BulkTranscripts is an online YouTube transcript downloader, REST API, and MCP server that extracts every available transcript from a channel, playlist, or individual video — up to 1,000 videos per job — and exports them as TXT, Markdown, SRT, VTT, CSV, JSON, or one combined AI-ready document for NotebookLM, ChatGPT, Claude, and RAG pipelines.
What is BulkTranscripts?
BulkTranscripts is a web app, REST API, and MCP server for downloading YouTube transcripts in bulk. Paste a public channel, playlist, or single video URL, and it discovers the available videos, retrieves every accessible transcript (12 languages supported), and packages them for download. It runs in the browser with no installation, and the first 30 transcripts are free without a credit card.
Key Features
- Channel and playlist detection — Paste a channel URL (e.g.
youtube.com/@TED) or a playlist URL; the tool automatically finds the videos and retrieves transcripts in playlist order. - Export formats — Downloads are available as plain text (TXT), Markdown, SRT and VTT subtitles, CSV, and JSON; Markdown and TXT include source links, titles, and timestamps.
- Combined AI-ready documents — Merge an entire channel or playlist into one structured Markdown file that keeps video titles, source URLs, upload dates, durations, and transcript text — ready to upload to NotebookLM, ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini.
- Scale up to 1,000 videos — Jobs can cover up to 1,000 videos and typically finish in about two minutes for a 100-video playlist, per the site.
- Free tier — Get 30 transcripts free, no credit card required, covering all export formats and combined documents.
- Credit system — Paid credits are one-time purchases that never expire; cached re-exports in any format do not consume additional credits, and videos without captions are never charged.
- REST API — A keyless free tier plus a license-key API that works through plain GET requests, with an OpenAPI spec and documentation (e.g.
curl "https://bulktranscripts.co/api/v1/transcript?video=VIDEO_ID"). - MCP server and agent skill — Use the hosted MCP server with Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, n8n, Make, and other MCP clients, or install an agent skill for Claude Code, Codex, OpenClaw, and VS Code.
Who is it for?
- Researchers and analysts — Search or analyze years of a creator's output (e.g. interviewers, educators, tech channels) by pulling text from hundreds of videos at once.
- AI knowledge-base builders — Gather the full archives of a YouTube channel into one file and upload it to NotebookLM, ChatGPT, or Claude to ask cross-video questions.
- Developers — Build RAG pipelines or AI agents that fetch YouTube transcripts programmatically via the REST API or MCP server, with CSV/JSON per-segment timestamps.
- Course and podcast curators — Download playlist transcripts for conference talks, lecture series, or podcast episodes in playlist order, as individual files or in a ZIP.
What can you do with BulkTranscripts?
- Research an entire creator: Search a 100-video playlist's text in about two minutes instead of watching hundreds of hours; the search covers everything they've published.
- Build a NotebookLM notebook: Generate one combined Markdown file per channel with titles, timestamps, and source links, then upload it as a single source.
- Create a RAG knowledge base: Export structured JSON or CSV with per-segment timestamps for up to 1,000 videos per job to seed embeddings and retrieval.
- Analyze competitors or repurpose talks: Discover content patterns across hundreds of videos, study courses, and create show notes or posts from podcast/talk transcripts.
How does BulkTranscripts work?
Paste a channel, playlist, or individual YouTube video URL into the dashboard. BulkTranscripts detects what you supplied, finds the available videos, processes transcripts in parallel while you watch progress live, and then lets you download one transcript, selected transcripts, a ZIP of all transcripts, or one combined AI-ready document. A transcript costs one credit only when first added to your library; re-exporting a cached transcript is free.
Pricing
BulkTranscripts offers a free tier (30 transcripts, no credit card needed) and a freemium credit model — paid credit packs are a one-time purchase (tiers named Starter, Pro, and Scale) with no subscription and no expiry. Previously extracted transcripts can be re-downloaded in any format without using additional credits, and failed extracts (e.g. videos without captions) are never charged.
FAQ
Does downloading the same transcript again cost another credit?
No. Once a transcript is successfully extracted and stored in your library, you can re-export it in any format without spending another credit. Videos without captions are skipped and never charged.
Can I download transcripts from an entire YouTube channel?
Yes. Paste a public channel URL, and BulkTranscripts discovers its videos and retrieves every available transcript. You can download transcripts individually, as a ZIP, or as one combined document.
Do credits expire?
No. Purchased transcript credits do not expire. The free 30 transcripts also become part of your account, and you can re-download their cached versions later.
What transcript formats can I download?
BulkTranscripts supports Markdown, TXT, SRT, VTT, CSV, JSON, and combined AI-ready exports. Markdown and TXT include metadata such as source URLs, upload dates, durations, and timestamps.
Is BulkTranscripts affiliated with YouTube?
No. BulkTranscripts is an independent product and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by YouTube or Google.
