with no account and no ads. AI transcription of an uploaded file is free for 120 minutes a month.
How do I transcribe a YouTube video without captions?
A link alone has no text to read, so download or export your own copy of the video, or record its audio, and upload it on the Video to text page. ScribeCue transcribes the speech with timestamps and optional speaker labels.
How long does it take?
A few seconds from a link, whatever the video length. An uploaded file takes about a minute per 30 minutes of audio.
Can I transcribe a long video, like a 3-hour podcast?
Yes. Links have no length limit. Uploads are up to 120 minutes per file free and up to 3 hours on Pro.
Does it identify who is speaking?
Uploaded files can get speaker labels you rename to real names. Caption tracks from a link don't say who is speaking, so they come without labels.
Can I transcribe YouTube videos on my phone?
Yes. Copy the link from the YouTube app (Share → Copy link) and paste it here in any mobile browser. Nothing to install.
Which file should I download?
TXT or DOCX to read, quote or edit; SRT or VTT for subtitles, which keep the exact timing of every line.