Stop Watching Hours of Video to Find One Quote

Get structured transcripts with timestamps, key topics, and chapters. Find the exact information you need in minutes, not hours.

25 credits free • 1 credit per video • Get your transcript in 30 seconds

What is a YouTube Transcript Extractor?

A YouTube transcript extractor converts video content into readable text with timestamps. Taffy's YouTube transcript extractor goes beyond basic captions. Paste any YouTube URL and get a complete transcript with AI-generated chapters, key topics, and statistics—all in 30 seconds. No more scrubbing through hours of video to find one quote. Our tool analyzes the entire video transcript and shows you where each topic starts. Students use it to study lectures. Researchers use it to extract quotes with timestamps. Content creators use it to analyze successful videos. The transcript includes every word spoken, organized by chapters with clickable timestamps. You can search for specific terms, copy quotes with context, and identify key moments without watching the full video. With 25 free credits to start, you can extract transcripts from any public YouTube video instantly.

What You Actually Get

Full transcript with timestamps + smart chapters + key topics. Everything you need for research or studying.

Jump to What Matters

Auto-generated chapters show you exactly where each topic starts. Click timestamp, jump to that moment. No more scrubbing through videos.

Extract Key Topics

Get the 4-10 main topics discussed in the video with relevance scores. Perfect for research notes and citations.

Find the Numbers

Automatically extract statistics, percentages, and key data points mentioned in the video. Perfect for backing up your research.

How to Extract YouTube Transcripts in 5 Steps

Go from video URL to searchable transcript in under 60 seconds

1

Copy the YouTube Video URL

Open any YouTube video and copy its URL from your browser. Works with any public video—lectures, podcasts, interviews, tutorials, or webinars.

2

Paste URL into Taffy

Sign in with Google (takes 10 seconds) and paste your video URL. Click "Extract Transcript" and our YouTube transcript extractor starts processing immediately.

3

Wait 30 Seconds for AI Analysis

Our AI extracts the transcript and analyzes every word. It identifies chapters, finds key topics, pulls out statistics, and timestamps every section automatically.

4

Browse Chapters and Topics

See the full YouTube transcript organized by chapters. Click any timestamp to jump to that moment in the video. Search for specific words or phrases instantly.

5

Copy, Export, or Share

Copy quotes with timestamps for citations. Export the full transcript as text. Share your analysis page with teammates or save it for later reference.

5 Ways People Use Our YouTube Transcript Extractor

Real people with real problems that Taffy solves every day

Academic Researchers

"I need specific quotes from a 2-hour interview but don't have time to watch the whole thing." Use our YouTube transcript extractor to get timestamped quotes in minutes, perfect for citations and evidence gathering.

Quote extraction Citations

College Students

"This lecture is 90 minutes but I need to focus on chapter 3 concepts." Jump straight to what you need to study. Extract transcripts with timestamps to create study guides and review key concepts before exams.

Study guides Exam prep

Content Creators

"I want to see what topics this successful video covers so I can create better content." Get chapter breakdowns and topic analysis from any YouTube video to improve your content strategy and find content gaps.

Content research Topic ideas

Journalists & Writers

"I'm covering this topic and need accurate quotes with timestamps for my article." Our YouTube transcript extractor gives you exact quotes, timestamps, and context from video interviews and press conferences.

Fact-checking Source verification

Business Professionals

"I need to review 5 webinars from this quarter but only have 1 hour." Extract transcripts from webinars, conference talks, and training videos. Search for specific topics across multiple videos instantly.

Meeting notes Training docs

Build Your Intelligence Pipeline

Embed YouTube intelligence directly into your tools and workflows. Turn any app into a video analysis powerhouse.

REST API

Build intelligence features directly into your applications. Get structured video analysis data instantly.

GET /api/youtube/{video_id}/transcript
Authorization: Bearer your-api-key
1 credit per request API Docs →

MCP Integration

Turn your AI assistant into a YouTube research expert. Instant access through ChatGPT Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, and Windsurf.

ChatGPT Desktop integration
Claude Code & Cursor support
Real-time analysis
Direct AI integration MCP Setup →

Taffy vs YouTube Captions vs Paid Tools

See how our YouTube transcript extractor compares to other options

Feature Taffy YouTube Auto-Captions Paid Tools ($20-50/mo)
Full transcript with timestamps
AI-generated chapters Some tools
Key topic extraction Rare
Statistics & data extraction
Searchable text Manual copy
Processing time 30 seconds Instant (basic) 1-5 minutes
Cost 1 credit/video
(25 free credits)
Free $20-50/month
API & MCP access Sometimes

Frequently Asked Questions

Everything you need to know about using our YouTube transcript extractor

How does the YouTube transcript extractor work?

Taffy's YouTube transcript extractor pulls the official transcript from YouTube and processes it with AI. We analyze every word to create chapters, identify key topics, extract statistics, and add timestamps. The entire process takes 30 seconds. You get a searchable, organized transcript that's easier to use than YouTube's basic captions. Our AI finds patterns and themes that help you understand the video content without watching the full video.

Can I extract transcripts from any YouTube video?

Yes, you can extract transcripts from any public YouTube video that has captions available. This includes videos with auto-generated captions or creator-uploaded captions. The video must be publicly accessible—you cannot extract transcripts from private or unlisted videos. Our YouTube transcript extractor works with videos of any length, from 1-minute clips to 3-hour lectures. Videos in multiple languages are supported, as long as YouTube has captions for that language.

Why should I use Taffy instead of YouTube's built-in captions?

YouTube's captions are basic text overlays. Taffy transforms that text into structured intelligence. We add AI-generated chapters so you can jump to specific topics. We identify and extract key themes, statistics, and data points mentioned in the video. We make the transcript searchable so you can find specific quotes in seconds. You can copy quotes with timestamps for citations. YouTube captions require you to manually scrub through the video—our YouTube transcript extractor shows you exactly where each topic is discussed.

How accurate are the extracted transcripts?

Our YouTube transcript extractor uses YouTube's official transcripts as the source, so accuracy depends on YouTube's caption quality. Videos with professional captions are typically 95-99% accurate. Auto-generated captions are usually 80-90% accurate, depending on audio quality and accents. We preserve the exact text from YouTube and add structure through AI analysis. For maximum accuracy, use videos with creator-uploaded captions. Our AI chapter detection and topic extraction are 90%+ accurate based on user feedback.

Can I use the transcript extractor API in my application?

Yes, Taffy provides a REST API and MCP integration for developers. Use the REST API to extract YouTube transcripts programmatically and integrate video intelligence into your app. The API returns structured JSON with the full transcript, chapters, topics, timestamps, and statistics. MCP integration lets you add YouTube transcript extraction to ChatGPT Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, and Windsurf. Each API request costs 1 credit. Check our API documentation for implementation details and examples.

Master Every Aspect of YouTube Intelligence

From video content to audience insights - become the expert in your field

Try It Right Now

Paste any YouTube URL. Get your transcript with chapters and topics in 30 seconds. See if it works for you.

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