YouTube Transcript Scraper – Captions & Text

Extract YouTube transcripts and captions from public videos as structured text with timestamps where available. Ideal for AI datasets, summarization, search, research and content analysis.

Pricing: from $0.0005/1,000 transcripts - and no charge for empty results. You only pay for successfully delivered results. Failed, empty, duplicate and filtered results are free.

What data can it extract?

Depending on the selected input, results can include:

• videoId - Unique video identifier.
• url - Source URL of the item.
• language - Transcript language code.
• transcriptText - Full transcript text.

Unavailable fields are returned as null instead of fabricated values.

Example output

{
  "videoId": "dQw4w9WgXcQ",
  "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ",
  "language": "en",
  "transcriptText": "Full transcript text of the video, one line per caption segment."
}

How to use YouTube Transcript Scraper

1. Click Try for free on the Apify Store page.
2. Paste the video URL you want to scrape.
3. Set Maximum results to control spending, then run.
4. Export as JSON, CSV, Excel, or consume via API.

Usage

Python (Apify Client)

from apify_client import ApifyClient

client = ApifyClient('YOUR_API_TOKEN')
run = client.actor('DataLeadsPRO/youtube-transcript-scraper').call(run_input={
    'startUrls': [{'url': 'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ'}]
})
for item in client.dataset(run['defaultDatasetId']).iterate_items():
    print(item)

JavaScript

import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

const client = new ApifyClient({ token: 'YOUR_API_TOKEN' });
const run = await client.actor('DataLeadsPRO/youtube-transcript-scraper').call({
    'startUrls': [{'url': 'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ'}]
});
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).list();
console.log(items);

REST / OpenAPI

curl -X POST 'https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/DataLeadsPRO~youtube-transcript-scraper/runs?token=YOUR_API_TOKEN' \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{ "startUrls": [{ "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ" }] }'

This Actor ships an OpenAPI 3.1 specification (openapi.yaml) and can be exposed through MCP for AI agent integrations.

YouTube transcript extractor

A YouTube transcript extractor built for AI datasets: feed videos, receive caption text for summarization, RAG indexing and content analysis.

Why DataLeadsPRO?

• Transparent per-result pricing with no charge for empty results
• Structured, documented output fields - no fabricated data
• Python, JavaScript, REST, CLI, OpenAPI and MCP integration examples
• Fast, maintained and monitored infrastructure

Common use cases

• Market research - track public content, creators and engagement.
• Competitor monitoring - monitor public accounts, posts, videos or search results.
• AI and LLM datasets - feed structured public data into RAG systems, agents and analytics pipelines.
• Lead and creator discovery - build structured public datasets for research and outreach qualification.
• Social listening - monitor public conversations around brands, products or topics.

Frequently asked questions

How much does transcripts scraping cost?

From $0.0005 per 1,000 successfully delivered results on the FREE tier, with Bronze, Silver and Gold volume tiers below that.

Do empty searches cost money?

No result event is charged when no successful result is delivered.

Can I use this through an API?

Yes - REST, Python, JavaScript, CLI, OpenAPI or MCP.

Can I export the results?

Yes. Apify datasets support JSON, CSV, Excel, XML and other formats.

Can I schedule this scraper?

Yes. Use Apify schedules to rerun saved inputs automatically.

Related actors

• DataLeadsPRO/x-twitter-scraper-api
• DataLeadsPRO/x-profile-scraper
• DataLeadsPRO/x-scraper-unlimited
• DataLeadsPRO/x-replies-scraper-api
• DataLeadsPRO/x-list-scraper-api
• DataLeadsPRO/instagram-scraper-api

Responsible use

This Actor is intended for extracting publicly available information. Users are responsible for complying with applicable laws, platform terms and data-protection requirements. This Actor is an independent tool and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the platform owner.

License

MIT - see LICENSE.