YouTube transcript generator that listens to the video
Paste a YouTube link and we transcribe the video's audio in 99+ languages, so it works without captions and names every speaker. Then edit, translate or summarize the transcript, or download it as SRT subtitles.
Any public YouTube video, one video per link. Links from your phone work too.
Works with links from YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and 8 more
Free: 30 min a month, links up to 15 min, no card. Your link or file stays in this browser until you sign up. Compare plans
- We transcribe the audio, not the captions
- Up to 32 speakers, SRT and Word on every plan
YouTube's captions or a real transcript?
Many videos already have captions, and YouTube shows them as a transcript. Here's when that's enough and when it isn't.
- Just want to read along? Open the video's description and choose Show transcript. If the video has captions, that may be all you need.
- No captions, or the wrong words? We transcribe the audio itself, so it works on videos with no captions and on names and terms the auto-captions miss.
- Several people talking? Captions don't say who's speaking. Each speaker gets a label here; rename them once and every line follows.
- Need a file? Download the transcript as TXT, Word, PDF or Markdown, or as SRT and VTT subtitles timed to the video.
A real recording and its real transcript
This is the Apollo 11 landing as PrismaScribe transcribed it: two speakers on their own lines, every word timed, the beeps tagged. Captions can't show you who spoke; this can. Press Listen and each word lights up as it's said.
The Moon landing, July 20, 1969
Houston, uh, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed.
Roger, Twang... Tranquility. We copy you on the ground. You got a bunch of guys about to turn blue. We're breathing again. Thanks a lot. [beeping]
Subtitles and documents, ready to download
The Apollo 11 transcript above as SRT and VTT subtitles, and as a Word document. Speaker names and times come along, or switch them off.
Apollo 11 landing.srt
- 100:00:00,500 to 00:00:05,980Neil Armstrong: Houston, uh, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed.
- 200:00:06,640 to 00:00:08,478CAPCOM, Charlie Duke: Roger, Twang...
- 300:00:08,478 to 00:00:12,494Tranquility. We copy you on the ground. You got a bunch of guys about to turn blue.
- 400:00:12,494 to 00:00:14,720We're breathing again. Thanks a lot. [beeping]
Apollo 11 landing.vtt
WEBVTT
- 100:00:00.500 to 00:00:05.980Neil Armstrong: Houston, uh, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed.
- 200:00:06.640 to 00:00:11.301CAPCOM, Charlie Duke: Roger, Twang... Tranquility. We copy you on the ground. You got a bunch of guys
- 300:00:11.301 to 00:00:14.720CAPCOM, Charlie Duke: about to turn blue. We're breathing again. Thanks a lot. [beeping]
Apollo 11 landing
Neil Armstrong
[0:00] Houston, uh, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed.
CAPCOM, Charlie Duke
[0:06] Roger, Twang... Tranquility. We copy you on the ground. You got a bunch of guys about to turn blue. We're breathing again. Thanks a lot. [beeping]
How to transcribe YouTube videos
Three steps, and the link waits for you while you sign up.
1 Copy the video's link
Choose Share and Copy link under the video, or copy the address bar. A link from the YouTube app on your phone works too.
2 Paste it and choose what to transcribe
Pick the language or leave it on detect. Set a start and an end if you only need part of the video, and only that part is downloaded and counted.
3 Read, fix and download
Click any word to hear it and correct what needs correcting. Then download it as TXT, SRT, VTT, PDF, DOCX or Markdown.
30 min of free transcription a month, no card.
Subtitles for your own channel, SRT or VTT
Subtitles
Download the transcript as an SRT or VTT file on every plan, with your edits in it, and add it to your video in YouTube Studio as its subtitles.
- Set the line length and how long each caption stays on screen.
- Speaker names in or out, as your viewers need them.
Subtitles
SRT, selectedVTT
Subtitle settings
Max characters per line 84 characters
Max segment duration 7 seconds
Launch check-in.srt
- 100:04:10,000 to 00:04:15,000Ana: Okay, the launch date. Where are we with the help center articles?
- 200:04:15,000 to 00:04:17,709Ben: Twelve of fifteen are written.
- 300:04:17,709 to 00:04:22,000The last three need screenshots of the new settings page.
The transcript in another language
Translate
Translate the transcript into any of 99+ languages. Each line keeps its speaker and its time, so you can read a talk in your language or download translated subtitles.
- Side by side with the original, line by line.
- Download the translation as TXT, SRT or VTT.
English to Spanish
Okay, the launch date. Where are we with the help center articles?
Bueno, la fecha del lanzamiento. ¿Cómo vamos con los artículos del centro de ayuda?
Twelve of fifteen are written. The last three need screenshots of the new settings page.
Hay doce de quince escritos. A los tres últimos les faltan capturas de la nueva página de ajustes.
Key points, a quiz and flashcards from a lecture or a talk
Study
Make a summary of key points, each with the speaker's name and the moment it was said. Click a time to hear it, then turn the same transcript into a quiz or flashcards.
- Long lecture? Transcribe only the part you need with a start and an end.
- Ask a question about the video and jump to the answer.
Summary
Launch check-in
Launch check-in · 18:42 Open transcript
Key points3
- Ben: Twelve of fifteen help center articles are written; three wait for screenshots. 4:15
- Chloe: Screenshots of the new settings page arrive by Wednesday. 4:22
- Dev: The launch date stays; support trains on Thursday. 4:28
What happens to a YouTube link
What PrismaScribe takes from the video, and what it leaves.
