# Podcast Transcripts: Publisher Transcripts from RSS, No STT (`actor-forge/podcast-transcripts`) Actor

Get podcast episode transcripts that publishers attach to their RSS feeds (Podcasting 2.0): find shows by feed URL, Apple Podcasts link or search, and get clean text with speakers and timestamps from VTT, SRT, JSON or text files. No speech-to-text cost. $3 per 1,000 transcripts.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/actor-forge/podcast-transcripts.md
- **Developed by:** [ActorForge](https://apify.com/actor-forge) (community)
- **Categories:** Videos, Marketing
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $3.00 / 1,000 transcripts

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

An Actor is a serverless cloud program that runs on the Apify platform. It has two run modes.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.

Apify vocabulary and the platform model are defined once, in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md.

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For examples already wired to this Actor's own input schema, see the [API](#api) section below.

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).

# README

## Podcast Transcripts: Publisher Transcripts from RSS, No STT

Get podcast episode transcripts that publishers attach to their RSS feeds (Podcasting 2.0): find shows by feed URL, Apple Podcasts link or search, and get clean text with speakers and timestamps from VTT, SRT, JSON or text files. No speech-to-text cost. $3 per 1,000 transcripts.

**Podcast transcripts without paying for speech-to-text.** More and more podcast hosts (Buzzsprout, Transistor, Captivate, RSS.com and other Podcasting 2.0 hosts) attach a transcript file to every episode in the RSS feed. This actor finds them for you: give it **feed URLs, Apple Podcasts links or search terms**, and for each episode with a transcript you get one clean row with the **podcast and episode title, publish date, duration, season and episode number, audio and episode links**, and the **full transcript as plain text**, plus **speakers** and **timestamped segments** when the file has timings (WebVTT, SRT and Podcasting 2.0 JSON; plain-text and HTML transcripts are supported too). Use it for **podcast search and research**, quote finding, content repurposing (show notes, clips, newsletters), SEO, and feeding transcripts into your own analysis or LLM pipeline. **$3 per 1,000 transcripts**, far below speech-to-text pricing, with no compute bill on top; shows without transcripts return a free status row.

### What data does it return?

Every run outputs clean, schema-validated rows like these:

| podcastTitle | episodeTitle | transcriptType | wordCount |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Buzzcast | Why Your Podcast Stats Don't Add Up (And What Metrics Actually Matter) | application/json | 14532 |
| Build Your SaaS | What is Transistor's secret weapon? | application/json | 7044 |
| Bloomberg Tech | Meta Doubles Down on AI Spending, Plans New Class C Shares | text/vtt | 8584 |

### How much does it cost?

Transparent pay-per-event pricing — you only pay for what you get, and the
actor **always respects your run budget**: set a maximum total charge and it
stops cleanly at the cap instead of overrunning.

| Event | Price | Charged | Worked example |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `transcript` | $0.003 | per episode transcript | 1,000 transcripts = $3.00 (any length) |
| `apify-actor-start` | $0.00005 | per run per GB of memory (platform start fee) | One run at 256 MB = $0.00005 |

### Input options

| Field | Type | Required | Default | Description |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `feedUrls` | array | no | — | RSS feed URLs of the shows, e.g. https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/231452.rss. |
| `applePodcasts` | array | no | — | podcasts.apple.com/.../id123456789 links or Apple podcast IDs; the RSS feed is looked up for you. |
| `searchTerms` | array | no | — | Optional keywords to find shows in the Apple Podcasts directory, e.g. technology, marketing, true crime. Only shows that publish transcripts return rows. |
| `maxPodcastsPerSearch` | integer | no | `10` | How many shows to check for each search term. |
| `country` | string | no | `"us"` | Two-letter country code for search and lookup (us, gb, de, ...). |
| `maxEpisodesPerPodcast` | integer | no | `10` | How many of the newest episodes of each show to check for a transcript. |
| `transcriptLanguage` | string | no | — | Optional language code (en, es, de) when a show offers transcripts in several languages. |
| `includeSegments` | boolean | no | `true` | Add the segments array (start, end, speaker, text) when the transcript has timings (JSON, VTT, SRT). |
| `publishedAfter` | string | no | — | Optional date (YYYY-MM-DD): only episodes published on or after it. |
| `maxItems` | integer | no | `100` | Upper limit on transcripts for the whole run. |

