Transcribe a YouTube video to text
Transcribe the audio of a YouTube video: upload the file, get a timecode on every line, the speakers named on request and six export formats.
Download the audio of the video and upload the file: the transcript comes back with a timecode on every line and the speakers named on request. One file is up to 30 minutes, and the free plan is $0 with 3 files a day.
How to transcribe the audio of a YouTube video
- 1
Take the audio of the video
The service reads files, not links: there is no link field in the app and no downloader in the product. Save the audio with any lawful downloader and keep the original file.
- 2
Watch the size before the upload
One file is up to 30 minutes. At 64 kbps a two-hour video is 57.6 MB, at 128 kbps it is 115.2 MB; both figures are calculated at that bitrate, not measured.
- 3
Upload it and read the lines
Drop the file on the widget above, set the language or leave the detection on, and switch on the split by speaker when the video holds two voices.
- 4
Export the format you need
TXT and Markdown for notes, SRT and VTT for subtitles, CSV for a spreadsheet, DOCX for an editor on Pro. Six formats, one click in the app.
What you get
- TXT
Plain text for an email, a note or a chat
- SRT
Subtitles for video editors and platforms
- VTT
Subtitles for a browser and a website
- CSV
A table: time, speaker, text
- DOCX
A Word document with speakers and times
- Markdown
Text with headings for notes
What comes back from the audio of a video
- One file
up to 30 minutes on the free plan, no minute limit on Pro
- Price
$0: 3 files a day. Pro is $10 a month paid yearly ($120 a year)
What the captions of a video leave out
Most videos on YouTube already carry captions, and those captions were made by somebody else's pipeline: they arrive as a block of text, often without timecodes you can quote from and often without the name of the speaker. A fresh transcription of the same audio is a different thing — one segment per line, a start and an end time on each, a speaker label when the recording holds more than one voice.
Tips
Download only what you have the right to keep.
Check the bitrate before you upload a long video.
Turn the speaker split on for a talk with two voices.
A playlist is a script: take the list, then loop over the files.
Questions this page answers
Can I paste a link to the video?
No. The service takes files, not links: there is no link field in the app and no YouTube integration in the product. Save the audio yourself and upload the file.
How is this transcript different from the captions?
The captions of a video come from another pipeline, often without timecodes and without speakers. Here the audio is transcribed again: one line per segment, a start and an end time on each line, a file you own.
How long a video fits into one file?
up to 30 minutes. At 64 kbps a two-hour video is 57.6 MB, at 128 kbps it is 115.2 MB, and then it has to be cut into parts before the upload.
What does a competitor give on its free plan?
TurboScribe publishes 3 transcriptions a day on its free plan (turboscribe.ai/pricing, read on 21 October 2026). Ours gives 3 files a day for $0, up to 30 minutes each, and asks for no card.
Sources
- TThe pricing page of TurboScribe, read on 21 October 2026turboscribe.ai · checked 21 October 2026
Reading: 5 minutesUpdated Transcribsi editorial team
Drop a recording — the text arrives in a minute
Speakers by name, a time on every line, export to TXT, SRT, VTT, CSV and Markdown.