Short answer: if you only need captions from YouTube videos that have them, TranscriptAPI costs less per transcript. Pick Transcript Dock when you also need TikTok, transcripts for videos without captions, SRT or VTT files, batches or webhooks.
TranscriptAPI facts were checked on October 9, 2026 against transcriptapi.com/pricing and its docs. Their page is authoritative.
Side by side#
| Feature | Transcript Dock | TranscriptAPI |
|---|---|---|
| Sources | YouTube, TikTok, file uploads, direct media links | YouTube |
| Existing captions | 1 credit | 1 credit |
| No captions | AI transcription, 2 credits per started minute, paid plans | 404 no_captions, not charged |
| Exports | TXT, SRT, VTT, JSON with timed segments and word timings | JSON or text, optional timestamps |
| Find videos | YouTube search, channel, playlist; TikTok profile | YouTube search, channel, playlist |
| Batches and webhooks | Batches up to 50 links; signed webhooks | No batch endpoint or webhooks documented |
| MCP server | Hosted with OAuth sign in, plus an npx package | Hosted with OAuth |
| Free tier | 50 credits every month, no card | 100 credits once, no card |
| Entry price | $19 a month for 2,000 credits | $5 a month for 1,000 credits |
When TranscriptAPI is the better fit#
- YouTube only, and the videos you care about have captions.
- Price per transcript matters most: $5 for 1,000 is hard to beat.
- You want its free channel RSS check to watch for new uploads.
When Transcript Dock is the better fit#
- You need TikTok videos and profiles next to YouTube.
- Some videos have no captions. mode auto uses captions when they exist and transcribes the audio otherwise, with word timings.
- You need subtitle files: SRT and VTT exports are free and unlimited.
- You process many videos: batches plus signed webhooks.
- Your own audio and video files: uploads go through the same API.
More comparisons#
See Transcript Dock vs Supadata, vs youtube-transcript-api and all alternatives.