YouTube Transcript - YouTube Video Transcription & Speech Extraction API

Extract speech transcripts from YouTube videos with dual-language output (source + translated), millisecond-accurate SRT timestamps, and 20+ metadata fields including view count, like count, tags, categories, and channel data. This API supports 156+ languages, automatic language detection, and optional translation to any target language — returning structured JSON for YouTube-specific subtitle generation, content indexing, and search-augmentation workflows.

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Why Choose This YouTube Transcription API

Dual-Language Transcripts with SRT Timestamps, 20+ Metadata Fields & 156+ Languages

🎬 Speech-to-Text Extraction Extract full transcript text from any public YouTube video with automatic source language detection and millisecond-accurate segment timestamps in SRT format.

🌐 Dual-Language Output Receive both the original transcript in the detected language and an optional translation to any of 156+ target languages — both with synchronized timestamps.

📊 Rich Video Metadata 20+ fields per video: title, description, author, channel ID, duration, view/like/share/dislike/comment counts, categories, tags, thumbnail URL, published date, and audio track info.

🤖 AI-Ready Structured Output JSON with segmented transcript arrays optimized for NLP pipelines, content indexing, RAG workflows, and subtitle generation.

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Quick Start Guide

How to Transcribe YouTube Videos in 3 Steps

Step 1: Configure Parameters

Paste a YouTube video URL and select the target translation language (or "None" for original only).

Step 2: Run the Actor

Click "Start" to begin transcription. Audio is extracted and processed with automatic language detection.

Step 3: Access Structured Results

Download JSON dataset with full transcript, translation, timestamps, and video metadata.

Example Input

{
  "video_url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcG919C4UeU",
  "translate": "English"
}

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Input Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
🔗 Video URL	String	Yes	YouTube video URL to transcribe
🌍 Target Language	String	Yes	Translation language (156+ options) or "None" for original only

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Output Data Schema

Each transcribed YouTube video returns 20+ metadata fields plus dual-language transcript data:

Video Metadata Fields

Field	Type	Description
source_url	String	Original YouTube URL
platform	String	Video platform (YouTube)
title	String	Video title
description	String	Video description
author	String	Channel/creator name
author_id	String	Channel ID
duration	Number	Duration in seconds
view_count	Integer	View count
like_count	Integer	Like count
comment_count	Integer	Comment count
categories	Array	Video categories
tags	Array	Video tags
published_at	String	Publication timestamp
thumbnail	String	Thumbnail URL

Transcript Fields

Field	Type	Description
source_transcript.language	String	Detected source language
source_transcript.text	String	Full transcript text
source_transcript.segments	Array	Timestamped segments (start, end, text)
target_transcript.language	String	Target translation language
target_transcript.text	String	Full translated text
target_transcript.segments	Array	Timestamped translated segments

Example Output

{
  "source_url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ",
  "processor": "https://apify.com/agentx/youtube-transcript",
  "processed_at": "2025-01-15T10:30:15.456Z",
  "platform": "YouTube",
  "title": "How to Build a Successful YouTube Channel in 2025",
  "author": "TechCreatorPro",
  "duration": 1247,
  "view_count": 1250000,
  "like_count": 89000,
  "source_transcript": {
    "language": "English",
    "text": "Today I'm going to show you the exact strategies...",
    "segments": [
      {
        "start": "00:00:00,000",
        "end": "00:00:08,500",
        "text": "Today I'm going to show you the exact strategies"
      }
    ]
  },
  "target_transcript": {
    "language": "Spanish",
    "text": "Hoy te voy a mostrar las estrategias exactas...",
    "segments": [
      {
        "start": "00:00:00,000",
        "end": "00:00:08,500",
        "text": "Hoy te voy a mostrar las estrategias exactas"
      }
    ]
  }
}

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Integration Examples

Python Integration

from apify_client import ApifyClient

client = ApifyClient("YOUR_API_TOKEN")

run_input = {
    "video_url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ",
    "target_lang": "English"
}

run = client.actor("XfzZmSAG84ODgmr0z").call(run_input=run_input)
dataset_items = client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).list_items().items

for item in dataset_items:
    print(f"Title: {item['title']}")
    print(f"Language: {item['source_transcript']['language']}")
    print(f"Transcript: {item['source_transcript']['text'][:200]}...")