- Only the sound is downloaded. We fetch the video's audio, never the picture, and your library lists it as an audio file. We don't give a video file back.
- The speech becomes text. Everything said is transcribed, with who said it and when. YouTube's captions aren't read, so a video without them works the same.
- Text on screen isn't read. Slides, titles and captions burned into the picture aren't transcribed. If nobody says it, it isn't in the transcript.
- One video per link. A link from a playlist takes the one video it points to. Paste each video's own link.
- Public and unlisted videos. Private, members-only and age-restricted videos can't be imported, and neither can live streams. If the video is yours, download it and upload the file.
- Now and then YouTube says no. YouTube occasionally refuses a download. If it does, download the video and upload the file instead.
Other sites, the same way
The same link field takes one public video at a time from these sites too.
Links also work from
- Vimeo
- TikTok
- X
- SoundCloud
- Twitch
- Loom
- Dailymotion
One video per link, on the web. Google Drive, Dropbox and Spotify links can't be imported.
Have the file instead?
- Longest link
- 15 min on Free, 5 hr on Starter and Premium, 8 hr 20 min on Pro, after setting a start and an end
- Part of a video
- Set a start and an end: only that part is downloaded and counted
- Languages
- 99+, or detected automatically
- Speakers
- Up to 32 in one video
- Downloads
- TXT, SRT, VTT, PDF, DOCX and Markdown, on every plan
Good to know
- On Free, a YouTube link can be up to 15 min. For a longer video, set a start and an end around the 15 min you need. An uploaded file is different: a longer upload is transcribed up to its first 15 min.
- Paid plans take a link up to their own file length: 5 hr on Starter and Premium, 8 hr 20 min on Pro. Custom vocabulary counts as 1.25× the minutes and noise removal as 2×.
- Free has 30 min a month, up to 15 min a day, one video at a time. Top-up hours lift the daily and per-video time limits.
- Links are on the web. The iPhone app uploads videos from Files and Photos.
- Transcribe videos you made or have permission to use.
- YouTube, TikTok, Instagram and WhatsApp are trademarks of their owners. PrismaScribe isn't affiliated with them.
Plans
Monthly and yearly prices for every plan. The full comparison is on the pricing page.
30 min a month, files up to 15 min
- Monthly
- $0
- Yearly
- $0
5 hr a month, files up to 5 hr
- Monthly
- $7 a month
- Yearly
- $52 a year, Save 38%$4.33 a month, billed once a year
20 hr a month, files up to 5 hr
- Monthly
- $20 a month
- Yearly
- $150 a year, Save 38%$12.50 a month, billed once a year
40 hr a month, files up to 8 hr 20 min
- Monthly
- $40 a month
- Yearly
- $300 a year, Save 38%$25 a month, billed once a year
Your transcripts stay private
- Encrypted in transit and at rest, and visible only to you and the people you share them with.
- Never used to train AI models.
- Kept until you delete them.
YouTube transcript FAQ
More questions? Write to hello@prismascribe.ai.
How do I get the transcript of a YouTube video?
If the video has captions, YouTube can show them: open the description and choose Show transcript. When there are no captions, the words are wrong, or you need speaker names or a file, paste the link here to convert the YouTube video to text. We transcribe the video's audio, and the transcript waits in your dashboard with every word timed.
Does it work if the video has no captions?
Yes. Our YouTube to text converter never reads YouTube's captions: it downloads the video's sound and transcribes what's said. A video without captions, or with poor auto-captions, works the same as any other.
Is the YouTube transcript generator free?
Yes, on the Free plan, with no card: 30 min of transcription a month, up to 15 min a day, one video at a time. On Free a link can be up to 15 min, so for a longer video set a start and an end around the part you need. Speaker labels, every download and translation are included. For longer videos there are paid plans, and top-up hours that never expire.
How long can the video be?
Up to 15 min on Free, 5 hr on Starter and Premium, and 8 hr 20 min on Pro, counted after you set a start and an end. On Free, a longer link has to be trimmed to 15 min before it's transcribed; a longer uploaded file is transcribed up to its first 15 min.
Can I transcribe only part of a video?
Yes. When you paste the link, set a start and an end. Only that part is downloaded, transcribed and counted against your minutes.
Which YouTube links work?
Any public or unlisted YouTube video link, one video per link, including links shared from the YouTube app on a phone. A link inside a playlist brings in only that one video. Private, members-only and age-restricted videos can't be imported, and neither can live streams. Now and then YouTube refuses a download; then download the video and upload the file.
Which languages can it transcribe?
99+ languages, picked by you or detected automatically, including videos where people switch languages mid-sentence. You can then translate the transcript into any of 99+ languages. See every language.
Can I download it as SRT subtitles for YouTube Studio?
Yes, on every plan. Download the transcript as SRT or VTT, set the line length and how long each caption stays on screen, and choose whether speaker names show. Then add the file to your video in YouTube Studio. Subtitle generator.
Can I transcribe YouTube videos on my phone?
Yes, in your phone's browser: copy the link in the YouTube app and paste it here. Links aren't in the iPhone app yet; it uploads videos from Files and Photos.
How long does it take?
First the video's sound is downloaded, then about an hour of audio takes about two minutes to transcribe. You can close the page; the transcript waits in your dashboard and an email tells you it's done.
Paste your next YouTube link.
30 min of free transcription a month, no card.
One recording in.
Everything you need out.