YTTranscript vs youtube-transcript.io (2026): Pricing & Limits

YTTranscript and youtube-transcript.io both turn a YouTube URL into text in seconds. The real difference is how you pay. youtube-transcript.io is a subscription built for volume: 25 free tokens a month, then $9.99 to $79.99 a month for higher volume, bulk extraction and extended API access. YTTranscript is pay-as-you-go: 2 free transcripts a day with no signup, one-time packs from $9 for 100 transcripts whose credits never expire, and AI transcription for videos that have no captions. Pick youtube-transcript.io for steady high volume or automation. Pick YTTranscript for light or unpredictable use, caption-less videos, or if you'd rather not add another subscription.

Not to be confused with youtube-transcript.ai, a separate tool we cover in YTTranscript vs youtube-transcript.ai.

Quick comparison table

Prices as of September 2026. Both vendors change plans often, so check before you buy.

Pricing: subscription vs pay-once

This is the decision that matters, because both tools read the same YouTube caption track (more on accuracy below). Here is what typical usage costs:

The pattern is simple. youtube-transcript.io's monthly pool wins when you need a lot at once or every month. YTTranscript's daily free tier and non-expiring packs win when usage is steady but light, or unpredictable: you never pay for a month you didn't use, and there is nothing to remember to cancel.

Where youtube-transcript.io wins

• Bulk extraction. Paid plans add playlist and CSV bulk jobs, so a 300-video playlist is one job instead of 300 pastes. For the manual route, see how to download YouTube playlist transcripts.
• Developer and automation access. Its API accepts up to 50 video IDs per request (rate-limited to 5 requests per 10 seconds), Plus and Pro add a Channels API, and there are official n8n and Make templates. YTTranscript doesn't advertise a public API; if you need code, start with our YouTube transcript API guide.
• Cost at steady scale. At 1,000+ transcripts a month, roughly 0.8–1¢ per transcript beats YTTranscript's best pack rate of 1.5¢.
• Power-user extras. AI summaries, plus chat with a transcript, watchlists and 90-day history on Plus. Pro keeps history indefinitely. VTT and CSV exports suit subtitle and spreadsheet workflows.

Where YTTranscript wins

• A free tier that refills daily. YTTranscript gives two free transcripts every day with no account, which adds up to about 60 a month if you use it daily, versus 25 tokens a month on youtube-transcript.io's free plan. It also installs to your phone's home screen as a web app (YouTube transcripts on mobile).
• No subscription, ever. Packs are one-time purchases ($9, $16, $34 or $59) and credits never expire.
• Videos with no captions. youtube-transcript.io's own refund policy says it only fetches existing captions and doesn't support videos without them. YTTranscript can AI-generate the transcript instead, for about 10 credits. See what to do when a YouTube video has no transcript.
• Translation and document exports. Any pack unlocks AI translation into 16 languages, and DOCX and PDF exports suit people headed to Word or Google Docs rather than a spreadsheet. More in how to translate a YouTube transcript.

Accuracy: a tie on captioned videos

For any video that already has captions, both tools return the same text, because both read YouTube's caption track rather than re-transcribing the audio. Quality depends on whether the creator uploaded captions or YouTube generated them automatically; see auto-generated vs manual transcripts. The gap only appears on caption-less videos, where youtube-transcript.io returns nothing and YTTranscript's AI transcription fills in.

The verdict

• You pull transcripts in bulk every month, or through code: youtube-transcript.io. Bulk jobs, an API and n8n/Make templates are what it is built for, and it's cheaper at scale.
• You need one big batch: youtube-transcript.io Plus for a month, then cancel.
• You grab a video or two most days: YTTranscript's free tier covers it, no account needed.
• Your usage is unpredictable, or you dislike subscriptions: YTTranscript packs never expire.
• The video has no captions: YTTranscript. youtube-transcript.io can't transcribe it.

For the wider field, see the best YouTube transcript tools of 2026.

Frequently asked questions

Is youtube-transcript.io free? Partly. Its free plan includes 25 tokens a month, and one transcript uses one token. Beyond that you need Plus at $9.99/month for 1,000 transcripts or Pro at $24.99/month for 3,000, and the monthly allowance resets each billing cycle.

What is the main difference between YTTranscript and youtube-transcript.io? The pricing model. youtube-transcript.io is a monthly subscription built for volume, with bulk playlist extraction and an API. YTTranscript gives 2 free transcripts a day with no signup and sells one-time packs whose credits never expire.

Which is cheaper, YTTranscript or youtube-transcript.io? For steady volume of 1,000 or more transcripts a month, youtube-transcript.io is cheaper at roughly 0.8 to 1 cent per transcript. For light or irregular use, YTTranscript usually costs less: the free tier covers 2 videos a day and packs start at $9 for 100 transcripts that never expire.

Can youtube-transcript.io transcribe videos without captions? No. Its own policy says it only fetches captions that already exist on YouTube, and it does not support private, unlisted, age-restricted or geoblocked videos. YTTranscript can AI-generate a transcript for a caption-less video, which uses about 10 credits.

Which tool is better for bulk playlist or channel transcripts? youtube-transcript.io. Its paid plans add bulk playlist and CSV extraction and a Channels API, and its API accepts 50 video IDs per request. YTTranscript works one video at a time and does not advertise batch extraction.

Pay once, not monthly. Get your next YouTube transcript at YTTranscript.app →