JavaScript Integration

import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

const client = new ApifyClient({ token: 'YOUR_API_TOKEN' });

const input = {
  video_url: 'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ',
  target_lang: 'English'
};

const run = await client.actor('XfzZmSAG84ODgmr0z').call(input);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();

items.forEach(item => {
  console.log(`Title: ${item.title}`);
  console.log(`Segments: ${item.source_transcript.segments.length}`);
});

Make.com (Integromat) Integration

1. Add an Apify module to your Make scenario
2. Select Run an Actor action
3. Set Actor ID to XfzZmSAG84ODgmr0z
4. Configure input JSON with video_url and target_lang
5. Set Run synchronously to YES
6. Add Get Dataset Items module to receive transcript data

N8N Integration

1. Add an Apify node to your n8n workflow
2. Set Actor to XfzZmSAG84ODgmr0z
3. Configure video_url and target_lang in input JSON
4. Use downstream nodes to process transcript data

JSON-LD Metadata

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "SoftwareApplication",
  "name": "YouTube Transcript",
  "description": "YouTube video transcription and speech extraction API with dual-language output, SRT timestamps, and 20+ metadata fields",
  "applicationCategory": "Developer Tools",
  "operatingSystem": "Cloud",
  "url": "https://apify.com/agentx/youtube-transcript?fpr=aiagentapi",
  "dateModified": "2026-06-24",
  "offers": {
    "@type": "Offer",
    "price": "0.43",
    "priceCurrency": "USD"
  }
}

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Pricing & Cost Calculator

Transparent Pay-Per-Use Model

Event Type	Price	Description
Actor Start	$0.05	Per run initialization
Actor Usage	$0.00001	Per compute unit consumed
Transcript	$0.43	Per video transcribed (source language)
Translation	$0.15	Per video translated to target language

Cost Examples

Single Video (original only):

• Actor Start: $0.05
• Transcript: $0.43
• Total: ~$0.48

Single Video (with translation):

• Actor Start: $0.05
• Transcript: $0.43
• Translation: $0.15
• Total: ~$0.63

Batch of 10 Videos (with translation):

• Actor Start: $0.05
• Transcripts: 10 × $0.43 = $4.30
• Translations: 10 × $0.15 = $1.50
• Total: ~$5.85

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Use Cases & Applications

Content Repurposing & SEO

Video-to-Text Pipeline Convert YouTube video content into searchable text for blog posts, articles, and documentation — increasing organic search visibility for video-first content.

Subtitle Generation Generate SRT-formatted subtitles in 156+ languages from any YouTube video for accessibility compliance and international content distribution.

Research & Intelligence

Content Analysis Extract transcripts at scale for NLP analysis — topic modeling, sentiment analysis, keyword extraction, and competitive content benchmarking.

Training Data Collection Build speech-to-text and language model training datasets from YouTube content with aligned multilingual transcript pairs.

Monitoring & Compliance

Brand Mention Tracking Monitor YouTube video transcripts for brand mentions, product references, and competitive intelligence signals.

Content Auditing Extract and audit spoken content from corporate YouTube channels for compliance, messaging consistency, and quality assurance.

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FAQ

What YouTube URL formats are supported?

Standard watch URLs (youtube.com/watch?v=...), short URLs (youtu.be/...), and embed URLs. The URL must point to a publicly accessible video.

What happens when target language is "None"?

Only the source transcript is returned in the auto-detected language. No translation is performed, reducing cost.

How are timestamps formatted?

SRT format: HH:MM:SS,mmm (hours:minutes:seconds,milliseconds). Each segment includes start and end timestamps.

What is the maximum video length?

No hard limit. Longer videos cost more (flat per-video pricing). Processing time scales linearly with duration.

Are age-restricted or private videos supported?

No. Only publicly accessible YouTube videos can be transcribed. Age-gated, private, or geo-restricted videos return errors.

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SEO Keywords & Search Terms

Primary Keywords

YouTube transcript API, YouTube video transcription, YouTube speech extraction, YouTube subtitle generator API, YouTube transcript download API, YouTube video to text

Long-Tail Keywords

extract YouTube video transcript with timestamps API, YouTube dual-language transcription structured JSON, YouTube video speech-to-text pipeline, YouTube subtitle generation 156 languages

Industry Terms

speech-to-text, video transcription, subtitle generation, content indexing, NLP training data, multilingual translation, content repurposing

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Trust & Certifications

• ✅ Enterprise Ready - Processing videos of any length with 99.9% uptime
• ✅ GDPR Compliant - EU data protection standards
• ✅ 156+ Languages - Comprehensive multilingual transcription and translation
• ✅ Regular Updates - Continuous maintenance for platform changes

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Legal & Compliance

Data Rights & Usage

All data extracted by this actor originates from publicly accessible YouTube video content. Users are responsible for ensuring their use complies with applicable laws and YouTube's Terms of Service.

Privacy Compliance

• GDPR: Compliant with EU General Data Protection Regulation. No personal data is stored beyond the extraction session.
• CCPA: Compliant with California Consumer Privacy Act requirements.

Platform Terms of Service

Users must review and comply with YouTube's Terms of Service regarding content usage. This tool accesses only publicly available video content.

Enterprise Support

For enterprise licensing, custom integrations, or compliance inquiries:

• Telegram: @AiAgentApi

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Support & Community

• 👥 Community: @Apify_Actor
• 👤 Contact Team: @AiAgentApi

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Last Updated: June 24, 2026