Get a YouTube Transcript From a Link
YouTube itself shows a transcript for some videos: click Show transcript, under the video description. It works only for videos with captions, and it does not export, translate, or answer questions about what you’re reading. ScreenApp does the rest of the job: paste the video’s link, or upload the file, and it transcribes the audio directly, so it also works on a video where the uploader never turned captions on.
What you get:
- A transcript with speaker identification and timestamps, in 100+ languages
- AI chat with any recording, so you can ask what was said instead of scrubbing back through the video
- 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 Get a YouTube Transcript
- Paste the link, or upload the file: copy a public YouTube video’s URL and paste it in (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 links all work this way). If the video is private, age-restricted, or you’re working from a playlist, download or screen-record it first and upload the file instead (MP4, M4V, MOV, AVI, WEBM, MKV, FLV, TS, MTS, M2TS, 3GP, 3GPP, 3G2, WMV, ASF, VOB, OGV, RM, RMVB, MPG, MPEG, M2V, F4V, MXF).
- Let it transcribe: the audio converts to text, each speaker gets a label, and every sentence gets a timestamp. This runs whether or not the video has captions.
- Review, chat and export: read the transcript, ask the AI chat a question about the video, and export as PDF, DOCX, TXT, SRT and VTT.
Accuracy depends on the audio: a video with a single clear speaker transcribes cleanly, while heavy background music, overlapping voices, or a noisy live stream leaves more gaps. See how we measure accuracy.
YouTube Transcript Generator vs Other Ways to Get a Transcript
| Feature | ScreenApp | YouTube’s own transcript | youtubetotranscript.com | notegpt.io | tactiq.io |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| How you get it | Paste the link or upload the file | Show transcript, under the video description | Paste the link | Paste the link | Paste the link |
| Works without captions | Yes, transcribes the audio | No, only for videos with captions | Depends on YouTube’s own auto-generated captions | Not stated | Not stated |
| Free plan | 2 transcriptions, up to 45 min each | Free (built into every video page) | free, no limit on the number of transcripts | no length limit stated | 10 transcripts/month |
| Speaker labels | Included | Not applicable | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
| AI chat on the transcript | Included | Not offered | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
| Export formats | PDF, DOCX, TXT, SRT and VTT | Not stated | copy to clipboard only, no file download | TXT, or copy without timestamps | download as a .txt file |
| Paid plan | $19/month annual | Not applicable | Not applicable (fully free) | $9/month | $8/month annual |
Sources, checked 2026-09-17: support.google.com/youtube/answer/15930243, ScreenApp pricing, youtubetotranscript.com, notegpt.io/youtube-transcript-generator, Tactiq plan guide, tactiq.io/tools/youtube-transcript, notegpt.io/pricing
- vs YouTube’s own transcript: the button under the video description only shows up only for videos with captions, and it doesn’t export, translate, or answer a question about the content. ScreenApp transcribes the audio itself, so it also covers a video with no captions, and adds AI chat and export.
- vs youtubetotranscript.com: it’s free, no limit on the number of transcripts with no sign-up, but its transcript depends on YouTube’s own auto-generated captions and it exports as copy to clipboard only, no file download. ScreenApp transcribes the audio directly and exports as PDF, DOCX, TXT, SRT and VTT.
- vs notegpt.io: its YouTube transcript generator states no length limit stated and exports as TXT, or copy without timestamps. ScreenApp adds speaker labels and AI chat with the transcript.
- vs tactiq.io: its free plan is capped at 10 transcripts a month, then $8 a month annual. ScreenApp’s free plan renews rather than counting down a monthly quota.
Who Uses a YouTube Transcript
Content creators turn a video’s spoken script into a blog post, a newsletter, or a social caption, pulling the exact words instead of rewriting from memory. The same tool transcribes Instagram Reels and short-form video for the rest of a repurposing pipeline.
Students and researchers pull a quote from a lecture, interview, or conference talk, with a timestamp to cite instead of scrubbing through a long recording.
Marketers convert a competitor’s video to text and scan it for messaging, pricing, or product claims without watching it end to end.
Journalists pull accurate quotes from a press conference or interview, jumping to the exact timestamp when fact-checking.
Podcasters who publish on YouTube use the transcript to write show notes and episode descriptions without summarizing each episode from scratch.