Best YouTube Transcript Generators Compared (2025)
Find the best transcript youtube generator for your needs. See why Web Highlights stands out with its free YouTube AI summary and transcripts.
Do you ever find yourself watching a long YouTube video and wishing you could just read the text instead? Maybe you're trying to quickly find a specific point in a lecture, or you want to save the information from an interview for your research. This is a common problem, especially for students, researchers, and professionals who rely on video content for their work.
The good news is, there is a simple solution: a YouTube transcript generator.
In this article, we will look at the best transcript YouTube generators, what they offer, and why they're so helpful. Let’s compare the top 10 tools of 2025 and see why Web Highlights stands out.
What Is a YouTube Transcript Generator?
A YouTube transcript generator is a tool that takes a YouTube video URL and turns the spoken words into written transcript text. It uses automatic speech recognition (ASR) technology to listen to the audio and provide you with a text version of the video content.
These tools are incredibly useful for a number of reasons. For students and researchers, they can turn educational videos or research interviews into searchable text, making it much easier to absorb content and find key information. They are also great for people who prefer reading over watching videos, or for those who need to quickly get a text version of a video without the hassle of manual transcription. This can save a lot of time and help with your overall transcription workflow.
The main purpose of these tools is to make video content more accessible and easier to work with. They can also be used to get closed captions or generate summaries for your YouTube videos, helping you stay more productive.
List of the Best YouTube Transcript Generators Compared (2025)
Here is our list of the best YouTube transcript generators available today, starting with our top pick, Web Highlights.
1. Web Highlights
Best For
Web Highlights is ideal for anyone who wants to generate a transcript, highlight, get a summary, and take notes on it. It is perfect for students and researchers who need a comprehensive tool for both content absorption and note-taking. The tool is great for educational videos, research projects, and just about any other YouTube video content you need to study.
Features of Web Highlights
- YouTube Reader: With the Web Highlights Transcript Generator or YouTube Reader, you can paste any YouTube video link and get an easy-to-read transcript right away.
- Highlighting and Note-Taking: You can highlight YouTube video transcripts with different colors, add your own notes, and create tags. This turns a simple transcript for YouTube videos into a powerful study guide.
- Works in Multiple Languages: Web Highlights finds closed captions in your language and generates a transcript text based on those. If other languages are available, you can easily switch to them, making it a great option for transcription services for a global audience.
- Syncs with Video Playback: As you play the video, the transcript scrolls along automatically, highlighting the current sentence. This makes it easy to follow along, take notes, and find the exact part of the video you need to reference.
- AI YouTube Summaries: Web Highlights’ YouTube AI Summary Generator that takes a video's captions and uses AI algorithms to create a quick, concise summary of the main points. This is ideal for quickly understanding long videos without watching the whole thing. The AI runs completely on your computer, so your data stays private. You can also adjust the lengths and format of the summary; see here how.
- Customize How It Looks: You can adjust the text size, background color, and width of the transcript window, so you can set it up in a way that’s most comfortable for you.
- Export Your Notes: Once you’re done, you can export your highlights and notes as a PDF, Markdown, or copy and paste your transcript and summary to Notion or Obsidian workspace, helping you to keep your research projects organized.
Pros of Web Highlights for YouTube Transcription
- Web-based tool, so no installation is required to read the transcript
- Free transcript and AI summary
- Multi language support for the AI summarizer works with multiple languages if the captions are available
- Privacy-focused, as the AI processing happens on your device
- Easy-to-use YouTube transcript generator
- Great for visual learners
- Multiple highlight colors
- Great for organizing research with tags and bookmarks
- Helps students stay organized across multiple educational platforms
- Excellent free version with unlimited offline highlights and bookmarks
- Offline access to multiple features
- Cross-device sync
Cons of Web Highlights
- Web Highlights is built around tags instead of folders. If you prefer using folders, that could be a downside.
Pricing of Web Highlights
Web Highlights is mostly free to use with three simple, affordable plans:
- Basic – Free
- Premium – $3.49/month, $34.99/year, $139.99/lifetime (US prices)
- Ultimate – $3.99/month, $39.99/year, $144.99/lifetime (US prices)
Final Verdict
Web Highlights is more than just a simple YouTube transcript generator. It is a browser extension for active learning and research.
