Sources
Video to text
Read a video as text instead of watching it. We do this by reading the captions a platform already publishes — which is instant and free, and also the reason some platforms are not supported yet.
Works with public videos that have captions. Free — no sign-up.
Where each source stands
- YouTubeAvailable now
- FacebookComing soon
- TikTokNot yet available
- InstagramNot yet available
- VimeoNot yet available
- Upload fileNot yet available
The list above is generated from the same registry the tool reads, so it cannot claim something the app does not actually do.
When this tool is the wrong choice
Worth saying out loud, because it will save you time: reading existing captions cannot work in these cases, and no amount of engineering on our side changes that.
- The video has no captions. Nothing to read. A paid transcription service that listens to the audio is the answer.
- The captions are burned into the picture. Common on short-form video. Those words are part of the image, not text.
- The video is private or unlisted. We can only read what is public, which is the same rule your browser follows when signed out.
- It is your own footage, not yet published. There is no caption track until something generates one.
Working with YouTube today
YouTube is live and covers most of what people ask for. If that is what you came for, the focused pages are quicker: the transcript generator, copying the text or downloading subtitles.
Platform questions
Which platforms work right now?
YouTube only. Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, Vimeo and direct file upload are listed in the tool as not yet available, and they are deliberately not clickable rather than silently failing. Each one lands as its own release.
Why is YouTube first?
Because it exposes caption tracks on nearly every public video, and those tracks carry timings. Short-form platforms often burn captions into the picture instead, which means there is no text to read — the words are pixels. Those need real speech recognition, which is a different and much more expensive piece of work.
Can I upload my own video file?
Not yet. An uploaded file has no caption track, so it needs speech recognition rather than extraction — a genuinely different pipeline. It is on the list precisely because it is the thing extraction can never cover.
What is the difference between extraction and transcription?
Extraction reads text that already exists alongside the video and is instant and free. Transcription listens to the audio and writes the text itself, which works on anything but costs money per minute and takes time. This tool does extraction, and says so plainly rather than implying it can hear.
Can I be told when a platform goes live?
There is no mailing list yet. The tab in the tool changes from grey to active the moment a source ships, and each release gets a post on the blog.
Try it with a YouTube link
The other sources are coming. YouTube works right now, and the tool above is the whole product.
Get a transcript