# $0.15/min REAL YouTube Transcriber & Subtitles (JSON/SRT/VTT) (`practicaltools/apify-youtube-transcribe`) Actor

Download and transcribe YouTube videos into text and subtitle files – quickly, locally, and without external APIs.
This Apify actor Faster-Whisper to generate transcripts and captions. It saves results in TXT, JSON, SRT, and VTT formats, plus provides a summary in the Dataset.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/practicaltools/apify-youtube-transcribe.md
- **Developed by:** [Practical Tools](https://apify.com/practicaltools) (community)
- **Categories:** Automation, Developer tools, Videos
- **Stats:** 69 total users, 1 monthly users, 96.3% runs succeeded, 1 bookmarks
- **User rating**: 5.00 out of 5 stars

## Pricing

from $120.00 / 1,000 transcription_minutes

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 Transcriber - Fast & Affordable

**Transform any YouTube video into accurate text transcripts in minutes.** Powered by advanced technology with local processing for maximum speed and privacy.

### ✨ What You Get

- **🎯 Accurate Transcripts**: High-quality transcription using state-of-the-art Whisper AI
- **⚡ Lightning Fast**: Process videos in record time with our optimized pipeline
- **📝 Multiple Formats**: Get TXT, JSON, SRT, and VTT files automatically
- **🔒 Private & Secure**: All processing happens locally - your data never leaves our servers
- **💰 Most Affordable**: Just $0.15 per minute with no hidden fees
- **🎁 Free Trial**: 10 minutes free to try the service

### 💰 Simple Pricing

#### Pay-Per-Minute Model

- **$0.15 per minute** of video transcription
- **No setup fees** or monthly subscriptions
- **Volume discounts** for heavy users:
  - Bronze: $0.14/min (7% savings)
  - Silver: $0.13/min (13% savings)
  - Gold: $0.12/min (20% savings)
- **10 minutes free** to get started

#### Why Choose Us?

| Feature | Our Service | Competitors |
|---------|-------------|-------------|
| **Price per minute** | **$0.15** | $0.30 - $0.60 |
| **Free trial** | **10 minutes** | Limited or none |
| **Processing speed** | **Ultra-fast** | Standard |
| **Data privacy** | **100% local** | Cloud-based |
| **Multiple formats** | **All included** | Extra charges |

### 🚀 How It Works

1. **Input your YouTube URL** - Any public YouTube video
2. **Choose your options** - Language, format, timestamps
3. **Get instant results** - Download your transcripts immediately
4. **Pay only for what you use** - Transparent per-minute billing

### 📋 Input Options

- **Video URL**: Any YouTube video (public, unlisted, or private)
- **Language**: Auto-detect or specify (English, Spanish, French, etc.)
- **Output Formats**: TXT, JSON, SRT (subtitles), VTT (web subtitles)
- **Timestamps**: Include precise timing for each word or segment
- **Voice Activity Detection**: Automatically filter out silence

### 🎯 Perfect For

- **Content Creators**: Add captions and transcripts to your videos
- **Researchers**: Analyze video content quickly and accurately
- **Educators**: Create accessible content with automatic subtitles
- **Podcasters**: Convert audio/video content to searchable text
- **Businesses**: Extract insights from video meetings and presentations
- **Journalists**: Transcribe interviews and events instantly

### ⚡ Performance Features

- **Ultra-fast processing** with intelligent optimization
- **Memory efficient** - handles videos of any length
- **Parallel processing** for maximum speed
- **Voice activity detection** to improve accuracy
- **Multi-format output** in one click
- **RapidAPI integration** for reliable YouTube audio downloads

### 🔧 Getting Started

#### For End Users:

1. Visit our Apify Store page
2. Click "Try for Free" to get 10 minutes
3. Enter your YouTube video URL
4. Choose your preferred options
5. Download your transcripts instantly

#### For Developers:

```javascript
// Example API usage
const input = {
  videoUrl: "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID",
  language: "en",
  outputSrt: true,
  timestamps: true
};
```

### 📞 Support & Documentation

- **Documentation**: Full API reference and examples
- **Support**: 24/7 assistance for all users
- **Updates**: Regular improvements and new features
- **Privacy**: SOC 2 compliant data handling

***

**Ready to transcribe your first video?** Get started with 10 minutes free! 🎉

# Actor input Schema

## `videoUrl` (type: `string`):

A single YouTube video URL to transcribe.

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

Language hint passed to Faster-Whisper. Set empty to auto-detect.

## `localModel` (type: `string`):

Larger models are more accurate but slower (CPU). For non-English videos we recommend using the small model or medium.

## `timestamps` (type: `boolean`):

If true, SRT/VTT can be produced from segment timings.

## `wordTimestamps` (type: `boolean`):

Include per-word timestamps (slower; larger output).

## `outputSrt` (type: `boolean`):

If true, SRT files will be produced.

## `outputVtt` (type: `boolean`):

If true, VTT files will be produced.

## `maxVideoDurationMins` (type: `integer`):

Skip videos longer than this limit.

## `vad` (type: `boolean`):

Trims silence to reduce memory and time.

## `chunkSizeMins` (type: `integer`):

Split audio into chunks for parallel processing (reduces memory).

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "videoUrl": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9q4pYRGuLU",
  "language": "en",
  "localModel": "tiny",
  "timestamps": true,
  "wordTimestamps": false,
  "outputSrt": true,
  "outputVtt": true,
  "maxVideoDurationMins": 180,
  "vad": true,
  "chunkSizeMins": 5
}
```

# 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 = {
    "videoUrl": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9q4pYRGuLU"
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("practicaltools/apify-youtube-transcribe").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 = { "videoUrl": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9q4pYRGuLU" }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("practicaltools/apify-youtube-transcribe").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 '{
  "videoUrl": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9q4pYRGuLU"
}' |
apify call practicaltools/apify-youtube-transcribe --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

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

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/ZrNgIxwz2gOqbU8t3/builds/PSORPGOETPjfS9sc2/openapi.json