7 Simple and Free YouTube Transcript Generators

Having accurate transcripts is vital for boosting your video marketing efforts. Having subtitles for your video are vital for grabbing the attention of people with hearing impairment. They also assist foreign-born viewers who might not understand everything you say.

In this article, I’ll go through 7 simple and free YouTube transcript generators that will supercharge your content creation efforts and help you in your competitor analysis and content research. 

How Can I Use YouTube Transcript Generators?

Grabbing YouTube transcripts is crucial for people who use multiple channels to promote their brand. Here are a few main reasons how you can benefit from implementing a video transcriber into your workflow:

• While these tools are not always 100% accurate, they often provide better results than the generic YouTube transcriber
• By adding better transcriptions to your YouTube content, you can ensure higher accessibility and better SEO performance
• You can also download transcripts of your videos and repurpose them into articles and other types of content 
• Some people even make transcripts of other people’s content to perform competitive analysis 
• Having transcripts is also vital for people who otherwise don’t use scripts. By reading the text, you might notice things you could improve
• With the power of AI, you can rewrite the original transcript and reuse it for future videos

There are lots of reasons why you should use a video transcript generator. While adding subtitles to your videos might seem like an unnecessary hassle, it can supercharge your efforts and help you captivate a larger, more diverse audience. 

Can’t You Just Download YouTube Transcripts from YouTube?

Generally speaking, YouTube generates transcripts and allows users to download them from the social media platform. Nevertheless, there are a few reasons why content creators still use third-party tools for this particular task.

You can show video transcriptions for each piece of content you make. Unfortunately, when you generate the text, you can’t download it with a single button; instead, you have to copy-paste the entire text. It doesn’t help that the text isn’t formatted, forcing you to make additional edits.

Given that this option is only available for your personal content, you can’t get transcripts for posts made by other creators. Based on that, it’s usually much better to get an external transcriber and get it over with.

7 YouTube Transcript Generators I Recommend

There are many fantastic transcript and AI content generators on the market. Unfortunately, most of them are quite expensive and only provide basic functionality. Because of that, I wanted to focus on tools that are easy to use, free, and don’t require an account.

With these programs, all you have to do is copy-paste your URL, and you’ll get the output. While some of them don’t have timestamps and advanced features, they’ll still generate accurate transcription of your videos. 

1. Maestra

Maestra is a comprehensive platform that helps content creators complete various tasks. The platform can create voiceovers from various audio formats, as well as generate subtitle files and transcripts with the help of artificial intelligence. 

When specifically talking about the transcript tool, it works in a few simple steps. Basically, all you need to do is copy the video link or log into your YouTube account. Then, you can choose your preferred language, use a custom dictionary, or upload previously made subtitles. 

The software provides outputs similar to those of video editors. There’s a text track that follows the video so you can check if the transcriptions are accurate enough. Once you’re done with the transcription process, you can choose an output file, including SRT, SBV, CAP, STL, SCC, TXT, and VTT format.

2. Tactiq

Like most entries on this list, Tactiq provides a completely free solution for your transcription needs. You can copy-paste your URL link in a box and just press the “Get Video Transcript” button. In a few brief moments, you’ll get accurate text transcription for your and other people’s video content. 

The transcription software will immediately generate text on the right of your screen in a simple form. You can press the “Copy” button to paste it elsewhere or press the “Download” button to get it in the form of a TXT file. If you wish, you can also copy and paste specific sentences from the transcript on your screen and check timestamps.

My favorite thing about this automatic transcription tool is that it’s so fast. Tactiq saves valuable time, which can be important when you’re in the middle of a meeting. The speech recognition software can also differentiate between speakers and tag them in the outputs. Lastly, I love the fact it comes with a Chrome extension. 

Further Reading: How to Make a YouTube Video in 6 Easy Steps (for Beginners)

3. YouTube Transcript

One of the better, simple tools for generating captions comes in the form of YouTube Transcripts. This transcriber provides instant outputs and doesn’t bombard you with ads. Like other entries, you don’t have to create an account or spend money to use its basic functionality. 

