# YouTube Transcript Scraper — Subtitles & Captions, Fast (`highbrow_fame/youtube-transcript-fast`) Actor

Transcripts from YouTube videos, playlists and channels — timestamps, plain text, SRT or WebVTT. No browser, so it is fast. You pay only for transcripts delivered; videos without captions are free.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/highbrow\_fame/youtube-transcript-fast.md
- **Developed by:** [yestrue](https://apify.com/highbrow_fame) (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

$1.00 / 1,000 transcript delivereds

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

## YouTube Transcript Scraper — Subtitles & Captions, Fast

Get the full transcript of any YouTube video, playlist or channel — every line with its timestamp, plus the whole text in one field, and SRT or WebVTT subtitle files if you want them. Paste links, press Start, download JSON, CSV or Excel.

**Why this one**

- ⚡ **Fast.** No browser is opened, ever. In our own test run, fifteen videos were processed in nine seconds.
- 📺 **Videos, playlists and channels.** Mix them in one list. A channel gives you its newest uploads, a playlist its videos — you choose how many.
- 💸 **You pay only for transcripts you receive.** A video without captions, an unavailable video, a bad link or a failed fetch is reported in the dataset — and costs nothing. Listing a playlist or channel is free.
- 🌍 **Pick the language.** Ask for `de`, `es`, `ja`… and a human-written track is chosen over an auto-generated one. If your language is missing, you get the video's best track instead, and the output says so.
- 🎬 **Subtitle files included.** Tick SRT or WebVTT and each transcript comes with a ready subtitle file.
- 🧾 **Honest results.** Every video gets a status — `OK`, `NO_CAPTIONS` or `FAILED` with the reason. Nothing silently comes back empty.
- 🔁 **Built to keep working.** Runs on residential proxy by default and retries on a fresh IP when YouTube pushes back.

### What you get

For every video:

| Field | What it is |
|---|---|
| `status` | `OK`, `NO_CAPTIONS` or `FAILED` |
| `text` | the whole transcript as one string — ready for an LLM, a summary or a search index |
| `segments` | every line with `start` and `duration` in seconds |
| `srt`, `vtt` | the transcript as a subtitle file, when you ask for it |
| `title`, `channel`, `channelId` | video details |
| `lengthSeconds`, `viewCount` | video details |
| `language` | the track you received, e.g. `en`, `de-DE` |
| `isAutoGenerated` | `true` for YouTube's automatic captions |
| `languageMatched` | `false` if your language was missing and another track was returned |
| `availableLanguages` | every caption track the video has |
| `source` | the playlist or channel link the video came from, if any |
| `error` | why a video has no transcript, when it has none |

A link that is not a YouTube video, playlist or channel gets its own `INVALID_INPUT` record, so you can see what was skipped.

#### Example

```json
{
  "videoId": "aircAruvnKk",
  "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aircAruvnKk",
  "title": "But what is a neural network? | Deep learning chapter 1",
  "channel": "3Blue1Brown",
  "status": "OK",
  "language": "en",
  "isAutoGenerated": false,
  "languageMatched": true,
  "segmentCount": 286,
  "segments": [
    { "start": 4.22, "duration": 1.18, "text": "This is a 3." },
    { "start": 6.06, "duration": 4.653, "text": "It's sloppily written and rendered at an extremely low resolution of 28x28 pixels," }
  ],
  "text": "This is a 3. It's sloppily written and rendered at an extremely low resolution of 28x28 pixels, ..."
}
```

### How to use it

1. Paste links into **YouTube links**: regular video links, `youtu.be` short links, Shorts, embeds, live links, playlist links, channel links (`@handle` or `/channel/…`), or bare video ids.
2. For playlists and channels, set **Max videos per playlist or channel** (default 50). A channel gives you its newest uploads first.
3. Optionally set **Language** (default `en`) and tick **SRT** or **WebVTT**.
4. Press **Start**. Download the results from the **Output** tab.

