# YouTube Transcript Scraper – Channels, Playlists & Search (`fast_data_asap/youtube-transcript-scraper`) Actor

Get YouTube transcripts and subtitles for $2 per 1,000: videos, Shorts, whole channels, playlists and search results. Text, timestamps or AI-ready chunks for RAG. Pay only for transcripts found.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/fast_data_asap/youtube-transcript-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [Fast Data](https://apify.com/fast_data_asap) (community)
- **Categories:** Videos, AI, Social media
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $1.50 / 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.
Since this Actor supports Apify Store discounts, the price gets lower the higher subscription plan you have.

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

## YouTube Transcript Scraper

Get transcripts and subtitles from YouTube videos, Shorts, whole channels, playlists and search results, as plain text, timestamped segments or AI-ready chunks for RAG.

**$2 per 1,000 transcripts. You only pay for transcripts that were found.** Videos without subtitles are listed with a status but are not charged.

#### Why this scraper

- ✅ **Whole channels, playlists and search results** in one run, not just single videos
- ✅ **Pay only for success**: no charge for videos without transcripts
- ✅ **AI-ready chunks** with start and end times for RAG, embeddings and LLM prompts
- ✅ **Language control**: preferred languages, fallback, human-made subtitles first
- ✅ **Fast and cheap**: smart proxy rotation keeps runs reliable without residential-proxy prices

### What you get

| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| `videoId`, `url`, `title`, `channel`, `durationSeconds` | Video info (title, channel and duration are filled for channel, playlist and search inputs) |
| `status` | `ok`, `transcripts_disabled`, `no_transcript_in_requested_languages`, `video_unavailable`, `age_restricted` or `failed` |
| `language`, `languageCode`, `isGenerated`, `isTranslated` | Which transcript was used |
| `availableTranscripts` | All transcript languages the video offers |
| `text` | Full transcript as one string |
| `segments` | `[{start, duration, text}]` with timestamps in seconds |
| `chunks` | Optional `[{start, end, text}]` blocks of a set size, ready for embeddings |
| `wordCount` | Number of words |

### Inputs

- **Videos, channels or playlists**: any mix of video URLs, IDs, Shorts, `@channel` URLs and playlist URLs.
- **Search queries**: fetch transcripts of the top results for a keyword.
- **Preferred languages**: e.g. `en`, `de`. Falls back to any available language unless you switch it off.
- **Translate to**: try YouTube's built-in translation into one language. YouTube does not always allow this; if it refuses, you get the original transcript and a `translationError` note, and you are charged the normal price.
- **AI-ready chunk size**: splits each transcript into chunks with start and end times.

### Example output

```json
{
  "videoId": "dQw4w9WgXcQ",
  "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ",
  "status": "ok",
  "languageCode": "en",
  "isGenerated": false,
  "wordCount": 412,
  "text": "We're no strangers to love ...",
  "segments": [{"start": 18.64, "duration": 3.24, "text": "We're no strangers to love"}]
}
```

### Use cases

- Feed video content into ChatGPT, Claude or your own RAG pipeline
- Summarise, translate or repurpose videos into blog posts and newsletters
- Research what competitors and creators say about a topic
- Build datasets for content and market analysis

### How much does it cost?

| Transcripts | Price |
|---|---|
| 100 | $0.20 |
| 1,000 | $2.00 |
| 10,000 | $20.00 |

Videos without transcripts are free. With the Apify free plan's $5 monthly credit you can test it at no cost.

### FAQ

**Does it work for auto-generated subtitles?** Yes. Human-made subtitles are preferred when both exist; set `preferManualTranscripts` to false to change that.

**Can I get transcripts in another language?** Choose preferred languages. Translation uses YouTube's own translations when YouTube allows it; otherwise you get the original language.

**What if a video has no transcript?** It appears in the results with a status such as `transcripts_disabled` and is not charged.

**Is this a YouTube Transcript API?** Yes. Call it via the Apify API, MCP or integrations and get JSON back, an alternative to youtube-transcript-api or the YouTube Data API captions endpoint, without OAuth.

