Best Apps to Get a YouTube Transcript on iPhone
If the video has captions, YouTube's own Show transcript is free — open the description in the YouTube app and tap Show transcript. When a video has no captions, or you want text you can copy, search, and summarize, share the video from YouTube to AnyScribe: it transcribes the audio itself in 50+ languages and adds an AI summary. Caption-based tools like Tactiq and Summarify fail on videos without captions; NoteGPT and Glasp are good on the web and desktop.
Editorial disclosure: AnyScribe publishes this comparison. Features and prices were checked against YouTube Help, vendor pages, and App Store listings on September 23, 2026 — sources are linked below the table.
Compared honestly
How the options stack up
Based on publicly available information, last verified September 23, 2026. Competitor tiers and pricing change — check their sites for current details.
Best free option for captioned videos: YouTube Show transcript
Best for videos without captions, on iPhone: AnyScribe
Best free web tool: NoteGPT
Best browser-extension workflow: Glasp
Best for quick answers about a video: Gemini
| App | Pricing model | Best for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| AnyScribeThis app | 30 free minutes, then non-expiring credits from $1.99/hour. | Any video, captions or not, straight from the YouTube share sheet; AI summary. | Paid after the free minutes; iOS only. |
| YouTube Show transcript | Free. | Reading along with captioned videos in the YouTube app. | Needs captions; no copy-all, export, or summary. |
| NoteGPT | Free tool; Pro from $9/month. | Web transcripts and summaries, including videos without captions. | Web only — no official iPhone app. |
| Glasp | Free 3 summaries/day; Pro $12.50/month. | Browser-extension summaries plus an iOS app. | Free tier is small; built around desktop browsing. |
| Eightify | Pro $9.99/month or $59.99/year. | Quick key-point summaries of long videos. | Summaries rather than full transcripts; app updates are infrequent. |
| Tactiq YouTube tool | Free, no sign-up. | Copying an existing caption track from a desktop browser. | Only works when the video already has captions. |
| Gemini | Free. | Asking questions about a video's content. | Summaries and answers, not a full transcript. |
Who needs a YouTube transcript
Students pulling notes and quotes from lectures and explainers
Researchers and journalists who need exact wording with timestamps
Viewers of videos in languages or accents where auto-captions are missing or poor
Anyone who wants the gist of a long video without watching all of it
Captions-based vs. audio-based tools
There are two kinds of YouTube transcript tools. Caption-based tools — YouTube's Show transcript, Tactiq, Summarify — only read the captions YouTube already has, so they return nothing when a video has no captions. YouTube's auto-captions cover about 70 languages and are skipped for poor audio, long silences, mixed languages, or very long videos.
Audio-based tools download the audio and transcribe it themselves. AnyScribe works this way on iPhone, and NoteGPT offers AI transcription on the web. They work on videos with no captions at all and often produce cleaner punctuation than auto-captions.
Getting the transcript on iPhone specifically
Most YouTube transcript tools are web pages or browser extensions built for a desktop. On iPhone, the shortest path is the share sheet: in the YouTube app tap Share, then AnyScribe, and the transcript and summary arrive in the app. YouTube's own transcript panel works in the app too, but it offers no copy-all or export.
What works
YouTube videos, Shorts, and live-stream replays from a pasted link or the share sheet
Transcribes the audio directly — no captions required
Output: timestamped transcript, AI summary, copy, PDF export, search, and a shareable web page
Good to know
Private videos and members-only content cannot be fetched
AnyScribe uses credits after 30 free minutes; captioned videos can be read for free in YouTube
AnyScribe's full app is iOS and iPadOS only (the website offers a free link try-out)
Competitor facts reflect official sources as of September 23, 2026
Simple, Honest Pricing
No subscription. No account. Buy credits when you need them — they never expire.
Free
$0
30 minutes included with the app. No strings attached.
1 Hour
$1.99
Perfect for occasional use. Credits never expire.
4 Hours
Best value$5.99
Best value for regular transcription needs.
12 Hours
$14.99
For power users and professionals. Credits never expire.
FAQ
Common questions
- How do I see the transcript of a YouTube video on iPhone?
- In the YouTube app, open the video description and tap Show transcript. This works only when the video has captions. For videos without captions, or to copy and summarize the text, share the video to AnyScribe.
- Can I get a transcript of a YouTube video that has no captions?
- Yes, with a tool that transcribes the audio itself, such as AnyScribe on iPhone or NoteGPT on the web. Caption-based tools like YouTube's transcript panel and Tactiq return nothing for those videos.
- How do I copy a YouTube transcript on iPhone?
- YouTube's transcript panel does not offer copy-all. AnyScribe lets you copy the full transcript or the summary, export a PDF, or share a web link to it.
- Is there a free YouTube transcript app for iPhone?
- YouTube's Show transcript is free for captioned videos. AnyScribe includes 30 free minutes that work on any video, and NoteGPT's free tool runs in Safari.
- Can I get a summary of a YouTube video instead of the full transcript?
- AnyScribe gives both: a full timestamped transcript and an AI summary. Eightify, Glasp, and Gemini focus on summaries and key points.
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Download for iOSLast verified on September 23, 2026 against the current version of AnyScribe for iOS.