Exposing the 'AI' Transcription Scam

Last month, I needed a transcript from a YouTube video. Simple, right?

I googled "youtube transcript generator" and found dozens of tools. They all promised:

• "AI-powered transcription"
• "Advanced machine learning"
• "99% accuracy with our proprietary technology"

Here's what they actually do:

They make a single API call to YouTube's internal timedtext endpoint and extract the captions that already exist on the video. That's it. No AI. No machine learning. No innovation.

The 4 Lies These Tools Tell

Lie #1: "We Use AI to Generate Transcripts"

Reality: They extract existing captions via youtubei/v1/player endpoint. If a video has no captions, they return nothing. No AI involved.

Lie #2: "Sign Up for Free Transcripts"

Reality: They harvest your email, track your usage, and upsell you to "Pro" plans. The signup isn't for functionality—it's for their marketing funnel.

Lie #3: "Free Tier Available"

Reality: Ad-supported nightmares with popups, banner ads, and "upgrade to remove limits" dark patterns. The free tier is intentionally frustrating.

Lie #4: "99% Accuracy with Our Technology"

Reality: The accuracy is determined by YouTube's auto-captioning (which happens before these tools touch the video). They're taking credit for YouTube's work.

What You Can Do

Use tools that are actually honest about what they do. Or better yet—just use YouTube's built-in transcript feature (three dots below video → "Show transcript").

I built YT Transcript as a protest: actually free, no signup, no fake AI claims. Because not everything needs to be a SaaS.

The "AI" these tools charge $30/month for:

Don't pay for free services. Don't reward dark patterns. The internet deserves better.