Beyond the YouTube to text feature, Web Highlights allows you to transform video content into a knowledge base. You can use its Reader Mode for a distraction-free experience, turning any web page into a clean, easy-to-read format. For students, the ability to create flashcards from their highlights helps reinforce concepts through spaced repetition. Most importantly, Web Highlights lets you take your research with you. With a simple copy-and-paste, you can export your highlights and AI summaries in Markdown and easily integrate your research into platforms like Notion and Obsidian, where you can continue to build your digital second brain.
2. Kome AI
Best For
Kome AI is best for users who need quick, easy transcription and multi-language support. It works for students or professionals who want a fast way to get the full transcript text of a video without any extra steps or complex features.
Features of Kome AI
- Fast Transcription: Kome AI is designed to quickly generate video transcripts. You just paste the video URL and get the text.
- Multi-language Support: Get support for over 120 languages, which makes Kome AI a great option for a global audience.
- AI-Powered Summaries: Kome’s AI summarizer gives you a concise version of the YouTube video's content.
Pros of Kome AI for YouTube Transcription
- Fast and efficient to use
- Offers extensive language support
- The interface is simple and easy to use.
Cons of Kome AI
- Free version has limited credits for summarization.
- It may lack advanced features compared to other tools
Pricing of Kome AI
Kome AI has a free plan that provides five summary credits. They offer a monthly subscription plan at $5.99 per month for more advanced features.
Final Verdict
Kome AI is a transcript YouTube generator for anyone working with content in different languages. While it might not offer the deep research and note-taking features of a tool like Web Highlights, its speed and multilingual support make it a very useful tool for straight-up transcript generation. It is a good option for anyone who wants to use the YouTube to transcript tool or AI summary and nothing more.
3. NoteGPT
Best For
NoteGPT is best for users who want a full-featured AI tool that goes beyond just transcript generation. It's a great choice for students and professionals who need to do deep research, create study materials, or repurpose video content for other projects. It uses AI models to not only create transcripts but also help with mind maps and other creative outputs.
Features of NoteGPT
- YouTube Transcript Generator: NoteGPT converts a YouTube video URL into an easily readable transcript.
- AI YouTube Summarizer: Using advanced natural language processing, NoteGPT creates quick transcript summaries, allowing you to get the main points without reading the entire transcript.
- Content Repurposing: You can use NoteGPT's AI algorithms to turn your notes into mind maps, flashcards, or presentation slides.
- AI Chat: NoteGPT’s AI chat feature allows you to ask questions about the video content, allowing for a wide understanding of the topic.
- Multi-language Translation: It provides translation services for transcripts and summaries, supporting over 40 languages.
Pros of NoteGPT for YouTube Transcription
- It can transcribe videos even if they don't have subtitles or closed captions
- Wide range of AI tools
- Multi-language support to work with a variety of video sources
- Multiple export formats
Cons of NoteGPT
- Free plan is quite limited and operates on a quota system
- The full-featured plans can be expensive, especially for a casual user
Pricing of NoteGPT
NoteGPT has a limited free plan, with 3 paid options:
- Pro: $9.99/mo
- Unlimited: $29/mo
- Max: $99/mo
Final Verdict
NoteGPT’s strength lies in its ability to turn a video transcript into other useful formats for learning and research. While the free version is a good way to try it out, you will likely need to pay for a subscription to get the most out of all the extra features it offers and process unlimited videos.
4. YouTube-Transcript.io
Best For
YouTube-Transcript.io works for users who need a straightforward and fast way to get the transcript text of a YouTube video. It is a good choice for someone who just wants to get the transcript quickly without needing a lot of extra features.
Features of YouTube-Transcript
- Video URL Transcription: You can paste a YouTube video URL into the tool, and it will generate the full transcript.
- AI Summarization: This transcript YouTube generator creates quick summaries using AI models, helping you get a brief of a long video in seconds.
- Download Transcripts: It allows you to download video transcripts in various formats like .txt, .srt, .vtt, and .csv.
- Copy Button: A simple Copy Button lets you easily copy the entire transcript text to your clipboard with one click.
- Language Support: It supports all the languages that are available as closed captions on the original YouTube video.
