What you get

Quick, honest answers.

YouTube's transcript

Click '…more' under the video, then 'Show transcript.' Free, but unformatted and only if captions exist.

A dedicated tool

RecapGPT transcribes the audio directly — works without captions, adds speaker labels and timestamps.

Which to use

YouTube's feature for a quick copy; a tool when you need clean, exportable, accurate text.

Then go further

Once it's text, summarize, make notes, or pull quotes from the same paste.

How it works

How RecapGPT handles it.

01

Paste the link

Drop any public YouTube URL into the box above.

02

Let it process

Transcription and processing take about 30 seconds.

03

Get your result

Read, edit, and export whatever you chose.

Examples

What goes in, what comes out.

▸ Any YouTube video
A clear, useful result
▸ Long or short
Works the same
▸ With or without captions
Audio-based, works either way
▸ Any topic
Lectures, podcasts, tutorials, talks
Built for

Who asks this.

Curious first-timers

People checking whether a tool fits before signing up.

Students & professionals

Anyone saving time on video for school or work.

Creators & researchers

People repurposing or citing video content.

Questions

Honest answers.

Can you transcribe a YouTube video to text for free?

Yes — RecapGPT offers 3 free conversions/month, no card. YouTube's transcript is also free for captioned videos.

Does it work without captions?

Yes — audio-based tools transcribe any video; YouTube's own feature needs existing captions.

What format can I export?

Markdown, plain text, .docx, .srt, .vtt.

Is it accurate?

Audio-based transcription catches names and terms auto-captions miss.

Related

More ways to use RecapGPT.

Stop watching. Start reading.

3 notes free every month. Pro is $5.99/mo. No credit card required to start.

Get started — free →