TranscriptYTTactiq YouTube Transcript Alternative: TranscriptYT vs. Tactiq
Tactiq is best known as a meeting transcription extension for Google Meet, Zoom, and Teams, and it offers a free YouTube transcript tool on its site. TranscriptYT's free tool does the same job with subtitle downloads, translation, and AI summaries, and the same transcripts are available through an API and MCP server.
| TranscriptYT | Tactiq | |
|---|---|---|
| Sign-up for the free tool | Not required | Not required |
| Download formats | TXT, SRT, VTT, JSON, CSV, Markdown | TXT (per their tool page, Oct 2026) |
| Caption languages | Any track the video has | Not specified on their tool page |
| Translation | 150+ languages, side by side with the original | Not specified on their tool page |
| AI summary | Summary, key points, and timestamped notes | Offered for meetings in their extension |
| Playlists and channels | Paste a playlist or channel link | Single videos |
| API and MCP | REST API and MCP server, 100 free | No public YouTube transcript API |
When Tactiq is the better fit
If your main need is transcribing your own meetings in Google Meet, Zoom, or Teams, Tactiq's extension is built for that, and the YouTube tool is a handy extra.
When TranscriptYT is the better fit
If you work with YouTube videos, TranscriptYT gives you more from the same paste-a-link flow: subtitle files with exact timings, any caption language, translation shown next to the original, and an AI summary with notes you can jump through by timestamp. When you outgrow copying by hand, the same transcripts come from the API in bulk, or straight into Claude, Cursor, or Codex through MCP.
The short version
Transcribing meetings? Tactiq. Getting text out of YouTube videos, once or at scale? TranscriptYT does more with the video and grows into an API when you need one.
Try TranscriptYT free