TranscriptAPI — YouTube Transcripts via API

Dead Simple Integration

One GET request. Full transcript returned as JSON.

cURL

curl "https://youtube-transcript-api.YOUR-SUBDOMAIN.workers.dev/transcript
  ?url=https://youtu.be/dQw4w9WgXcQ
  &api_key=YOUR_API_KEY"

Python

import requests

API_KEY = "your_api_key_here"
BASE_URL = "https://transcript-api.chrisdyson.workers.dev"

def get_transcript(youtube_url):
    resp = requests.get(
        f"{BASE_URL}/transcript",
        params={
            "url": youtube_url,
            "api_key": API_KEY
        }
    )
    data = resp.json()
    return data["full_text"]

text = get_transcript("https://youtu.be/dQw4w9WgXcQ")
print(text)

JSON Response

{
  "title": "Rick Astley - Never Gonna Give You Up",
  "channel": "RickAstleyVEVO",
  "duration": 213,
  "video_id": "dQw4w9WgXcQ",
  "full_text": "We're no strangers to love, you know the rules...",
  "transcript": [
    { "text": "We're no strangers to love", "start": 18.4, "duration": 2.1 },
    { "text": "you know the rules and so do I", "start": 21.2, "duration": 2.5 },
    // ... more segments
  ],
  "segment_count": 87,
  "usage": { "current": 3, "limit": 25, "month": "2024-01" }
}

Built for Developers

Everything you need, nothing you don't.

⚡

Lightning Fast

Deployed on Cloudflare's edge network. Sub-2-second responses from anywhere in the world.

🌍

Global Coverage

Works with any public YouTube video that has captions enabled — hundreds of millions of videos.

🔧

Simple REST API

No SDKs required. One GET request returns everything: full text, timestamped segments, metadata.

🔒

API Key Auth

Secure API key authentication with per-key rate limiting and usage tracking.

📊

Usage Tracking

Every response includes your current usage so you always know where you stand.

🤖

AI Ready

Perfect for LLM pipelines, content summarization, search indexing, and more.

Simple, Transparent Pricing

Start free. Scale as you grow. No hidden fees.

Free

$0/mo

25 requests/month

Full transcript + metadata
Timestamped segments
JSON response
Community support

Get Started Free

Frequently Asked Questions

Which videos are supported?

Any public YouTube video that has captions or auto-generated subtitles enabled. This covers the vast majority of videos.

What languages are supported?

We default to English captions when available, but the API returns whatever captions YouTube has for the video.

How are requests counted?

Each successful API call counts as one request against your monthly quota. Failed requests (invalid URL, no captions) do not count.

Can I upgrade or downgrade?

Yes! You can change your plan at any time. Changes take effect on your next billing cycle.

Is there a free trial?

The Free tier IS the trial — 25 requests per month, forever. No credit card required.

What's the rate limit?

Requests are limited by your monthly quota. Within that, you can make up to 10 requests per second.

YouTube Transcriptsvia API