Instagram Transcript API
Turn any Instagram Reel's speech into text — the full transcript plus timestamped segments, ready for search, subtitles, or AI pipelines.
GET request to /v1/instagram/transcript that responds with clean JSON and costs 2 credits. Pass cache=true for a free 24h cache hit; default is always fresh. Start with 100 free credits — no credit card.What is the Instagram Transcript API?
Send a Reel URL and the Instagram Transcript API returns everything spoken in the video as clean text: the full transcript, timestamped segments (start time and duration for each line), and word count. Auto-detects the spoken language, or pass an optional language code (like 'tr' or 'en') to pin it — recommended for short clips. Great for making Reels searchable, generating subtitles, feeding AI tools, or turning video into text. No Instagram login or OAuth required. Pass cache=true to serve from the 24h shared cache (0 credits on hit); default is always fresh.
What you get
- Full transcript text with start/end timestamps when available
- Auto-detected language and segment count
- AI audio transcription fallback when no captions exist
- Clean JSON ready for search, subtitles, or AI pipelines
Try it
Fill in the parameters below and copy a ready-to-run request, or open the live Playground to run it against your account (no API key paste).
Parameters
curl "https://api.captapi.com/v1/instagram/transcript?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.instagram.com%2Fp%2FDZFsjH9E3gK%2F" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer capt_live_..."
# or: -H "x-api-key: capt_live_..."Edit the parameters and the code updates instantly. Switch languages and hit copy.
Example response
{
"success": true,
"data": {
"platform": "instagram",
"url": "https://www.instagram.com/p/DZFsjH9E3gK/",
"transcript": "Can you guess where we are? We're about to unveil the seven natural wonders of America. Look how close we are. This is amazing. From a geologist standpoint, globally, this is geology and action that is all-inspiring. The touch is something very human. There are myths, there are legends, there are important stories that hold a sacred dish if you will. It's absolutely beautiful. And you just see how lush the vegetation is. There's such a diverse ecosystem. It's incredible. We're having so much fun about to unveil the seven natural wonders of America, just in time for the Fourth of July. Absolutely. You'll see this on ABC National Geographic in NatGeo.com. So guess where we are, comment and let us know what you think and we'll see you on Independence Day. And keep exploring.",
"transcriptSegments": [
{
"text": "Can you guess where we are? We're about to unveil the seven natural wonders of America.",
"start": 0,
"duration": 4.64,
"end": 4.64,
"timestamp": "00:00"
},
{
"text": "Look how close we are. This is amazing. From a geologist standpoint,",
"start": 5.92,
"duration": 4.72,
"end": 10.64,
"timestamp": "00:05"
},
{
"text": "globally, this is geology and action that is all-inspiring. The touch is something very human.",
"start": 10.64,
"duration": 5.04,
"end": 15.68,
"timestamp": "00:10"
},
{
"text": "There are myths, there are legends, there are important stories that hold a sacred",
"start": 16.24,
"duration": 5.36,
"end": 21.6,
"timestamp": "00:16"
},
{
"text": "dish if you will. It's absolutely beautiful. And you just see how lush the vegetation is. There's",
"start": 21.6,
"duration": 4.24,
"end": 25.84,
"timestamp": "00:21"
},
{
"text": "such a diverse ecosystem. It's incredible. We're having so much fun about to unveil the seven",
"start": 25.84,
"duration": 7.28,
"end": 33.12,
"timestamp": "00:25"
},
{
"text": "natural wonders of America, just in time for the Fourth of July. Absolutely. You'll see this on",
"start": 33.12,
"duration": 4.56,
"end": 37.68,
"timestamp": "00:33"
},
{
"text": "ABC National Geographic in NatGeo.com. So guess where we are, comment and let us know what you think",
"start": 37.68,
"duration": 5.76,
"end": 43.44,
"timestamp": "00:37"
},
{
"text": "and we'll see you on Independence Day. And keep exploring.",
"start": 43.44,
"duration": 6,
"end": 49.44,
"timestamp": "00:43"
}
],
"wordCount": 135,
"segments": 9,
"language": "en"
}
}Billing metadata is returned in response headers: X-Captapi-Credits (credits charged), X-Captapi-Cache (hit or miss), and X-Captapi-Source. Failed requests (4xx/5xx) are never charged. See the full list of error codes in the error reference.
Response structure
A successful call returns success, cached, creditsUsed, and a data object with the following fields:
Top-level fields
platformPlatform identifier (e.g. youtube, instagram).urlCanonical URL of the item.transcriptComplete text transcript.wordCountTotal number of words in the transcript.segmentsTranscript segment count, or sponsor segment list on video-sponsors endpoints.languageDetected or requested language code.
Transcript segments
Each item in transcriptSegments contains:
textText content.startStart time in seconds.durationLength in seconds.endEnd time in seconds.timestampHuman-readable timestamp (MM:SS format).
Parameters
| Name | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| url | string | Yes | Instagram Reel URL, e.g. https://instagram.com/reel/ID/. The URL platform must match this endpoint's platform. Do not pass cross-platform URLs, e.g. YouTube to TikTok, Instagram to Facebook, LinkedIn to X/Twitter, or Pinterest to Rumble. |
| language | string | No | Preferred caption language as an ISO code, e.g. "en". Defaults to auto-detect. |
| cache | boolean | No | Set true to serve from the 24h response cache. Default false — always fetch fresh data. |
Authentication: send your key as Authorization: Bearer capt_live_.... A typical call costs 2 credits. Pass cache=true for a free 24h cache hit; default is always fresh.
How it works
- 1. Sign up — get 100 free credits, no card required.
- 2. Create a key from your dashboard.
- 3. Send one request to
/v1/instagram/transcriptand parse the JSON response.
Use cases
Accessibility
Provide captions and transcripts for hearing-impaired users.
Content Analysis
Analyze spoken content for keywords, topics, and sentiment.
Search & Discovery
Make video content searchable by text.
Content Creation
Extract quotes and key phrases from videos.
Language Learning
Provide text alongside audio for language learners.
Research
Analyze large volumes of video content efficiently.
SEO
Extract text content for search engine optimization.
Frequently asked questions
What does the Instagram Transcript API do?+
The Instagram Transcript API lets you extract the full, timestamped transcript from a public Instagram video using one GET request to /v1/instagram/transcript. It returns clean JSON — no OAuth or infrastructure setup required.
How many credits does the Instagram Transcript API cost?+
Each successful call costs 2 credits. Pass cache=true to serve from the 24h shared cache (0 credits on hit); default is always fresh. Failed or empty results are never charged.
Do I need a Instagram API key or OAuth?+
No. A single Captapi key works across every platform Captapi supports — YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter/X, Reddit, Threads, Bluesky, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Rumble, Spotify, Kwai, and more. We handle proxies, rate limits, retries, and authentication for you.
What if the Instagram video has no captions?+
When no captions are available, Captapi transcribes the audio with AI (Whisper) automatically, so you still get a usable transcript.
Is the Instagram Transcript API suitable for production use?+
Yes. It is a stable REST endpoint with predictable JSON and automatic retries. Pass cache=true to serve from the 24h shared cache (0 credits on hit); default is always fresh. Use it for analytics, monitoring, and content automation.
More Instagram APIs
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