# YouTube Transcript Scraper — Videos, Channels & Playlists (`innolabs/youtube-transcript-scraper`) Actor YouTube transcript scraper and API: captions with timestamps, plain text or SRT, title, channel, views and duration for videos, whole channels and playlists. No login. - **URL**: https://apify.com/innolabs/youtube-transcript-scraper.md - **Developed by:** [Tristan Leroux](https://apify.com/innolabs) (community) - **Categories:** Videos, AI - **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 0.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks - **User rating**: 5.00 out of 5 stars ## Pricing Pay per event 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 — Videos, Channels & Playlists Download YouTube transcripts (captions and subtitles) with timestamps from single videos, whole channels and playlists. Get plain text, timestamped segments or SRT, plus title, channel, duration, views and publish date for every video. No login and no API key needed; export results as JSON, CSV or Excel, or pull them through the Apify API. ### What does YouTube Transcript Scraper do? YouTube Transcript Scraper works as an unofficial YouTube transcript API. Give it any mix of: - **Video links or IDs** — watch, `youtu.be`, Shorts, embed and live links. - **Channel links** — `youtube.com/@handle`, `/channel/UC…`, `/c/…` or `/user/…`. The scraper takes the channel's newest videos, Shorts or past live streams. - **Playlist links** — any link with `list=` in it, or a bare playlist ID. For every video it returns the transcript in each language you ask for, both as one block of text and as timestamped segments (or as SRT subtitles), together with video metadata. Manual and auto-generated captions are both supported. Each result also tells you which video, channel or playlist link it came from, so you can group results by source. The scraper reads the captions YouTube already has. It does not transcribe audio itself: videos without captions are listed in the run summary and are not charged. ### Use cases - **AI and RAG builders** — load every transcript of a channel or course playlist into a vector database, chatbot or LLM prompt. - **Content marketers** — turn videos into blog posts, newsletters, show notes and social posts without retyping. - **Market and brand researchers** — find what creators and competitors say about a product, topic or brand across hundreds of videos. - **Educators and students** — make lecture playlists searchable and quote them with timestamps. - **Media monitoring teams** — check a channel's new uploads for mentions on a schedule. - **Subtitle and localization teams** — export existing captions as SRT files. ### How much does it cost? You pay only for transcripts you get (pay-per-event). Platform usage is included. | Event | What you pay for | Free plan | Paid plans (from) | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | `transcript` | One transcript saved: one video in one language | $2.00 per 1,000 | $1.00 per 1,000 (Gold+) | A small fixed actor-start fee charged by Apify ($0.00005) applies per run. Videos without captions, failed videos and duplicates are not charged. Worked examples: - **One channel, 50 newest videos, English** → up to 50 transcripts → **$0.10** on the Free plan, **$0.05** on Gold+. - **20 playlists × 50 videos, English and Spanish** → up to 2,000 transcripts → **$4.00** on the Free plan, **$2.00** on Gold+. The Apify Free plan includes $5 monthly credit, enough for about 2,500 transcripts each month. ### How to use YouTube Transcript Scraper 1. Open the actor in Apify Console and click **Try for free**. 2. Paste video links into **Video URLs**, channel links into **Channel URLs** and/or playlist links into **Playlist URLs** (the form is prefilled with a working example). 3. Set **Languages** (e.g. `en`, `es`, `de-DE`) and the transcript format you want. 4. For channels and playlists, set **Max videos per channel** / **Max videos per playlist** and, for channels, the tab to read (Videos, Shorts or Live streams). 5. Click **Start**. When the run finishes, open the **Output** tab and export to JSON, CSV or Excel. Using the API instead: 1. Get your API token from **Settings → Integrations** in Apify Console. 2. Call `run-sync-get-dataset-items` with your input (see [Integrations and API](#integrations-and-api)). 