YouTube · Guide

How to get a YouTube transcript

TL;DR

To get a YouTube transcript, sign up for a free Captapi key, then send one GET request to /v1/youtube/transcript with your input. You get clean JSON back in seconds for 2 credits per call — no OAuth, scraping or platform SDKs. Extract timestamped transcripts from any public YouTube video in a single request.

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How to get a YouTube transcript (step by step)

1
Get a free API key
Create a free Captapi account (100 credits, no card) and generate an API key from the dashboard.
2
Call the YouTube Transcript API
Send an authenticated GET request to /v1/youtube/transcript with your input. No OAuth, no scraping setup.
3
Read the JSON response
Parse the clean JSON response. Results are cached for 24 hours, so repeat calls are free.

Code example

curl "https://api.captapi.com/v1/youtube/transcript?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DdQw4w9WgXcQ" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer capt_live_..."

What the response looks like

{
  "success": true,
  "cached": false,
  "creditsUsed": 2,
  "data": {
    "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ",
    "videoId": "dQw4w9WgXcQ",
    "title": null,
    "transcript": "[Music] We're no strangers to love. You know the rules and so do I. I feel commitments from what I'm thinking of. You wouldn't get this from any other guy. I just want to tell you how I'm feeling. Got to make you understand. Never going to give you up. I'm going to let you down. I'm going to run around and desert you. I'm going to make you say goodbye. Tell a lie and hurt you. We've known each other for so long. Your heart's been aching, but you're too shy to say we don't kno ...",
    "transcriptSegments": [
      {
        "text": "[Music]",
        "start": 0.32,
        "duration": 14.26,
        "timestamp": "00:00"
      },
      {
        "text": "We're no strangers to",
        "start": 18.8,
        "duration": 7.16,
        "timestamp": "00:18"
      }
    ],
    "wordCount": 291,
    "segments": 52,
    "language": "English"
  }
}

Request parameters

Name	Type	Required	Description
url	string	Yes	Public YouTube video URL, e.g. https://youtube.com/watch?v=ID.
language	string	No	Preferred caption language as an ISO code, e.g. "en". Defaults to auto-detect.

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 scraping setup required.

How many credits does the YouTube Transcript API cost?

Each successful call costs 2 credits. Responses are cached for 24 hours, and cached results cost 0 credits. Failed or empty results are never charged.

Do I need a YouTube API key or OAuth?

No. A single Captapi key works across YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook. 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, automatic retries, and a shared 24-hour cache. Use it for RAG pipelines, analytics, monitoring, and content automation.

Ready to get a YouTube transcript?

Start free with 100 credits — no credit card required.

Get your free API key