#1 · BEST OVERALL: THE MOST YOU CAN DO FOR FREE, FROM ONE PLACE · 7/8
YouTubeTranscript.dev
Paste a link and get the transcript with no account. Download it as text or subtitles, run a free AI summary, chat with the video, translate it or generate chapters. Make a free account and the same tool handles whole playlists and channels and gives you an API key.
What's free: No sign-up: 5 transcripts a day, plus 2 to 5 free uses a day of each AI tool. Free account: 10 credits a month (1 credit = 1 captioned video of any length), playlist and channel jobs up to 10 videos, API access and 3 study kits.
Why it wins
- The only tool we tested that lists free SRT and VTT subtitle downloads with no account.
- The only one that includes playlist and channel transcripts and an API together on the free plan.
- A full set of free AI tools: summary, chat, translation, chapters, quotes and blog drafts.
- Published, specific free limits, so you know exactly what you get.
Honest limitations
- Videos without captions need AI transcription, which uses credits: a free account's 10 monthly credits cover about 20 minutes, and paid plans (from $5/month) or pay as you go cover more.
- No-login use is capped at 5 transcripts a day. Heavier use needs a free or paid account.
#2 · BEST FOR AI NOTES IF YOU DON'T NEED SUBTITLE FILES · 5/8
An AI study and notes platform with a free YouTube transcript generator. It can summarize, translate and batch-transcribe, and it can transcribe videos without captions using AI.
What's free: Free to start with no login. Usage draws from a quota (1 per captioned video, 1 per 10 minutes without captions), but the size of the free allowance isn't published. Paid plans start at $9.99/month.
Good at
- AI transcription for videos without captions.
- AI summaries, mind maps and translation in the same place.
- Batch and playlist input.
Falls short on
- The free allowance isn't published, so it's hard to know how far it goes.
- No SRT or VTT subtitle download listed for the free tool.
- No public API listed.
#3 · BEST FREE OPTION FOR A SINGLE VIDEO WITHOUT CAPTIONS · 5/8
A free, no-login web tool from a developer API company. It handles one video at a time and falls back to AI transcription when a video has no captions.
What's free: Free web tool, one video at a time. The API includes 100 free credits a month. Bulk needs the paid API.
Good at
- AI fallback for videos without captions, free.
- No login.
- A free API tier if you're a developer.
Falls short on
- One video at a time.
- Text download only: no SRT or VTT files.
- No summaries or other AI tools in the free web tool.
#4 · BEST FOR A QUICK, NO-FRILLS TEXT DOWNLOAD · 3/8
A simple free web tool from a meeting-notes company. Paste a link, then view, copy or download the transcript.
What's free: Free with no email required. No limits are published.
Good at
- Very simple.
- No email needed.
- TXT download.
Falls short on
- One video at a time.
- No subtitle files listed, and no AI summaries or API for YouTube.
- Doesn't say whether it works on videos without captions.
#5 · BEST FOR A QUICK LOOK WHILE YOU WATCH · 2/8
YouTube's built-in transcript
Under any video with captions, open the description and click "Show transcript". It's already there, and it costs nothing.
What's free: Free and unlimited for viewers.
Good at
- Nothing to install or sign up for.
- Click a line to jump to that moment.
Falls short on
- Copy and paste only. No download, no subtitle files.
- One video at a time, and only if it has captions.
- No summaries, and the official API only covers videos you own.
#6 · BEST FOR READING AND HIGHLIGHTING INSIDE YOUTUBE · 1/8
A free browser extension that shows the transcript next to the video and summarizes it with ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or Mistral. You can highlight lines and send notes to Notion or Obsidian.
What's free: Free extension. Chat needs a free account and is capped at 20 questions a month.
Good at
- Transcript right beside the video.
- Summaries with your choice of AI model.
- Highlights and notes export.
Falls short on
- Needs a browser extension (an app on phones).
- Only works on videos with YouTube captions.
- No subtitle files, bulk or API.