3. Read the returned JSON items directly, or fetch the run's dataset later. ### Input Provide at least one of `videoUrls`, `channelUrls`, `playlistUrls` or `videoIds`. They can be combined in one run. | Field | Type | Description | | --- | --- | --- | | `videoUrls` | list of strings | Video links: watch, `youtu.be`, Shorts, embed or live URLs. | | `channelUrls` | list of strings | Channel links (`/@handle`, `/channel/UC…`, `/c/…`, `/user/…`), bare `@handles` or `UC…` channel IDs. A link ending in `/videos`, `/shorts` or `/streams` reads that tab. | | `playlistUrls` | list of strings | Playlist links (any link with `list=`) or bare playlist IDs such as `PL…`. | | `videoIds` | list of strings | Bare 11-character video IDs, e.g. `dQw4w9WgXcQ`. | | `languages` | list of strings | Language codes in priority order, e.g. `en`, `de-DE`, `pt-BR`, `es-419`. One result per video and language found. Default `["en"]`. | | `format` | select | `json` (plain text + segments), `text` (plain text) or `srt` (SRT subtitles in `transcriptText`). Default `json`. | | `includeSegments` | boolean | Add timestamped segments (`start`, `duration`, `text`). Default on. | | `includeMetadata` | boolean | Add title, channel, duration, views and publish date. Default on. | | `channelVideoType` | select | Channel tab for links that don't name one: `videos`, `shorts` or `streams`. Default `videos`. | | `maxVideosPerChannel` | integer | Newest videos taken from each channel. Default 50. | | `maxVideosPerPlaylist` | integer | Videos taken from each playlist, from the top. Default 50. | | `maxItems` | integer | Hard cap on results for the whole run. Default 1,000. | | `proxyConfiguration` | object | Proxy settings. Default: Apify Proxy, group RESIDENTIAL (YouTube blocks datacenter IPs). | | `debug` | boolean | Extra diagnostics in the log. | ```json { "videoUrls": ["https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ"], "channelUrls": ["https://www.youtube.com/@mkbhd"], "playlistUrls": ["https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBsP89CPrMeNIuvr9j3_EQaMwaNJ6rhuQ"], "languages": ["en"], "format": "json", "maxVideosPerChannel": 20, "maxVideosPerPlaylist": 50 } ``` ### Output One item per video and language. This item is from a real run on 2026-11-02 (segments and text shortened here; a real item contains every caption line): ```json { "videoId": "dQw4w9WgXcQ", "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ", "sourceType": "video", "sourceUrl": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ", "title": "Rick Astley - Never Gonna Give You Up (Official Video) (4K Remaster)", "channelName": "Rick Astley", "channelId": "UCuAXFkgsw1L7xaCfnd5JJOw", "durationSec": 213, "viewCount": 1833016036, "publishedAt": "2009-10-24T23:57:33-07:00", "language": "en", "isAutoGenerated": false, "segments": [ { "start": 1.36, "duration": 1.68, "text": "[♪♪♪]" }, { "start": 18.64, "duration": 3.24, "text": "♪ We're no strangers to love ♪" } ], "transcriptText": "[♪♪♪] ♪ We're no strangers to love ♪ ♪ You know the rules and so do I ♪ …", "wordCount": 487, "format": "json", "fetchedAt": "2026-11-02T13:56:20Z" } ``` Field notes: - `sourceType` — `video`, `channel` or `playlist`: how this video got into the run. - `sourceUrl` — the link you entered that produced this item (for channels and playlists, the channel or playlist link). A video reached through several of your links appears once, credited to the first one. - `language` — the YouTube language code of the transcript returned. - `isAutoGenerated` — `true` for YouTube's automatic captions, `false` for uploaded captions. - `segments` — timestamped caption lines in seconds; omitted when `includeSegments` is off. - `transcriptText` — plain text, or numbered SRT blocks (`HH:MM:SS,mmm --> HH:MM:SS,mmm`) when `format` is `srt`. - Metadata fields are `null` if YouTube does not return them; the transcript is still saved. ### Integrations and API Run the actor and get the transcripts back in one call: ```bash curl -X POST "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/innolabs~youtube-transcript-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items?token=YOUR_TOKEN" \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d '{"channelUrls": ["https://www.youtube.com/@mkbhd"], "maxVideosPerChannel": 10, "languages": ["en"]}' ``` Python with [apify-client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python): ```python from