Try captions first
Paste the link once. When captions are available, the transcript appears with timestamps and costs nothing.
YouTube video to text
No captions on the video?
Get a transcript anyway.
Paste a public YouTube link. If the video has captions, extract them for free. If it has none, you can choose audio transcription and see the credit cost before starting.
Checking is free · Audio starts only after you approve the cost
Why captions can be missing
“Transcript unavailable” does not always mean silence.
A creator may not have uploaded subtitles, and YouTube may not have generated automatic captions. Caption extractors can only return text that already exists. For an accessible public video, Threadmap can offer to transcribe the spoken audio instead.
Choose audio if needed
If captions are disabled or unavailable, review the audio option. Fresh transcription requires a Threadmap account and credits.
Know the cost
See the estimated credits based on video duration before starting. Audio costs 1 credit per started minute; failed jobs are not charged.
Come back later
Audio transcription runs in the background. Close the page and return to the completed transcript in your Library.
What to expect
One link, two possible paths.
Read, search, copy, or download the available timestamped text immediately. No signup is needed for the free extractor.
Review the video's estimated audio cost, sign in, and decide whether to start transcription. Nothing is charged just for checking the link.
Private, unavailable, or otherwise inaccessible videos cannot always be processed. Audio quality and language can also affect the result.
Common questions
Transcribing YouTube without subtitles
Can I get a transcript if captions are disabled?
For a supported public video, yes. If existing captions cannot be retrieved, Threadmap offers paid audio transcription as a separate step.
Will I be charged when I paste a link?
No. Checking for captions is free. If audio transcription is available, you see an estimated credit cost and choose whether to proceed.
How much does audio transcription cost?
Fresh audio uses 1 Threadmap Credit per started video minute. Failed audio jobs are not charged. See pricing and credit packs for details.
Does it work on every YouTube video?
No. The video must be public and accessible to Threadmap. Some videos cannot be downloaded or processed even when they play in a browser.