Transcribe a TED Talk, Get the Text
TED already publishes a transcript for most talks on ted.com, next to the video, in several languages. Start there if a written transcript is all you need. ScreenApp is for the rest of the job: paste the talk’s YouTube link, or upload the file, to get a summary, chat with the AI about what the speaker said, translate the transcript, or transcribe a TEDx talk or a clip that has no transcript on ted.com yet.
What you get:
- A transcript with speaker identification, in 100+ languages
- AI chat with any recording, so you can ask what the speaker said about a point instead of rereading the whole talk
- transcript and caption translation
- Export as PDF, DOCX, TXT, SRT and VTT
- Free plan: 2 transcriptions of recordings up to 45 minutes each, with AI chat on both
How to Transcribe a TED Talk
- Paste the link or upload the file: Copy the talk’s YouTube link and paste it in, or upload the video or audio file if you already have it (MP4, M4V, MOV, AVI, WEBM, MKV, FLV, TS, MTS, M2TS, 3GP, 3GPP, 3G2, WMV, ASF, VOB, OGV, RM, RMVB, MPG, MPEG, M2V, F4V, MXF). ScreenApp imports from YouTube, Vimeo, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and most other public video links (Twitch, Loom, Dropbox, Google Drive, Pinterest, X, Threads, Douyin, Kuaishou, Bilibili) through a generic importer; a ted.com link itself is not one of the supported import platforms, so use the talk’s YouTube upload or download the file first.
- Let it transcribe: The audio converts to text and each speaker gets their own label, with a timestamp on every sentence.
- Review, chat and export: Read the transcript, ask the AI chat a question about the talk, and export as PDF, DOCX, TXT, SRT and VTT for notes or a quote.
Accuracy depends on the audio. TED talks are recorded on a stage microphone, so most talks transcribe cleanly; audience laughter or a lav mic cutting out mid-sentence will produce more gaps. See how we measure accuracy.
TED Talk Transcription vs Other Ways to Get a Transcript
| Feature | ScreenApp | ted.com | Notta | Sonix | Happy Scribe |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Source | Paste the YouTube link or upload the file | Published by TED for most talks | Paste the YouTube link | Upload the file | Upload the file |
| Free plan | 2 transcriptions, up to 45 min each | Free, official transcripts | 120 min/month | 30-min trial | 10-min trial |
| AI chat on the transcript | Included | Not offered | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
| Speaker identification | Included | Not applicable (single speaker) | Included | Included | Not stated |
| Export formats | PDF, DOCX, TXT, SRT and VTT | Not stated | TXT, DOCX, PDF, or XLSX | DOCX, PDF, TXT, SRT, VTT | TXT, SRT (free) |
| Languages | 100+ | Varies by talk (community-translated) | 58 | 54+ | 60+ |
| Paid plan | $19/month annual | Not applicable | $8.17/month annual | $25/month | $8.50/month annual |
Sources, checked 2026-09-29: screenapp.io/accuracy#languages, ScreenApp pricing, notta.ai/en/pricing, sonix.ai/pricing, happyscribe.com/pricing, notta.ai/en/lecture-summarizer, notta.ai/en
- vs ted.com: TED’s own transcripts cover most published talks in the video’s own languages, and cost nothing. ScreenApp is for what TED’s page does not do: AI chat with the talk, a translated transcript, or a transcript for a TEDx talk or clip that has no official one yet.
- vs Notta: Notta also takes a pasted YouTube link, with a free plan capped at 120 minutes a month and a paid plan at $8.17 a month annual. ScreenApp adds AI chat with the transcript on every plan, including free.
- vs Sonix: Sonix gives a one-time 30-minute trial, then charges $25 a month. ScreenApp’s free plan renews rather than being a one-time trial.
- vs Happy Scribe: Happy Scribe’s free trial is 10 minutes and exports only TXT, SRT on that tier. ScreenApp’s free plan exports PDF, DOCX, TXT, SRT and VTT.
Who Transcribes TED Talks
Students and researchers quote a talk accurately in an essay or a paper, with a timestamp to cite instead of retyping from memory.
Teachers transcribe a talk to build a reading handout or a discussion guide for a class, or to caption it for students who need text.
Content creators and podcasters pull a quote from a talk for a script or a newsletter, or translate a transcript for an audience in another language.
Public speakers study a talk’s structure and phrasing by reading the transcript alongside the video, then chat with the AI about how the speaker built an argument.
Non-native speakers read along with the transcript when TED’s own translation is not yet available for that talk, or ask the AI chat to explain a phrase.