YouTube Transcript API for Developers
Integrate YouTube transcript extraction into your apps, bots, and data pipelines with a simple REST API. Get structured JSON with timestamps.
Example API request & response
GET /api/v1/transcript?videoId=dQw4w9WgXcQ
Authorization: Bearer gt_your_api_key
{
"videoId": "dQw4w9WgXcQ",
"title": "3 Strategies to Grow on YouTube",
"language": "en",
"segments": [
{ "start": 0.0, "duration": 4.2, "text": "Welcome back to the channel..." },
{ "start": 4.2, "duration": 4.3, "text": "three proven strategies..." }
]
}How It Works
Get your API key
Sign up for a free account and generate an API key from your dashboard. Free accounts include 10 API calls per month.
Make a request
Send a GET request with a YouTube video ID. The API returns structured JSON with timestamps, text segments, and metadata.
Build your workflow
Integrate transcripts into content tools, chatbots, research pipelines, or any application. Scale up with paid plans.
Benefits
- Simple REST API — one endpoint, JSON response
- Structured data with timestamps and durations
- Supports 100+ caption languages
- API keys with configurable rate limits
- Free tier with 10 API calls/month — no credit card needed
- Higher rate limits and dedicated quotas on paid plans
Frequently Asked Questions
The API returns a JSON object containing the video ID, title, language, and an array of transcript segments. Each segment includes start time, duration, and text.
Free accounts get 10 API calls per month. Creator plans include basic API access, Pro plans offer higher rate limits, and Scale plans provide dedicated API quotas.
Yes. All API requests require a valid API key sent in the Authorization header. You can generate keys from your dashboard after signing up.
Yes. The API supports both transcript and comment extraction endpoints. Check the API documentation for full details.
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