A youtube-transcript-api alternative that works on servers
The youtube-transcript-api Python package is the best free way to get YouTube transcripts on your own machine. The trouble starts when you deploy: YouTube blocks most cloud IPs and requests fail with RequestBlocked or IpBlocked.
Library plus proxies vs a hosted API
| youtube-transcript-api + proxies | Transkrio API | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free library + residential proxy plan | 100 free, then from $3 per 1,000 |
| Works on AWS, GCP, Vercel | Only with rotating residential proxies | Yes |
| Maintenance | You: proxy account, retries, YouTube changes | None |
| Languages | Python | Any (HTTP), plus n8n and MCP |
| Caching | Build your own | Built in, repeated requests are instant |
| Playlists and channels | No | Yes |
| TikTok, Reels, podcasts | No | Yes |
| Videos without captions | No | Transcribed from audio |
| Data control | Everything stays in your infrastructure | Requests go through Transkrio |
Keep the library if
- Your code runs on your laptop or a home server.
- You process huge volumes and already run a proxy pool.
- You can't send video URLs to a third party.
Switch to an API if
- Your app runs in the cloud and you're seeing
RequestBlocked. See how to fix it, with or without an API. - You don't use Python, or want to call it from n8n or an AI agent.
- You'd rather pay per transcript than maintain proxies.
Migrating
# Before
from youtube_transcript_api import YouTubeTranscriptApi
segments = YouTubeTranscriptApi().fetch("dQw4w9WgXcQ").to_raw_data()
# After
import os, requests
segments = requests.get(
"https://api.transkrio.com/v1/transcript",
params={"url": "dQw4w9WgXcQ"},
headers={"x-api-key": os.environ["TRANSKRIO_API_KEY"]},
).json()["segments"] # same shape: text, start, duration
More in YouTube transcripts in Python and the best YouTube transcript APIs.
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