### Limits & honest notes

- **Responsible use:** transcripts are the podcast publisher's copyright. Use them for search, research, analysis and quoting with attribution, and do not republish them in full without permission. This actor is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Apple or any podcast host.
- Only transcripts the publisher attached to the feed (the podcast:transcript tag) are returned; there is no speech-to-text, so shows without transcripts return a free status row and nothing is charged. Coverage depends on the host: Buzzsprout, Transistor, Captivate, RSS.com and many Podcasting 2.0 hosts publish them.
- Feeds and transcript files are fetched with an honest user agent (ActorForge-PodcastTranscripts), robots.txt is checked on every host, at least 1 s between requests per host, with no login, cookies or proxies. Apple Podcasts search and lookup use Apple's documented iTunes Search API (about 20 calls a minute). Requests to private or internal network addresses are refused.
- If one host blocks a request, that feed or episode is skipped with a free status row and the run continues. Respects your run budget: set a maximum total charge and the run stops cleanly at the cap.

### Related ActorForge actors

- [Podcast Search](https://apify.com/actor-forge/podcast-search) — find shows and episodes with full metadata and charts
- [RSS Feed Reader](https://apify.com/actor-forge/rss-feed-reader) — any other feed

### Changelog

- **2026-10-23** — Initial release: feeds, Apple Podcasts links and search; podcast:transcript in JSON, WebVTT, SRT, text and HTML; plain text, speakers and timestamped segments; language preference and date filter; free status rows.

***

*Built and maintained by **ActorForge**. Reliability first: every actor in the
portfolio is monitored by an automated nightly self-test, and breakages are
typically fixed the same day.*

# Actor input Schema

## `feedUrls` (type: `array`):

RSS feed URLs of the shows, e.g. https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/231452.rss.

## `applePodcasts` (type: `array`):

podcasts.apple.com/.../id123456789 links or Apple podcast IDs; the RSS feed is looked up for you.

## `searchTerms` (type: `array`):

Optional keywords to find shows in the Apple Podcasts directory, e.g. technology, marketing, true crime. Only shows that publish transcripts return rows.

## `maxPodcastsPerSearch` (type: `integer`):

How many shows to check for each search term.

## `country` (type: `string`):

Two-letter country code for search and lookup (us, gb, de, ...).

## `maxEpisodesPerPodcast` (type: `integer`):

How many of the newest episodes of each show to check for a transcript.

## `transcriptLanguage` (type: `string`):

Optional language code (en, es, de) when a show offers transcripts in several languages.

## `includeSegments` (type: `boolean`):

Add the segments array (start, end, speaker, text) when the transcript has timings (JSON, VTT, SRT).

## `publishedAfter` (type: `string`):

Optional date (YYYY-MM-DD): only episodes published on or after it.

## `maxItems` (type: `integer`):

Upper limit on transcripts for the whole run.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "feedUrls": [
    "https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/231452.rss"
  ],
  "maxPodcastsPerSearch": 10,
  "country": "us",
  "maxEpisodesPerPodcast": 3,
  "includeSegments": true,
  "maxItems": 100
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (type: `string`):

One row per episode transcript: podcast, episode, date, duration, audio link, transcript text, speakers and timestamped segments.

## `summary` (type: `string`):

Rows delivered, requests made, whether the source refused a request, and billing.

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "feedUrls": [
        "https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/231452.rss"
    ],
    "maxEpisodesPerPodcast": 3
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("actor-forge/podcast-transcripts").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = {
    "feedUrls": ["https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/231452.rss"],
    "maxEpisodesPerPodcast": 3,
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("actor-forge/podcast-transcripts").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "feedUrls": [
    "https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/231452.rss"
  ],
  "maxEpisodesPerPodcast": 3
}' |
apify call actor-forge/podcast-transcripts --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,actor-forge/podcast-transcripts"
        }
    }
}
```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/HDp3eILX2UUheZMuf/builds/R3uQtgupjfV3YYcD0/openapi.json