Credits for transcripts
and comments.
One credit buys a transcript or a nonempty comments page, usually about 20 comments. Use one balance across the website, API, and MCP. Search and video details are free.
Starter
Occasional research and smaller collections.
1,000 credits/mo
0.9¢ per credit
- All 6 export formats (DOCX via API)
- Bulk channel & playlist
- API access (sync + bulk)
Cancel anytime.
Pro
RecommendedRegular research and larger collections.
5,000 credits/mo
0.38¢ per credit
- All 6 export formats (DOCX via API)
- Bulk channel & playlist
- API access (sync + bulk)
Cancel anytime.
Business
High-volume collection and automated workflows.
20,000 credits/mo
0.25¢ per credit
- All 6 export formats (DOCX via API)
- Bulk channel & playlist
- API access (sync + bulk)
Cancel anytime.
Free
30 credits every 30 days.
Sign in with Google to get your first 30 credits. Your Free allowance refills every 30 days. Use it for transcripts, comments, or small website collections. No card required.
What uses a credit?
Collect what you need. Comments work on their own, or as an optional extra alongside a transcript. They are never added to the cost automatically.
A comments page usually holds about 20 top-level comments. YouTube controls the page size; reply pages can be smaller and use the same one-credit rate when nonempty.
There is no separate bill for connecting the API or MCP. Your AI chat provider’s own subscription and usage charges are separate.
| What you collect | Credits |
|---|---|
| One successful transcript | 1 |
| One nonempty comments or reply page | 1 |
| A transcript + its optional nonempty comments page | 2 |
No credits spent
Search, listings, video details, and reading or downloading saved job results. Failed fetches and empty comments pages are also free.
What every plan includes.
- Background collections
- Collect transcripts or standalone comments from videos, playlists, and channels in the website. Set the scope, start a job, and return for the results.
- Bulk transcriptsComments collector
- Files you can work with
- Transcripts as TXT, SRT, Markdown, CSV, or JSON; DOCX through the API. Comments collections include JSON and CSV. Saved job results are available for 100 days.
- See the formats
- API and MCP access
- Use your code or AI chat to search and fetch individual transcripts and comments on any plan. Paid plans add API/MCP bulk transcript jobs and higher rate limits.
- API docsConnect your chat
Keep control
of the spend.
Choose a monthly allowance, not an open-ended bill. When you run out, wait for your next cycle or change plans. There are no automatic overage charges or credit packs.
Paid plans are billed monthly in USD. Your allowance refills each cycle; unused credits do not roll over.
- Set a collection budget.
- The website shows a transcript job’s credit reservation before you submit. Standalone comments jobs let you set a hard credit limit, even when collecting All available.
- Stop without losing saved work.
- Cancel a running job from History. Keep the results already saved; unused reserved credits return to the job’s original billing cycle.
- Change plans when your work changes.
- Upgrade immediately with prorated billing. Downgrade at the end of your current billing period. Manage your subscription from your account.
Before you choose.
Is there really a free plan?
Yes. Sign in with Google and you get 30 credits every 30 days, recurring. No credit card required, no time limit.
What does one credit buy?
One successful transcript fetch costs 1 credit. A nonempty comments page also costs 1 credit. A page usually contains about 20 top-level comments; YouTube controls the size, and reply pages can be smaller. Each nonempty reply page also costs 1 credit. Comments are optional: fetching a transcript and one nonempty comments page uses 2 credits. Failed fetches and empty comments pages are not charged. Fetching the same transcript or comments page again costs another credit; re-downloading a completed bulk job is free. Unused credits do not roll over.
Can I switch plans anytime?
Yes. Upgrades take effect immediately with prorated billing. Downgrades take effect at the end of your current billing period, so you keep your current plan until then.
What export formats are available?
Every plan, including free, exports transcripts as TXT, SRT, JSON, CSV, and Markdown. DOCX is available through the API. Standalone comments collections download as a ZIP containing JSON and CSV files. Plans differ in credit allowance, rate limits, and API/MCP bulk access, not export formats.
How long are downloads available?
Job results are kept for 100 days. You can download saved transcripts and comments again within that window without another fetch charge. Download a local copy before the retention period ends; collecting the data again uses credits.
Is there a limit on channel size?
The website supports up to 5,000 long-form videos per channel transcript job, subject to remaining credits. Standalone comments collections also support sources up to 5,000 videos, with a credit limit for the whole job. Channel collections exclude Shorts. API/MCP bulk transcript jobs require a paid plan, with caps of 500 videos on Starter, 2,000 on Pro, and 10,000 on Business.
Do API and MCP access cost extra?
No. Every YouTube Video Transcript plan includes API and MCP access using the same credit balance. Individual transcripts, comments, and free discovery tools are available on all plans. Bulk transcript jobs through API or MCP require a paid plan. API rate limits are 30 requests per minute on Free, 100 on Starter, 300 on Pro, and 1,000 on Business. Your AI chat provider has separate connector requirements and usage charges.
What happens to credits when I cancel a collection?
The job keeps the results already saved, and those stay charged. Unused reserved credits are refunded to the job’s original billing cycle. Standalone comments jobs stop at your credit limit even if you selected All available, so the budget can be reached before every video or comment is collected.
Try a real collection first. Google sign-in gives you 30 free credits every 30 days, with no card required.
Get started for free