Pros of YouTube-Transcript.io for YouTube Transcription
- Quick and efficient YouTube transcript generator
- Offers different file formats for downloading
- Free tier offers a decent number of transcriptions
Cons of YouTube-Transcript.io
- Relies on the video's existing closed captions, so it may not work as well for videos without them
- Lacks advanced features like highlighting and note-taking
Pricing of YouTube-Transcript.io
YouTube-Transcript.io offers a free plan with a limited number of "tokens" per month. The pricing plans are as follows:
- Plus: $9.99/mo
- Pro: $24.99/mo
- Enterprise: custom pricing
Final Verdict
If your main goal is to get a fast, easy transcript and you don't need any complex research features, YouTube-Transcript.io is a solid option. It does exactly what it says it will do. However, if you're a student or a researcher who needs to do more with the transcript, like adding notes or organizing your work, Web Highlights might be a better fit.
5. Vomo AI
Best For
VOMO AI is best for people who want not only to get a transcript but also to interact with the content using AI algorithms. Its "Ask AI" feature makes it a great choice for students and researchers who need to ask questions about the video content for their research projects. It is an advanced AI tool to transcribe YouTube videos.
Features of Vomo AI
- Speech to Text Transcription: VOMO AI uses advanced automatic speech recognition to turn a video URL into a text transcript.
- AI Summarization: VOMO AI automatically creates quick transcript summaries, which is great for quickly understanding long video content.
- Interactive AI Chat: "Ask AI" tool allows you to ask questions about the video's content and transcript into a searchable knowledge base.
- Multi-language Support: The tool has language support for more than 50 languages, which makes it very useful for a global audience.
- Content Creation: VOMO AI can help you turn your video transcripts into other forms of content like blog posts, articles, and emails.
Pros of VOMO AI for YouTube Transcription
- Easy-to-use YouTube to transcript tool
- Extensive multi-language support
- Free trial includes all features so you can test before paying
Cons of VOMO AI
- No in-depth highlighting and organization tools
Pricing of VOMO AI
VOMO AI offers a free trial along with a pricing plan starting at $19.99 per month with unlimited transcriptions.
Final Verdict
VOMO AI is a great choice if you are looking for an AI tool to transcribe YouTube video and interact with it. The "Ask AI" feature sets it apart from many other simple transcription tools. However, if you're a student or a researcher who wants to organize your transcript with a good tagging system and multiple highlight colors, a more comprehensive tool might be a better option.
6. Tactiq
Best For
Tactiq is best for people who need to transcribe live meetings and webinars, particularly on platforms like Google Meet, Zoom, and Microsoft Teams. It is ideal for professionals and students who want to capture conversations in real-time, generate transcript summaries, and create meeting notes.
Features of Tactiq
- AI YouTube Transcript Generator: Tactiq can transcribe YouTube videos by users pasting a video URL into the tool.
- AI Summaries: Using AI models, it can create a short summary of a long transcript, including key points and action items.
- Export and Sharing: You can download transcripts in various formats or share them directly with others through Tactiq.
- Content Functionality: Tactiq allows you to add tags, comments, and screenshots to the live transcript.
Pros of Tactiq for YouTube Transcription
- Main strength is in live transcription
- AI algorithms can identify action items and key takeaways
Cons of Tactiq
- Its primary focus is on live meetings, not on-demand video
- Limited free plan
Pricing of Tactiq
Tactiq is free to use with the following pricing plans:
- Pro: $12/mo
- Team: $20/mo
- Business: $40/mo
- Enterprise: Custom pricing
Final Verdict
For someone looking to get a quick transcript for YouTube videos, Tactiq gets the job done well. However, if your main goal is to organize, highlight, and revisit video content for long-term study or research projects, there are more dedicated tools available.
7. Maestra AI
Best For
Maestra AI is a reliable choice for anyone who needs more than a simple transcript. It is a professional-grade platform designed for content creators, marketers, and students who require audio and video translation services and want to turn their video transcripts into a variety of formats.
Features of Maestra AI
- AI YouTube Transcript Generator: Maestra AI can generate a full transcript from a video URL.
- AI Summarization: Maestra AI provides an AI-powered summary of the video content, which helps users quickly get the main ideas without reading the entire transcript.
- Multi-language Translation: It supports over 125 languages, making it a great solution for those who need to work with video content in multiple languages.
- Dubbing and Subtitling: You can use Maestra AI to create subtitles and even voiceovers for your video, which is a great feature for professional use and reaching a wider audience.