apify_client import ApifyClient client = ApifyClient("YOUR_TOKEN") run = client.actor("innolabs/youtube-transcript-scraper").call( run_input={ "playlistUrls": ["https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBsP89CPrMeNIuvr9j3_EQaMwaNJ6rhuQ"], "languages": ["en"], "format": "text", } ) for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items(): print(item["title"], item["wordCount"], item["transcriptText"][:80]) ``` - **Make, Zapier, n8n** — use the Apify app/node to start the actor and send transcripts to Google Sheets, Notion, Airtable, Slack or your database. - **Scheduling** — create a schedule in Apify Console (e.g. daily) to collect a channel's new uploads automatically. - **Webhooks** — trigger your pipeline when a run finishes. - **AI agents (MCP)** — connect Claude, Cursor or other MCP clients through the Apify MCP server at https://mcp.apify.com and let your agent fetch YouTube transcripts on demand. ### FAQ #### Is it legal to scrape YouTube transcripts? The scraper only reads public videos and the captions YouTube shows to every visitor without logging in. It does not access private, members-only or age-restricted content. Check that your use of the transcripts respects YouTube's terms, copyright and the laws that apply to you. #### Do I need proxies? Yes, and it is set up for you. YouTube blocks Apify's datacenter IPs for transcripts ("Sign in to confirm you're not a bot"), so the default proxy is **Apify Proxy, group RESIDENTIAL**. Residential traffic is included in the price: the scraper downloads only the caption data and a few fields of video details (about 20 KB per video), never the full video page. When a request is blocked anyway, it switches to a fresh IP and retries. You can also use your own residential proxy URLs. If you switch to datacenter proxies and YouTube blocks every video, the run fails with a clear message instead of returning an empty dataset. Blocked videos are never charged. #### How many videos can I get? Each channel or playlist gives up to **Max videos per channel / playlist** videos (50 by default, raise it as needed). `maxItems` caps the total number of results for the run; the run stops cleanly there and you are never charged above it. #### Can I get only new videos? The scraper does not remember earlier runs. Schedule it with a small **Max videos per channel** (e.g. 10, newest first) and skip `videoId` values you already have in your sheet or database. Within one run, duplicates are removed and not charged. #### What happens if a video, channel or playlist fails? Nothing else stops. Videos without captions in your languages, unavailable videos and blocked requests are listed in the run's `SUMMARY` record with the video ID, language and reason (e.g. `transcripts_disabled`, `no_transcript_in_language`, `video_unavailable`). A channel or playlist that cannot be read (not found, private, or a missing Shorts/Live tab) is listed with its link and reason, and the other links are still processed. Links that are not YouTube links at all stop the run immediately with a clear message. If YouTube blocks the proxy for every video and nothing is saved, the run ends as **Failed** with a message telling you to switch to a residential proxy, so an empty run never looks successful. #### Does it work for videos without captions? No. The scraper returns captions that exist on YouTube (uploaded or auto-generated). It does not run speech-to-text on the audio. Such videos are reported and not charged. #### Can I get a transcript translated into another language? The scraper returns languages that exist on the video. Ask for several codes in **Languages** and you get one result per language found. ### Limits - Captions only: no speech-to-text for videos without captions. Some Shorts have none. - Channels: Videos, Shorts and Live (past streams) tabs, newest first. Podcasts, Releases and Courses tabs are not read; use their playlist links instead. - Playlists are read in playlist order. Auto-generated Mix playlists (`list=RD…`), private and "Watch later" playlists are not supported. - Private, members-only and age-restricted videos are skipped. - Language codes must match YouTube's (`de-DE`, not `de`, when that is what the video lists). - YouTube blocks Apify datacenter IPs for transcripts, so the default proxy is Apify RESIDENTIAL. Blocked videos are reported, not