YouTube Transcript API
Extract timestamped transcripts from any public YouTube video in a single request.
GET request to /v1/youtube/transcript that responds with clean JSON and costs 1 credit. Pass cache=true for a free 24h cache hit; default is always fresh. Start with 100 free credits — no credit card.What is the YouTube Transcript API?
The YouTube Transcript API lets you extract the full, timestamped transcript for YouTube transcript with a single REST call. No OAuth, no infrastructure to maintain, and no platform SDKs — send the request, get clean structured JSON back. 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/youtube/transcript?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DdQw4w9WgXcQ" \
-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": {
"url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ",
"videoId": "dQw4w9WgXcQ",
"title": "Rick Astley - Never Gonna Give You Up (Official Video) (4K Remaster)",
"transcript": "[♪♪♪] ♪ We're no strangers to love ♪ ♪ You know the rules and so do I ♪ ♪ A full commitment's what I'm thinking of ♪ ♪ You wouldn't get this from any other guy ♪ ♪ I just wanna tell you how I'm feeling ♪ ♪ Gotta make you understand ♪ ♪ Never gonna give you up ♪ ♪ Never gonna let you down ♪ ♪ Never gonna run around and desert you ♪ ♪ Never gonna make you cry ♪ ♪ Never gonna say goodbye ♪ ♪ Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you ♪ ...",
"transcriptSegments": [
{
"text": "[♪♪♪]",
"start": 1.36,
"duration": 1.68,
"end": 3.04,
"timestamp": "00:01"
},
{
"text": "♪ We're no strangers to love ♪",
"start": 18.64,
"duration": 3.24,
"end": 21.88,
"timestamp": "00:18"
}
],
"wordCount": 487,
"segments": 61,
"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
urlCanonical URL of the item.videoIdPlatform video ID.titleTitle 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 | Public YouTube video URL, e.g. https://youtube.com/watch?v=ID. Not a TikTok/Instagram/Facebook URL. 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 1 credit. 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/youtube/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 YouTube Transcript API do?+
The YouTube Transcript API lets you extract the full, timestamped transcript from a public YouTube video using one GET request to /v1/youtube/transcript. It returns clean JSON — no OAuth or infrastructure setup required.
How many credits does the YouTube Transcript API cost?+
Each successful call costs 1 credit. 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 YouTube 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 YouTube 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 YouTube 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 YouTube APIs
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