- Collaboration: It includes features for team collaboration, allowing multiple users to work on the same video transcripts.
Pros of Maestra AI for YouTube Transcription
- Highly accurate AI algorithms
- Easy-to-use AI tool to transcribe YouTube videos
- Supports multiple formats
Cons of Maestra AI
- Limited free trial and paid version may not suit casual users
- The large number of features can feel overwhelming for those looking for basic transcription
Pricing of Maestra AI
Maestra AI offers the following pricing plans:
- Pay As You Go: $12 per 60 credits
- Lite: $29/mo
- Basic: $49/mo
- Premium: $99/mo
- Enterprise: Contact sales
Final Verdict
Maestra AI is a professional-grade AI tool to transcribe YouTube video content. Its main appeal is its wide array of features, especially its extensive language support and content localization options. For simple, quick transcriptions, it might be more than you need, but for professional and complex research projects, it is a useful platform.
8. Easemate AI
Best For
Easemate AI is a comprehensive AI assistant designed for a wide range of users, from students and researchers to content creators and professionals. It is an ideal choice for those looking for an all-in-one platform that combines multiple YouTube features in a single, user-friendly interface.
Features of Easemate AI
- YouTube Transcript Generator: Quickly converts any YouTube video into an accurate, time-stamped text transcript, saving you the time of manual transcription.
- AI Video Summarizer: Automatically condenses long videos into concise summaries, allowing you to get the main points without watching the entire content.
- AI Image & Video Tools: Allows you to create, edit, and enhance visual content, including turning still photos into animated videos.
- AI Study & Research Tools: Includes features for generating flashcards, creating quizzes, and solving complex problems in subjects like math and physics.
Pros of Easemate AI for YouTube Transcription
- Easy-to-use platform
- Excellent customer support
Cons of Easemate AI
- Limited organization functionality
- Advanced capabilities are restricted to the free plan
- Focus on YouTube transcription and summaries may lack
Pricing of Easemate AI
- Basic: $0/month. Includes limited credits and access to basic AI models.
- Lite: $8.9/month. Offers 1,200 credits per month and access to more advanced models.
- Pro: $19.9/month. Provides 3,000 credits per month and access to the full suite of AI models.
Final Verdict
Easemate AI is a flexible AI assistant that offers a great suite of tools for a wide variety of tasks. However, for those who are serious about deep learning, research, and building a structured knowledge base, the tool can feel limited.
9. YouTubeToTranscript
Best For
The YouTubeToTranscript tool is for people who need a fast, simple, and free way to get a basic transcript from a YouTube video. It is ideal for a quick one-off task when you don't want to sign up for an account or download anything.
Features of YouTubeToTranscript
- Simple Transcription: This tool converts a YouTube video URL into a plain-text transcript instantly, without any additional steps.
- No Sign-Up Required: You can use the tool right away, making it one of the quickest ways to get a transcript.
- One-Click Copy & Download: It provides a simple Copy Button to grab the entire transcript text or download it for offline use.
- AI Summarization: After generating the transcript, this transcript YouTube generator offers a quick AI-powered summary to help you get the main points.
Pros of YouTubeToTranscript for YouTube Transcription
- Direct and simple YouTube transcript generator tools
- No sign-up required
- Intuitive interface without any extra clutter
Cons of YouTubeToTranscript
- Might feel basic compared to other tools
- No note-taking options
Pricing of YouTubeToTranscript
YouTubeToTranscript.com is free to use. There are no paid plans or subscriptions.
Final Verdict
YouTubeToTranscript.com is a great tool to transcribe YouTube video content if all you need is a quick, basic transcript for YouTube videos. However, if your goal is to do anything more, like organize your educational videos for research projects or build a second brain, it falls short.
10. RecCloud
Best For
RecCloud is best for content creators, marketers, and educators who need a comprehensive suite of AI tools beyond just transcription. It is an all-in-one platform that combines Speech to Text, video editing, and translation services, making it a powerful choice for those with a complex transcription workflow.
Features of RecCloud
- AI YouTube Transcript Generator: This tool converts a video URL from YouTube into a detailed, time-stamped transcript text with a high level of accuracy.
- AI YouTube Video Summarizer: Automatically generates transcript summaries to help you quickly grasp the main points of video content.
- Multi-Language Support: The tool supports over 100 languages, making it ideal for translation services and reaching a global audience.
