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YouTube Video Subtitles API

Name: YouTube Video Subtitles API
Brand: SocialCrawl
Availability: InStock

Scrape YouTube Video Subtitles data with one API call. Returns the downloadable subtitle/caption track files for a YouTube video — each with a language code and name, format, and a direct download `url`. Includes both manual and auto-generated tracks across available subtitle formats (srt, vtt, ttml, …).

Last updated August 2026Maintained by the SocialCrawl team

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Returns the caption track files for a video, each with a language code and name, file format, and a direct download URL, including auto-generated tracks.

Use it when you want subtitle files to download; video/transcript gives you the words themselves, already split into timed segments.

Searching 48 platforms in parallel

TikTok·

Instagram·

YouTube·

Facebook·

X·

LinkedIn·

Reddit·

Threads·

Pinterest·

Twitch·

Truth Social·

Snapchat·

Kick·

Bluesky·

Kwai·

Rumble·

Spotify·

TikTok Shop·

Amazon Shop·

Google Shopping·

Trustpilot·

TripAdvisor·

Linktree·

Komi·

Pillar·

lnk.bio·

Facebook Ads·

Google Ads·

LinkedIn Ads·

Google Search·

Google News·

Google Finance·

Polymarket·

Tavily·

Hacker News·

GitHub·

Perplexity·

Naver·Utility·

Universal Search

TikTok·

Instagram·

YouTube·

Facebook·

X·

LinkedIn·

Reddit·

Threads·

Pinterest·

Twitch·

Truth Social·

Snapchat·

Kick·

Bluesky·

Kwai·

Rumble·

Spotify·

TikTok Shop·

Amazon Shop·

Google Shopping·

Trustpilot·

TripAdvisor·

Linktree·

Komi·

Pillar·

lnk.bio·

Facebook Ads·

Google Ads·

LinkedIn Ads·

Google Search·

Google News·

Google Finance·

Polymarket·

Tavily·

Hacker News·

GitHub·

Perplexity·

Naver·Utility·

Universal Search

TikTok·

Instagram·

YouTube·

Facebook·

X·

LinkedIn·

Reddit·

Threads·

Pinterest·

Twitch·

Truth Social·

Snapchat·

Kick·

Bluesky·

Kwai·

Rumble·

Spotify·

TikTok Shop·

Amazon Shop·

Google Shopping·

Trustpilot·

TripAdvisor·

Linktree·

Komi·

Pillar·

lnk.bio·

Facebook Ads·

Google Ads·

LinkedIn Ads·

Google Search·

Google News·

Google Finance·

Polymarket·

Tavily·

Hacker News·

GitHub·

Perplexity·

Naver·Utility·

Universal Search

TikTok·

Instagram·

YouTube·

Facebook·

X·

LinkedIn·

Reddit·

Threads·

Pinterest·

Twitch·

Truth Social·

Snapchat·

Kick·

Bluesky·

Kwai·

Rumble·

Spotify·

TikTok Shop·

Amazon Shop·

Google Shopping·

Trustpilot·

TripAdvisor·

Linktree·

Komi·

Pillar·

lnk.bio·

Facebook Ads·

Google Ads·

LinkedIn Ads·

Google Search·

Google News·

Google Finance·

Polymarket·

Tavily·

Hacker News·

GitHub·

Perplexity·

Naver·Utility·

Universal Search

YouTube API

What can you do with the Video Subtitles API?

The Video Subtitles endpoint gives you structured YouTube data with computed fields in a single request. No scraping infrastructure to build or maintain.

Example Request

curl -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  "https://www.socialcrawl.dev/v1/youtube/video/subtitles?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DdQw4w9WgXcQ"

import requests

response = requests.get(
    "https://www.socialcrawl.dev/v1/youtube/video/subtitles",
    params={
    'url': 'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ',
    },
    headers={"x-api-key": "YOUR_API_KEY"},
)

data = response.json()

const response = await fetch(
  "https://www.socialcrawl.dev/v1/youtube/video/subtitles?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DdQw4w9WgXcQ",
  {
    headers: { "x-api-key": "YOUR_API_KEY" },
  },
);

const data = await response.json();

Parameters

Parameter	Required	Description
url	Yes	Full URL of the YouTube video.
format	No	Subtitle file format filter (e.g. srt, vtt, ttml, json3, srv1).

Example Response

What does the YouTube Video Subtitles API return?

Every response follows one unified schema. Here is a real, unmodified response body, so you can see the exact fields you get back before spending a credit.