Although the transcript tool seems to provide solid outputs, it’s much less functional compared to the other two entries. Specifically, you don’t get transcripts with timestamps. I also don’t appreciate that the text is all jumbled and it doesn’t have accurate speaker identification. 

Another issue I have with this program is that it doesn’t have a search bar or something akin to what Meastra offers. This would make it much easier to track down video files if you don’t have your YouTube channel open. As for the benefits, it’s worth mentioning that the tool comes with an excitation for your Chrome browser. 

Further Reading: 15 Powerful YouTube Tools You Need to Grow Your YouTube Audience

4. NoteGPT

NoteGPT is a comprehensive platform that offers various artificial intelligence solutions to its users. To be precise, the software creates exerts and other textual breakdowns by relying on natural language processing. Entrepreneurs will definitely benefit from the NoteGPT’s assistant that can provide key insights and answer all your questions.

As for the outputs, this is one of the better programs within this category. First off, the software will generate a video description below the post, highlighting the content creator’s name, video length, and read time. 

On the same page, the transcriber will generate a full-text output with 30-second timestamps. My favorite thing about the platform is its Summary tab. Here, you can find video highlights and actionable insights. There’s also a mapping feature that breaks down the entire piece into sections that are easily accessible. 

Unlike most programs on the list, NoteGPT allows you to choose a transcription language. Choose from a list of more than 50 languages to find the right one for your audience. Lastly, the tool can jump to the exact spot in the video, saving you hassle when browsing the text. 

Further Reading: 15 Magical AI YouTube Video Makers

5. Kome

There are several things that make Kome stand out from the field. The first thing worth mentioning is that the tool comes with a Chrome extension, so you can access it at any time. Similar to NoteGPT, the creators have put special emphasis on international language processing; you can get your text in one of 120 popular languages.

Unfortunately, this is where the benefits spot. The outputs come without timestamps, which is a major hassle, especially when dealing with longer content. I also don’t like that the text is justified, as it makes it hard to read. Overall, the program does its job, but there are much better alternatives on this list. 

6. Rush Tech Hub

Rush Tech Hub might be my least favorite tool on the list. Although the software gives you the option of transcribing the text into 15 languages, I simply can’t shut my eyes at its outputs. Based on what I’ve seen, they’re accurate enough, but that’s not my main gripe.

The biggest issue with the program is that the entire text is placed into one large block. Going through transcripts is hard as it is, but with this system, it’s almost impossible. The only saving grace is that you can save it and use it in some other tool, such as Word. Another issue is that there aren’t any timestamps, and the software doesn’t recognize speakers.

Further Reading: YouTube Video Optimization: Simple Tricks Beginners Can Implement To Rank Their Videos

7. Toasty

Toasty AI is a comprehensive platform that specializes in helping podcast creators. The software can turn any audio file into a basic video. Keep in mind these aren’t some works of art; the tool will simply add some moving text and a few effects to instill life into your audio creations.

Given all of that, it’s no wonder that the Toasty transcribe generator is more sophisticated than some other solutions on the list. While the program doesn’t work for foreign languages nor does it offer a browser extension, it does a great job with the output format.

My favorite thing is that you can choose whether to use sentences or paragraphs for your text. You can also decide whether to introduce timestamps or not. On top of that, the software creates a timestamp every 15 seconds, giving you more granular access. 

Further Reading: 15 YouTube Video Summarizer AI Tools to Check Out

Next Steps

Even though creating closed captions presumes extra work, it can exponentially increase your reach. It also shows that you care for all your viewers and are willing to go the extra mile to provide a superb viewing experience. 

Of course, if you don’t like these free programs, you can always opt for a paid alternative. That way, you’ll get additional functionality that will generate even more value from your subtitles.

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