charged, and can be retried in a new run. # Changelog This Actor's version history is a separate document: https://apify.com/innolabs/youtube-transcript-scraper/changelog.md # Actor input Schema ## `videoUrls` (type: `array`): YouTube video links: watch, youtu.be, Shorts, embed or live URLs. Channel and playlist links go in the fields below. ## `channelUrls` (type: `array`): Channel links such as https://www.youtube.com/@mkbhd, /channel/UC…, /c/… or /user/…, a bare @handle or a UC… channel ID. Add /shorts or /streams to the link to read that tab; otherwise Channel tab below is used. Newest videos first, up to Max videos per channel. ## `playlistUrls` (type: `array`): Playlist links (any YouTube link with a list= parameter) or bare playlist IDs such as PL…. Videos are taken in playlist order, up to Max videos per playlist. ## `videoIds` (type: `array`): Bare 11-character YouTube video IDs, e.g. dQw4w9WgXcQ. ## `languages` (type: `array`): Language codes in priority order. Use YouTube codes such as en, de-DE, pt-BR, es-419. One item is returned per video and language actually found; auto-generated captions count. ## `format` (type: `string`): How transcriptText is rendered. Timestamped segments are included separately when Include segments is on. ## `includeSegments` (type: `boolean`): Add timestamped caption segments (start, duration, text) to each item. ## `includeMetadata` (type: `boolean`): Add title, channel, duration, view count and publish date. If metadata cannot be read, the transcript is still returned. ## `channelVideoType` (type: `string`): Which channel tab to read for Channel URLs that do not name one: long-form Videos, Shorts or past live Streams. ## `maxVideosPerChannel` (type: `integer`): Newest videos taken from each channel. ## `maxVideosPerPlaylist` (type: `integer`): Videos taken from each playlist, from the top. ## `maxItems` (type: `integer`): Hard cap on results (one result per video and language). The run stops cleanly when reached and you are never charged above it. ## `proxyConfiguration` (type: `object`): Proxy for all YouTube requests. Residential is the default because YouTube blocks Apify datacenter IPs for transcripts. Each video uses about 20–30 KB of proxy traffic. ## `debug` (type: `boolean`): Log metadata lookup failures and other diagnostics. ## Actor input object example ```json { "videoUrls": [ "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ" ], "languages": [ "en" ], "format": "json", "includeSegments": true, "includeMetadata": true, "channelVideoType": "videos", "maxVideosPerChannel": 50, "maxVideosPerPlaylist": 50, "maxItems": 1000, "proxyConfiguration": { "useApifyProxy": true, "apifyProxyGroups": [ "RESIDENTIAL" ] }, "debug": false } ``` # Actor output Schema ## `dataset` (type: `string`): One item per video and language: transcript text, timestamped segments, video metadata and the source (video, channel or playlist) it came from. # 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 '' with your token const client = new ApifyClient({ token: '', }); // Prepare Actor input const input = { "videoUrls": [ "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ" ], "languages": [ "en" ], "proxyConfiguration": { "useApifyProxy": true, "apifyProxyGroups": [ "RESIDENTIAL" ] } }; // Run the Actor and wait for it to finish const run = await client.actor("innolabs/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 '' with your token. client = ApifyClient("") # Prepare the Actor input run_input = { "videoUrls": ["https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ"], "languages": ["en"], "proxyConfiguration": { "useApifyProxy": True, "apifyProxyGroups": ["RESIDENTIAL"], }, } # Run the Actor and wait for it to finish run = client.actor("innolabs/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 '{ "videoUrls": [ "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ" ], "languages": [ "en" ], "proxyConfiguration": { "useApifyProxy": true, "apifyProxyGroups": [ "RESIDENTIAL" ] } }' | apify call innolabs/youtube-transcript-scraper --silent --output-dataset ``` ## MCP server setup ```json { "mcpServers": { "apify": { "type": "http", "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,innolabs/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 ` 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/C5tvYWWTEMoT3ac3J/builds/czGhYiBlIxGvUM9Q2/openapi.json