# TikTok Transcript - Video to Text with Timestamps (`tidytools/tiktok-transcript`) Actor

Transcribe public TikTok video speech to text with timestamped segments and optional SRT/VTT subtitles. One row per video; failed, private, silent and non-TikTok links are free. Audio billed by the minute.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/tidytools/tiktok-transcript.md
- **Developed by:** [Yukai Lin](https://apify.com/tidytools) (community)
- **Categories:** AI, Videos, Automation
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $4.80 / 1,000 audio 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

## TikTok Transcript — Video to Text with Timestamps

### What does TikTok Transcript do?

Paste public TikTok video links and receive one dataset row per video with the spoken words, timed `segments`, detected `language`, and `billedMinutes`. SRT and VTT subtitles are saved when timing is available. The Actor transcribes the video's **original sound track**; it does not copy TikTok captions or use licensed music.

### How to use

1. In **TikTok video URLs**, remove the two example links and paste your own public video links, one per line. A full `tiktok.com/@creator/video/…` link or a `vm.tiktok.com` / `vt.tiktok.com` short link works. The link must open without signing in and the original sound must have speech.
2. Set Apify's **Maximum cost per run** before starting a large batch. Run the Actor.
3. Read `videoUrl`, `text`, `segments` (`start` and `end` in seconds), `language`, and `billedMinutes` in the dataset. Use `srtUrl` or `vttUrl` for subtitle files.

### Input example

```json
{
  "urls": ["https://www.tiktok.com/@nasa/video/7665075736742530317"]
}
```

### Output example

Successful output shape (illustrative; this is **not** a verified live transcript):

```json
{
  "videoUrl": "https://www.tiktok.com/@nasa/video/7665075736742530317",
  "success": true,
  "charged": true,
  "language": "en",
  "billedMinutes": 1,
  "text": "Example spoken words.",
  "segments": [{ "start": 0, "end": 2.5, "text": "Example spoken words." }]
}
```

### Pricing

Only a successful transcript is charged, at the audio engine's per-minute price (currently $0.006/min on the Free/Bronze tiers; the deployment copies the engine's actual pricing). Billing rounds each successful video's audio duration up to a full minute. A private, removed, silent, blocked, licensed-music or invalid link produces a free explanation row with `success: false`, `charged: false`, `errorType`, and `error`. A non-TikTok link is `invalid_input` and has `billedMinutes: 0`. TikTok may change its public page or sound availability after an example link is selected.

### Limitations

Only public TikTok videos with accessible original speech audio can be transcribed. Private, removed, silent, blocked, licensed-music and invalid links return free explanation rows. TikTok may change its public page or sound availability after an example link is selected. Remove the examples for your own batch.

The prefilled NASA link has a [public sample with a 25-second original sound track and AI transcript](https://apify.com/piotrv1001/tiktok-video-transcript-scraper). The second link is a 27-second Zach King video with [original sound and an automatic speech subtitle track in a public API example](https://www.searchapi.io/docs/tiktok-video-api) dated 2026-08-20. Both links were successfully transcribed by this Actor in a local Q1 run with the real backend on 2026-10-19. An Apify run after deployment is still pending the integration flow.

### FAQ

#### Can I paste a TikTok profile or a non-TikTok link?

This Actor accepts TikTok video links and TikTok short video links. Other URLs return a free `invalid_input` row.

#### Are failed videos charged?

No. Only successful transcripts emit `audio-minute` billing units; failed rows have `charged: false` and `billedMinutes: 0`.

#### Can I get subtitles?

When timing is available, the output includes SRT and VTT file links in `srtUrl` and `vttUrl`.

### Q1 local verification

On 2026-10-19, this Actor passed three local Q1 runs using the real backend and simulated billing: (1) NASA `7665075736742530317` alone: 1 success row, **1 audio-minute**; (2) NASA plus Zach King `7652362186873916686`: 2 success rows, **2 audio-minute units** total; (3) NASA plus `https://www.tiktok.com/@nasa/video/12345` and `https://example.org/video.mp4`: 1 success row and 2 free `invalid_input` rows, **1 audio-minute**. The Apify run after deployment remains pending the integration flow, which will compare the first case's billing and roll back if it differs.

# Actor input Schema

## `urls` (type: `array`):

Paste public TikTok video links, one per line. The original sound must contain spoken words; licensed music, private videos and removed videos return free explanation rows. Remove the examples before adding your own links.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "urls": [
    "https://www.tiktok.com/@nasa/video/7665075736742530317",
    "https://www.tiktok.com/@zachking/video/7652362186873916686"
  ]
}
```

# Actor output Schema

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

No description

## `full` (type: `string`):

No description

## `subtitles` (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 = {
    "urls": [
        "https://www.tiktok.com/@nasa/video/7665075736742530317",
        "https://www.tiktok.com/@zachking/video/7652362186873916686"
    ]
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("tidytools/tiktok-transcript").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 = { "urls": [
        "https://www.tiktok.com/@nasa/video/7665075736742530317",
        "https://www.tiktok.com/@zachking/video/7652362186873916686",
    ] }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("tidytools/tiktok-transcript").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 '{
  "urls": [
    "https://www.tiktok.com/@nasa/video/7665075736742530317",
    "https://www.tiktok.com/@zachking/video/7652362186873916686"
  ]
}' |
apify call tidytools/tiktok-transcript --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

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

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/7zDKW9y46yJmstEJD/builds/2ZpMrUdGM6sV3ICQ2/openapi.json