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If the video has no captions, there is nothing to download — the words only exist in the audio. Here is how to tell which case you are in, how to get the audio, and what a proper transcript costs.
| The video… | What works | How long |
|---|---|---|
| Has captions (the CC button is there) | Use the free YouTube transcript tool — it reads the captions the video already has. | Seconds |
| Has only automatic captions | The same tool works, but expect misheard names and no punctuation. Fine for finding a moment, not for quoting. | Seconds, plus cleanup |
| Has no captions at all | Get the audio file and upload it. A human transcript is the only way to get the words reliably. | Same day, or 24-hour rush |
| Is private or unlisted | Only if you have access to it. Download from your own account, or ask the creator for the file. | Depends on the file |
There is no way around this step: a transcript is made from the audio, and if the platform has no captions the audio is the only source. Three routes, in order of how clean they are:
Once you have the file, check its length — that is the number the price is based on — and upload it.
Priced per audio minute at the general rate of $0.80, with a $3.00 minimum order and 50% added for 24-hour rush:
| Video length | Standard | Rush (24 h) |
|---|---|---|
| 10 minutes | $8.00 | $12.00 |
| 30 minutes | $24.00 | $36.00 |
| 1 hour | $48.00 | $72.00 |
| 2 hours | $96.00 | $144.00 |
You get a transcript with speaker labels, correct names and terms, and timestamps if you ask for them — delivered as PDF, DOCX or TXT, and as SRT or VTT if you also need captions for the video.
YouTube's automatic captions are a good way to skim a long video and a poor way to quote one. They routinely:
A human transcript fixes all five, because an editor listens to the passage rather than guessing from acoustics. That is the difference you are paying for.
Upload the recording and the confirmed USD price appears as soon as the upload finishes. Every transcript is drafted, edited by a professional and quality-checked before delivery.
There is nothing to download: if the video has no captions, the words exist only in the audio. Get the audio file — from the creator, from your own recording, or by downloading it where you have the right to — and have it transcribed. A human transcript takes minutes to order and gives you speaker labels and correct names.
Only if you have the rights to the content. We do not download audio from YouTube on a client's behalf, so the file has to come from you or from the creator. If you are quoting a short passage, keep it short and attribute it.
Either the creator never uploaded them and YouTube's automatic captions did not run (they need English speech detection and are not available for every video), or the creator turned them off. Music-only, very old and some non-English videos commonly have none.
Sometimes. YouTube's automatic captions appear when the platform detects speech it can transcribe, and the creator has left them enabled. They are editable by the creator, which is why quality varies so much between channels.
Rarely. They drop punctuation, mishear names and technical terms, merge speakers and sometimes duplicate words across rolling captions. They are useful for finding a moment in a long video; they are not a document you would file or publish.
From $0.80 per audio minute at the general rate. A 30-minute video is about $24.00; an hour is about $48.00. The price is based on the audio length, and you see the confirmed figure before paying.
See what a recording costs per audio minute, by service and turnaround, before you upload anything.
Drop a recording to see how long it is and what it costs to transcribe, before you upload anything.
Convert SRT, VTT and YouTube SBV files, shift their timing, or turn captions into clean text. Runs in your browser.