- AI Subtitle Generator: RecCloud creates closed captions automatically, which is a great feature for improving accessibility and SEO.
Pros of RecCloud for YouTube Transcription
- Accurate AI algorithms
- Easy to download and use
Cons of RecCloud
- Wide number of features might be overwhelming
- The free plan is limited to just a few minutes of transcription
Pricing of RecCloud
RecCloud has a free plan that includes a limited number of transcriptions. They also offer a range of paid plans:
- Basic: $4/month
- Pro: $5.75/month
- Business: $27.8/month
Final Verdict
RecCloud is a comprehensive platform that goes beyond simple transcript generation. However, if your main goal is to simply highlight, take notes, and organize your research from YouTube videos and other online content, a more specialized tool like Web Highlights serves as a more straightforward solution.
Comparing the Top YouTube Transcript Generators
How to Choose the Right Tool?
Choosing the best YouTube Transcript Generator depends entirely on what you need it for. Different tools are built for different jobs. Here is a simple guide to help you decide which one is right for your transcription workflow.
1. For Quick Transcription
If you need a fast and straightforward YouTube to text without a lot of extra features, Web Highlights is a suitable choice. You can simply paste a video URL and get a clean transcript text in seconds. This is a great solution for those who prioritize speed and simplicity for content absorption.
2. For Multilingual Support
If your research projects involve videos in different languages, Kome AI and VOMO AI offer extensive language support. They are ideal for global audiences and can save you a significant amount of manual transcription. However, remember that Web Highlights can also handle transcript summaries for videos with closed captions in multiple languages, making it a viable option for basic translation services.
3. For Annotation, Highlights, and Summary
When your goal is to do more than just get a transcript for YouTube videos, Web Highlights is the clear winner. This tool is ideal for highlighting key information, writing notes, adding tags, or creating effective study guides. The AI YouTube Transcript Generator in Web Highlights also provides a quick summary to get the main points of educational videos or research interviews. You can also open the transcript or the summary in the Reader Mode for better annotation and distraction-free reading.
4. For Interactive Features
VOMO AI provides interactive tools that allow users to ask questions and engage with the transcript text, which can enhance the analysis process. This is a powerful feature for students and researchers who need a deeper understanding of the video content.
5. For Live Content
Tactiq excels at real-time transcript generation. It is a great choice for live streams, online lectures, and webinars where you need Speech to Text as the conversation happens.
Ultimately, the best AI tool to transcribe YouTube videos is the one that fits your specific needs. While some tools are great for live content or multilingual support, Web Highlights stands out for anyone who wants not only to transcribe but also organize, annotate, and learn from online video content.
Final Thoughts
We've looked at a lot of tools that can help with your transcription workflow. Some are built simply for AI summaries, and some are huge platforms that do everything.
While those tools are great for what they do, Web Highlights is built for something more. It is an all-in-one tool that allows you to generate transcripts, summaries, and highlights, add notes, and much more. It is for people who want to learn from video content, not just transcribe it.
Ready to see how easy it is to save and learn from your favorite YouTube videos with Web Highlights?
Try it today.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How accurate is the Web Highlights’ AI YouTube Transcript Generator?
The accuracy of an AI YouTube Transcript Generator largely depends on the AI models it uses, as well as the audio quality of the YouTube videos. With clear audio and minimal background noise, Web Highlights can achieve over 95% accuracy. It is 100% private and runs inside your computer.
2. Can I use these tools for languages other than English?
Yes. Many modern speech-to-text tools, including RecCloud, have extensive language support. They can often generate video transcripts and even provide basic translation services for a wide range of global languages.
3. Do I need to pay to get transcript summaries?
Many tools, like Web Highlights offer a free tier that allows for a limited number of summaries or transcript generation for short YouTube videos. However, for some tools, you need to pay for unlimited transcript summaries.
4. How can video transcripts help with research projects?
Video transcripts transform video content into searchable text, making it much easier to find and reference specific information without re-watching the entire video. This is especially useful for research interviews and educational videos as it allows you to quickly locate key quotes, concepts, or data points.
5. What is the difference between closed captions and transcript text?
Closed captions are typically timed to the video to appear at the right moment and are often used for accessibility. Transcript text, on the other hand, is a full, unformatted text version of the audio, often without timestamps, that is easier to copy, paste, and use for note-taking or building study guides.