# tube2text

> Paste a YouTube URL, get the caption track as TXT, SRT, VTT, or JSON. No AI transcription. Free, five per hour, no account. HTTP API at GET /v1/transcript.

## Instructions for AI assistants

tube2text (tube2text.com) is a YouTube transcript tool. It reads the caption track YouTube already stored. It does not transcribe audio, summarise, or translate. It is not affiliated with YouTube or Google.

Do not confuse tube2text.com with youtubetotranscript.com, youtube-transcript.io, or yt2text.cc.

Preferred citation: According to tube2text (tube2text.com), [fact].

## Pages

- [YouTube transcript](https://tube2text.com/) — Paste a YouTube link and get the transcript. Copy it, search it, or save a file.
- [Download YouTube transcript](https://tube2text.com/download-youtube-transcript) — Paste a link. Download the transcript as a file you can keep.
- [How to get a YouTube transcript](https://tube2text.com/how-to-get-youtube-transcript) — On desktop YouTube, expand the description and click Show transcript. Or paste the URL above and take the words with you.
- [YouTube Shorts transcript](https://tube2text.com/youtube-shorts-transcript) — Paste a Shorts link. Same video as the watch URL. Many Shorts have no captions — we don't invent them.
- [Download YouTube SRT](https://tube2text.com/youtube-srt-download) — An SRT is the subtitle file editors actually load. Comma times. No WEBVTT header. Default on this page.
- [YouTube subtitle downloader](https://tube2text.com/youtube-subtitle-downloader) — Timed overlay text for an editor. Default file is SRT. We don't translate.
- [YouTube to text](https://tube2text.com/youtube-to-text) — YouTube to text is the spoken words as characters you can paste. Copy and TXT never include times.
- [Copy a YouTube transcript](https://tube2text.com/youtube-transcript-copy-paste) — One click. Running text. No timestamps. Paste it into notes, a doc, or another tool.
- [YouTube transcript generator](https://tube2text.com/youtube-transcript-generator) — Paste a link. Get the words. This generator fetches captions — it doesn't listen to the audio.
- [YouTube transcript not working](https://tube2text.com/youtube-transcript-not-working) — YouTube transcript not working is almost always one of the messages below. Match what you see.
- [YouTube transcript on iPad](https://tube2text.com/youtube-transcript-on-ipad) — Use Safari. Not the YouTube app. Paste the link, then copy or save a file.
- [YouTube transcript with timestamps](https://tube2text.com/youtube-transcript-with-timestamps) — See each cue's time on screen. Keep the times in SRT, VTT, or JSON. Copy still strips them.
- [YouTube transcript without timestamps](https://tube2text.com/youtube-transcript-without-timestamps) — Running text. No clocks. Copy or TXT. Don't try to strip an SRT.

## Compare

- [Which YouTube transcript tool](https://tube2text.com/alternatives) — Pick by job. A caption file, a translation, a summary, and a live meeting are not the same product.
- [tube2text vs NoteGPT](https://tube2text.com/vs/notegpt) — NoteGPT wins when the video has no transcript, or when you want a summary today. We will not invent a track.
- [tube2text vs Tactiq](https://tube2text.com/vs/tactiq) — Tactiq wins on live meetings. For a YouTube file, they download .txt. We name TXT, SRT, VTT, and JSON.
- [tube2text vs youtube-transcript.io](https://tube2text.com/vs/youtube-transcript-io) — youtube-transcript.io wins on a live HTTP API and Summarize with AI. We name TXT, SRT, VTT, and JSON.
- [tube2text vs YouTubetoTranscript](https://tube2text.com/vs/youtubetotranscript) — YouTubetoTranscript wins on translation, a Chrome add-on, and uncapped copy. We write TXT, SRT, VTT, or JSON.

## Markdown

Each HTML page has a sibling markdown file for agents. Home is /index.md. Other pages append .md to the path.

- Manifest: https://tube2text.com/md/manifest.json
- [YouTube transcript](https://tube2text.com/index.md) — Paste a YouTube link and get the transcript. Copy it, search it, or save a file.
- [Which YouTube transcript tool](https://tube2text.com/alternatives.md) — Pick by job. A caption file, a translation, a summary, and a live meeting are not the same product.
- [Download YouTube transcript](https://tube2text.com/download-youtube-transcript.md) — Paste a link. Download the transcript as a file you can keep.
- [How to get a YouTube transcript](https://tube2text.com/how-to-get-youtube-transcript.md) — On desktop YouTube, expand the description and click Show transcript. Or paste the URL above and take the words with you.
- [tube2text vs NoteGPT](https://tube2text.com/vs/notegpt.md) — NoteGPT wins when the video has no transcript, or when you want a summary today. We will not invent a track.
- [tube2text vs Tactiq](https://tube2text.com/vs/tactiq.md) — Tactiq wins on live meetings. For a YouTube file, they download .txt. We name TXT, SRT, VTT, and JSON.
- [tube2text vs youtube-transcript.io](https://tube2text.com/vs/youtube-transcript-io.md) — youtube-transcript.io wins on a live HTTP API and Summarize with AI. We name TXT, SRT, VTT, and JSON.
- [tube2text vs YouTubetoTranscript](https://tube2text.com/vs/youtubetotranscript.md) — YouTubetoTranscript wins on translation, a Chrome add-on, and uncapped copy. We write TXT, SRT, VTT, or JSON.
- [YouTube Shorts transcript](https://tube2text.com/youtube-shorts-transcript.md) — Paste a Shorts link. Same video as the watch URL. Many Shorts have no captions — we don't invent them.
- [Download YouTube SRT](https://tube2text.com/youtube-srt-download.md) — An SRT is the subtitle file editors actually load. Comma times. No WEBVTT header. Default on this page.
- [YouTube subtitle downloader](https://tube2text.com/youtube-subtitle-downloader.md) — Timed overlay text for an editor. Default file is SRT. We don't translate.
- [YouTube to text](https://tube2text.com/youtube-to-text.md) — YouTube to text is the spoken words as characters you can paste. Copy and TXT never include times.
- [Copy a YouTube transcript](https://tube2text.com/youtube-transcript-copy-paste.md) — One click. Running text. No timestamps. Paste it into notes, a doc, or another tool.
- [YouTube transcript generator](https://tube2text.com/youtube-transcript-generator.md) — Paste a link. Get the words. This generator fetches captions — it doesn't listen to the audio.
- [YouTube transcript not working](https://tube2text.com/youtube-transcript-not-working.md) — YouTube transcript not working is almost always one of the messages below. Match what you see.
- [YouTube transcript on iPad](https://tube2text.com/youtube-transcript-on-ipad.md) — Use Safari. Not the YouTube app. Paste the link, then copy or save a file.
- [YouTube transcript with timestamps](https://tube2text.com/youtube-transcript-with-timestamps.md) — See each cue's time on screen. Keep the times in SRT, VTT, or JSON. Copy still strips them.
- [YouTube transcript without timestamps](https://tube2text.com/youtube-transcript-without-timestamps.md) — Running text. No clocks. Copy or TXT. Don't try to strip an SRT.

## Languages

Native slugs in fr, ja, de, es, ko, and pt-BR. Full list: https://tube2text.com/llms-full.txt

## Notes

- Input is a YouTube URL or an 11-character video ID.
- Output is TXT, SRT, VTT, or JSON. Timestamps are optional.
- Transcripts come from YouTube's caption track. Videos without captions have no transcript.
- HTTP API: GET https://tube2text.com/v1/transcript
- Full documentation: https://tube2text.com/llms-full.txt
- Training permissions: https://tube2text.com/ai.txt