First try for free, then sign up for fast transcriptions

YouTube to Text — Get YouTube Transcripts Fast. Many languages, save as .PDF, .text or copy/paste to document. Timestamped every 60 seconds.

Paste a YouTube URL below and get the full text transcript in seconds. Copy it, download it as .TXT, PDF or copy/paste to document. NOTE: YouTube clips with CC (Closed Captions) are preferred — videos without CC may not have transcriptions enabled.

ⓘ The original language of the video is likely to produce the most accurate transcript, as captions are typically created in that language.

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Fetching transcript Processing content Formatting output
450,000+monthly searches for YouTube transcripts
2.74BYouTube monthly active users
500 hrsof video uploaded every minute
3 freetranscripts to try

Why People Use YouTube to Text

From researchers to content creators, millions of people need YouTube video content in text form every day.

🎓

Students & Researchers

Extract lecture transcripts for note-taking, citation, and study. Search within videos, highlight key passages, and export to your note-taking app.

✍️

Content Creators

Repurpose video content into blog posts, social media captions, newsletters, and scripts. Turn one video into five pieces of written content.

🔍

SEO & Marketers

Extract competitor video transcripts for keyword research. Use transcripts as the basis for SEO-optimised articles and landing pages.

Accessibility

Make video content accessible to deaf and hard-of-hearing users, non-native speakers, and anyone who prefers reading to watching.

🤖

AI & Automation

Feed transcripts into ChatGPT, Claude, or your own AI pipeline. Build knowledge bases, training datasets, and automated summaries.

📊

Business & Legal

Transcribe interviews, webinars, conference talks, and earnings calls for documentation, compliance, and analysis.

How the YouTube Tool Suite works together

Step 1 — You are here
Transcript Extractor
Paste any YouTube URL to get the full text transcript. Copy it, download as TXT or PDF, or process it in bulk. NOTE: YouTube clips with CC (Closed Captions) are preferred — videos without CC may not have transcriptions enabled.
📚 Step 2
Study Notes AI
Turn any YouTube lecture into structured study notes — précis summary, key concepts, definitions, and review questions.
Try Study Notes AI →
🗺️ Step 3 (AU RTOs)
ASQA Competency Map
For Australian training organisations — map any YouTube video against Units of Competency from training.gov.au.
Try Competency Map →

One account works across all three tools. Credits are shared.

How It Works

1

Paste the URL

Copy any YouTube video URL and paste it into the input box above.

2

Click Get Transcript

Our tool extracts the full video transcript in seconds — no waiting, no queue.

3

Copy or Download

Copy to clipboard, download as a plain text file, or export as a formatted PDF.

4

Upgrade for More Features

Upgrade to a paid plan for AI summaries, study notes, and full course generation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is youtubetotext.io completely free? Do I need to sign up?

youtubetotext.io offers a free YouTube transcript generator with no sign-up required for basic use. You get 3 free transcripts to try — no credit card needed. After that, a free account gives you continued access. Paid plans start at $4/month for 20 transcripts with PDF download, timestamped export, and 90+ language translation. You can extract, copy, and download transcripts for any YouTube video that has captions available.

Does every YouTube video have a transcript?

Most YouTube videos have auto-generated captions, which we use to produce the transcript. Videos without any captions (auto-generated or manual) cannot be transcribed. Accuracy is highest for videos with manually uploaded captions.

Can I download the transcript as a PDF?

Yes. After extracting the transcript, click the "PDF" button to download a formatted PDF document with the video title and full transcript text.

What languages are supported? Can I translate a YouTube transcript?

youtubetotext.io supports YouTube transcript extraction and translation in 90+ languages, including French, Spanish, German, Japanese, Arabic, Hindi, Portuguese, Korean, Italian, and more. If the video does not have captions in your requested language, our AI machine translation automatically converts the transcript to your chosen language. Simply select your target language before clicking Extract.

Do you offer an API for bulk transcript extraction?

Yes — our Silver and Diamond plans include API access for bulk extraction. See the pricing section above for details.

Is there an API for bulk transcript extraction?

For bulk extraction and API access, our Silver and Diamond plans include API access. See the pricing section above.

Choose Your Plan

Start free. Upgrade any time. Cancel any time — no charge in the next billing cycle.

Free
$0/mo
3 free transcripts — account required
  • 5 transcript extractions/month
  • Plain text download
  • Basic language detection
  • No PDF export
  • No email delivery
  • No AI summary
Try Free Now
Bronze
$7/mo
For casual users
  • 50 extractions/month
  • Plain text + PDF download
  • Timestamps included
  • No AI summary
  • No course generation
Silver
$14/mo
For light use by RTOs
  • 200 extractions/month
  • PDF + Word export
  • AI summary (500 words)
  • Shareable transcript link
  • No course generation
Gold
$24/mo
For power users
  • Unlimited extractions
  • All export formats
  • Full AI summary
  • Chapter detection
  • Bulk batch processing
  • No competency mapping
Best Value
Diamond Plus
$99/mo
For RTOs and Enterprises
  • Everything in Diamond
  • Compliant assessment suggestions
  • Batch competency analysis
  • ASQA-ready PDF reports
  • Numbered clause mapping
  • Share reports via link
  • Dedicated support

✓ Cancel any time — no lock-in contracts. Downgrade or cancel before your next billing date and you won't be charged.

Want More Than a Transcript?

Get more from any YouTube video — AI summaries, structured study notes, full online courses, and more. Free to start.

View Plans →