# YouTube Transcript Scraper - Fast, Cheap, Any Language (`geese_chief/youtube-transcripts-reliable`) Actor

Get YouTube video transcripts / subtitles / captions as text and timestamped segments. Any language, auto-translate, Shorts and live supported. Bulk URLs, auto proxy rotation, failed videos not charged.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/geese_chief/youtube-transcripts-reliable.md
- **Developed by:** [Ponytail Data](https://apify.com/geese_chief) (community)
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $2.10 / 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 - Fast, Cheap, Any Language

Get the **transcript / subtitles / captions of any YouTube video** as clean text plus timestamped segments. Paste video links (watch, Shorts, youtu.be, live, embed) or IDs — hundreds at once.

- **Any language** — pick your preferred languages; human-made captions are preferred over auto-generated ones.
- **Video details included** — title, channel, view count and duration in every result.
- **Reliable** — YouTube blocks cloud IPs, so every request goes through rotating residential proxies with automatic retries.
- **Fair** — videos with no captions, private or deleted videos are **not charged**.

### Output

```json
{
  "videoId": "dQw4w9WgXcQ",
  "videoUrl": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ",
  "title": "Rick Astley - Never Gonna Give You Up (Official Video)",
  "channel": "Rick Astley",
  "channelUrl": "https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuAXFkgsw1L7xaCfnd5JJOw",
  "durationSeconds": 213,
  "viewCount": 1700000000,
  "language": "English",
  "languageCode": "en",
  "isAutoGenerated": false,
  "wordCount": 487,
  "text": "We're no strangers to love ...",
  "segments": [{"start": 18.64, "duration": 3.24, "text": "We're no strangers to love"}]
}
```

Export to JSON, CSV, Excel, or send it to Google Sheets, Make, Zapier, n8n or straight into your LLM / RAG pipeline.

### Use cases

- **AI & RAG** — feed video knowledge into ChatGPT, Claude or your vector database.
- **Content repurposing** — turn videos into blog posts, newsletters and social posts.
- **Research** — analyse what creators and competitors say, at scale.
- **SEO** — mine the exact words used in top-ranking videos.
- **Subtitles & accessibility** — timestamped segments ready for SRT conversion.

### Input

```json
{
  "videos": ["https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ", "https://youtu.be/9bZkp7q19f0", "jNQXAC9IVRw"],
  "languages": ["en", "es"],
  "includeTimestamps": true
}
```

### Pricing

**$3 per 1,000 transcripts** ($0.003 per video), only for videos that return a transcript. No start fee worth mentioning, no monthly rental.

### FAQ

**What if a video has no captions?** It's skipped and you're not charged. The log tells you why.

**What if my language isn't available?** You get the first available transcript, with its `languageCode` so you can tell.

**Does it work for Shorts and live streams?** Yes, as long as YouTube has captions for them.

# Actor input Schema

## `videos` (type: `array`):

YouTube video URLs or 11-character IDs. Watch, Shorts, youtu.be, embed and live links all work.

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

Language codes in order of preference (en, es, de, pt-BR...). Human-made captions are preferred over auto-generated. If none match, the first available transcript is returned.

## `includeTimestamps` (type: `boolean`):

Also return the transcript as segments with start time and duration (seconds).

## `proxy` (type: `object`):

YouTube blocks many cloud IPs; the default Apify residential proxy keeps it reliable.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "videos": [
    "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ"
  ],
  "languages": [
    "en"
  ],
  "includeTimestamps": true,
  "proxy": {
    "useApifyProxy": true,
    "apifyProxyGroups": [
      "RESIDENTIAL"
    ]
  }
}
```

# 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 = {
    "videos": [
        "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ"
    ],
    "proxy": {
        "useApifyProxy": true,
        "apifyProxyGroups": [
            "RESIDENTIAL"
        ]
    }
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("geese_chief/youtube-transcripts-reliable").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 = {
    "videos": ["https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ"],
    "proxy": {
        "useApifyProxy": True,
        "apifyProxyGroups": ["RESIDENTIAL"],
    },
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("geese_chief/youtube-transcripts-reliable").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 '{
  "videos": [
    "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ"
  ],
  "proxy": {
    "useApifyProxy": true,
    "apifyProxyGroups": [
      "RESIDENTIAL"
    ]
  }
}' |
apify call geese_chief/youtube-transcripts-reliable --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

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

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/fsvaO105UpOdyM2Mr/builds/LKrD9RsAxLvVmX4OU/openapi.json