You can also call it from the Apify API, from Make, Zapier or n8n, or from an AI agent through the Apify MCP server.

### Machine translation (optional, best effort)

If a video has no track in your language, you can ask YouTube for its machine translation. **YouTube limits this heavily** — in our own test it came through for 1 of 8 videos. When it does not, you still receive the original transcript, marked `translationFailed: true`, at the normal price. Runs with translation on are also slower, because each refusal is retried. That is why it is off by default.

### Pricing

You are charged **per delivered transcript** — see the price on this page. Videos without a transcript, bad links and playlist or channel listings are free. If your run has a **Maximum charge**, the Actor stops cleanly when it is reached, delivers what fits, and tells you how many videos were left for next time.

### FAQ

**A video came back as `NO_CAPTIONS`.** The video has no captions and no automatic subtitles on YouTube, so there is nothing to download. You were not charged for it.

**I asked for Hungarian but got English.** The video has no Hungarian track. You get its best available track — a human-written English one if there is one — with `languageMatched: false`, and `availableLanguages` lists every language the video does have.

**Are automatic captions included?** Yes, when a video has no human-written track. `isAutoGenerated` tells you which one you got.

**Private or age-restricted videos?** They are reported as `FAILED` with YouTube's own reason and are not charged.

**How many videos from a channel?** Up to 1,000 per channel or playlist, set by **Max videos per playlist or channel**. The newest uploads come first.

# Actor input Schema

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

Videos, playlists or channels — mix them freely. Regular links, youtu.be, Shorts, embeds, live links, playlist links, channel links (@handle, /channel/…) and bare video ids all work.

## `language` (type: `string`):

Preferred transcript language code (en, de, hu, es...). A human-written track in this language is chosen over an auto-generated one.

## `translate` (type: `boolean`):

Best effort. If a video has no track in your language, ask YouTube for its machine translation. YouTube limits this heavily: in our test it came through for 1 of 8 videos. When it does not, you still get the original transcript, marked translationFailed: true — and runs with this on are slower.

## `includeSrt` (type: `boolean`):

Adds an "srt" field with the transcript as a ready SubRip subtitle file.

## `includeVtt` (type: `boolean`):

Adds a "vtt" field with the transcript as a WebVTT file for HTML5 players.

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

How many of a playlist's videos, or a channel's newest uploads, to fetch. Listing is free; you pay only for the transcripts delivered.

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

How many videos to fetch at the same time.

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

RESIDENTIAL by default: YouTube asks datacenter IPs to sign in, and a residential exit costs well under a tenth of a cent per video here.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "videos": [
    "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aircAruvnKk"
  ],
  "language": "en",
  "translate": false,
  "includeSrt": false,
  "includeVtt": false,
  "maxVideosPerSource": 50,
  "maxConcurrency": 5,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": true,
    "apifyProxyGroups": [
      "RESIDENTIAL"
    ]
  }
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `transcripts` (type: `string`):

Every video as a JSON record: status, full text, timed segments, language, and SRT/VTT when requested.

## `transcriptsCsv` (type: `string`):

The same records as CSV, for a spreadsheet.

# 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=aircAruvnKk"
    ],
    "proxyConfiguration": {
        "useApifyProxy": true,
        "apifyProxyGroups": [
            "RESIDENTIAL"
        ]
    }
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("highbrow_fame/youtube-transcript-fast").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=aircAruvnKk"],
    "proxyConfiguration": {
        "useApifyProxy": True,
        "apifyProxyGroups": ["RESIDENTIAL"],
    },
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("highbrow_fame/youtube-transcript-fast").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=aircAruvnKk"
  ],
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": true,
    "apifyProxyGroups": [
      "RESIDENTIAL"
    ]
  }
}' |
apify call highbrow_fame/youtube-transcript-fast --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

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

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/6IIE2Rc8paI3bL73E/builds/adK1ffzi2GCeBdVel/openapi.json