Example response

{
  "success": true,
  "platform": "youtube",
  "endpoint": "/v1/youtube/video/subtitles",
  "data": {
    "items": [
      {
        "languageName": "English",
        "languageCode": "en",
        "format": "srt",
        "url": "https://www.youtube.com/api/timedtext?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ&ei=qW5naofXFNWy6dsPu8K4yAI&caps=asr&opi=112496729&xoaf=5&xowf=1&hl=en&ip=0.0.0.0&ipbits=0&expire=1785188633&sparams=ip%2Cipbits%2Cexpire%2Cv%2Cei%2Ccaps%2Copi%2Cxoaf&signature=7D4D1E780426AB07247B3B3BB4813E01EF131EDA.6024A12F4E420F6EF2930347B909C400EC83A89C&key=yt8&lang=en&fmt=srt&_ytc_=1&pot=&potc=1&c=ANDROID"
      },
      {
        "languageName": "English",
        "languageCode": "en",
        "format": "vtt",
        "url": "https://www.youtube.com/api/timedtext?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ&ei=qW5naofXFNWy6dsPu8K4yAI&caps=asr&opi=112496729&xoaf=5&xowf=1&hl=en&ip=0.0.0.0&ipbits=0&expire=1785188633&sparams=ip%2Cipbits%2Cexpire%2Cv%2Cei%2Ccaps%2Copi%2Cxoaf&signature=7D4D1E780426AB07247B3B3BB4813E01EF131EDA.6024A12F4E420F6EF2930347B909C400EC83A89C&key=yt8&lang=en&fmt=vtt&_ytc_=1&pot=&potc=1&c=ANDROID"
      }
    ],
    "dropped": 0
  },
  "credits_used": 1,
  "credits_remaining": 9999,
  "request_id": "req_example000000",
  "cached": false,
  "pagination": {
    "next_cursor": null,
    "has_more": false,
    "page_size": 990
  }
}

Live sample illustrating the unified response shape. Field values reflect the record you query.

API Details

How does the YouTube Video Subtitles API work?

Send a GET request with your API key and get back clean, structured JSON in our unified schema. Supported computed fields are populated when the source provides the required inputs.

Method

GET

Response

JSON

Why SocialCrawl

Why use SocialCrawl for YouTube Video Subtitles data?

We handle the complexity of YouTube data extraction so you can focus on building. Unified schema, AI enrichment, and zero platform logic in your code.

One schema for every platform — write your integration once
When an endpoint supports a computed field and the required source inputs are available, normalized records can include fields such as engagement rate, reach, category, and language
No scraping infrastructure to build, no proxies to manage, no rate limits to fight
Current public YouTube data, with the endpoint's documented cache window and 0-credit hits; send Cache-Control: no-cache for a billed refresh

Developer First

How do you scrape social media data in seconds?

The fastest social media scraping API for developers. Scrape profiles, posts, comments, and analytics from 48 platforms covering 10B+ monthly active users.

One schema, every platform

Query 48 platforms with identical response structures. Write your integration once.

Computed fields, not just scraped

When an endpoint supports these metrics and the source provides the required inputs, the normalized record includes engagement_rate, estimated_reach, content_category, and language — ready to use.

See your data before you code

Visual Data Explorer — paste any URL, get rich result cards, sortable tables, CSV export.

import requests

response = requests.get(
    'https://www.socialcrawl.dev/v1/tiktok/profile',
    params={'handle': 'charlidamelio'},
    headers={'x-api-key': 'sc_YOUR_API_KEY'}
)
data = response.json()

[ .JSON ]

{
  "success": true,
  "platform": "tiktok",
  "data": {
    "author": {
      "username": "charlidamelio",
      "followers": 152400000
    },
    "engagement": {
      "likes": 12400000000,
      "engagement_rate": 0.087
    },
    "metadata": {
      "language": "en",
      "content_category": "lifestyle"
    }
  }
}

+ 48 platforms

FAQ

Have a question? We got answers

Find answers to frequently asked questions about SocialCrawl's API, pricing, and capabilities.

How do I download a YouTube video's subtitles via API?

Send a GET to /v1/youtube/video/subtitles with the video url. The response lists each caption track with a language code and name, its format, and a direct download URL.

Does it include auto-generated captions?

Yes. The endpoint returns both manually uploaded and auto-generated tracks across the available subtitle formats.

Which subtitle formats can I get?

Common formats such as srt, vtt, ttml, json3, and srv1. Pass the format parameter to filter to a single one.

How is this different from the transcript endpoint?

The transcript endpoint returns spoken text as JSON, while subtitles returns the downloadable caption track files with timing, ready to attach to a player.

How much does the subtitles endpoint cost?

It is a standard endpoint at 1 credit per request, and new accounts start with 100 free credits.

Ask AI about SocialCrawl

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More YouTube API endpoints

Every YouTube endpoint returns the same unified schema.

Channel Channel Videos Video Videos Channels Transcripts

API reference YouTube API guide

Ready to scrape YouTube Video Subtitles data?

Get your API key and start pulling YouTube data in under 60 seconds.

Start for free

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