### Use it with Claude, ChatGPT and other AI agents

1. Add the Apify MCP server to your assistant (e.g. in Claude: Settings → Connectors → add `https://mcp.apify.com`, then sign in with Apify).
2. Ask in plain language. The assistant finds this Actor, runs it and works with the results.

Or connect only this Actor: `https://mcp.apify.com?tools=fast_data_asap/youtube-transcript-scraper`

Example prompts:

- "Get the transcripts of the last 20 videos from @hubermanlab and summarise the key advice."
- "Fetch the transcript of this video and turn it into a blog post: https://youtu.be/..."

You can also run it via the Apify API, on a schedule, or connect it to Make, Zapier, n8n and Google Sheets.

#### Free n8n workflow

[Summarise new videos of a YouTube channel with AI into Google Sheets](https://github.com/ichkifokkus/data-recipes/tree/main/1-youtube-channel-ai-summaries) – import-ready n8n workflow using this Actor. More in [Data Recipes](https://github.com/ichkifokkus/data-recipes).

#### Pay per call with x402 – no account needed

AI agents can run this Actor and pay per call with **x402** (USDC stablecoin payments over HTTP) through Apify's agentic payments – no Apify account or API key required. You pay the same pay-per-event prices listed above. Details: [Apify x402 integration](https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/x402).

### Notes

- Only publicly available transcripts are read. No login, no cookies, nothing is downloaded.
- Cheap data-center proxies are used first; blocked requests are retried automatically through residential proxies.
- Transcripts belong to their creators. Make sure your use complies with copyright and YouTube's terms.

# Actor input Schema

## `startUrls` (type: `array`):

YouTube video URLs or IDs, Shorts, channel URLs (e.g. https://www.youtube.com/@mkbhd/videos) or playlist URLs.

## `searchQueries` (type: `array`):

Optional. Searches YouTube and fetches transcripts of the top results.

## `maxVideosPerSource` (type: `integer`):

Limits how many videos are taken from each channel, playlist or search query.

## `languages` (type: `array`):

Language codes in order of preference, e.g. en, de, es.

## `fallbackToAnyLanguage` (type: `boolean`):

If none of the preferred languages exists, return whatever transcript is available.

## `preferManualTranscripts` (type: `boolean`):

Use creator-uploaded subtitles over auto-generated ones when both exist.

## `translateTo` (type: `string`):

Optional language code (e.g. en). Uses YouTube's built-in translation when available.

## `includePlainText` (type: `boolean`):

Adds the whole transcript as one text field.

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

Adds the transcript as timestamped segments (start, duration, text).

## `chunkSizeChars` (type: `integer`):

Optional. Splits the transcript into chunks of roughly this many characters with start/end times, ready for RAG and embeddings. 0 = off.

## `maxConcurrency` (type: `integer`):

How many videos are processed in parallel.

## `maxRetries` (type: `integer`):

How often a request is retried with a new proxy when YouTube blocks it.

## `proxyConfiguration` (type: `object`):

Cheap data-center proxies are used first. Keep 'Residential fallback' on so blocked requests are retried through residential IPs.

## `residentialFallback` (type: `boolean`):

When YouTube blocks a request, retry it through Apify residential proxies. Recommended.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "startUrls": [
    "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ"
  ],
  "maxVideosPerSource": 10,
  "languages": [
    "en"
  ],
  "fallbackToAnyLanguage": true,
  "preferManualTranscripts": true,
  "includePlainText": true,
  "includeSegments": true,
  "chunkSizeChars": 0,
  "maxConcurrency": 8,
  "maxRetries": 4,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": true
  },
  "residentialFallback": true
}
```

# Actor output Schema

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

No description

# 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 = {
    "startUrls": [
        "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ"
    ],
    "maxVideosPerSource": 10
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("fast_data_asap/youtube-transcript-scraper").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 = {
    "startUrls": ["https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ"],
    "maxVideosPerSource": 10,
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("fast_data_asap/youtube-transcript-scraper").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 '{
  "startUrls": [
    "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ"
  ],
  "maxVideosPerSource": 10
}' |
apify call fast_data_asap/youtube-transcript-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,fast_data_asap/youtube-transcript-scraper"
        }
    }
}
```

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/6Cz0VX3S0Ofoi0ZfE/builds/tQhchLAycIj94sKAS/openapi.json