Best Free Tools to Get a Transcript from a Reel, TikTok or Short (2026)

If you just want the words spoken in a short video — a Reel, a TikTok, a YouTube Short — as plain text, you don't need to type it out by hand. A handful of free tools will paste-and-go a transcript for you, and some throw in subtitle files, timestamps, summaries, or an audio download.

We checked each tool's own website on 28 September 2026 and wrote down only what it states about free limits, signup, platform support, timestamps, SRT/VTT export, AI summaries, and MP3 output. Where a site doesn't say, we write “not stated” — we didn't guess, sign up, or test undocumented behavior to fill the gaps. One of the tools compared here is ReelGrab, which is ours — we're disclosing that plainly, and we've included the places where competitors do more than we do, so this reads as a comparison rather than an advertisement.

Quick answer

• Need subtitles (SRT/VTT)? GetTheScript, FreeScribe, Subclip, or ScreenApp — all state SRT/VTT export. ReelGrab also offers SRT/VTT download, for videos up to 3 minutes.
• Working with a longer video? ScreenApp states 2 free transcriptions up to 45 minutes each — the only tool here built for long-form video.
• Want transcript + summary + MP3 together, no signup? ReelGrab.
• Transcribing a lot of TikToks? TokScript states 5 free transcripts a day.

Comparison table

A row of “not stated” isn't a mark against a tool — it just means the feature isn't mentioned on the page we checked. If a stated limit or feature matters to you, confirm it on the tool's own site before relying on it; tools update their free tiers without much notice.

Each tool, briefly

ReelGrab (ours)

Free, no signup. Paste a public Instagram Reel, TikTok, YouTube Short (60 seconds or under), Facebook Reel or video, or Reddit video link, and get a plain-text transcript, a short AI summary with topics, and an MP3 — all from one link, one at a time, with a timestamps view and .srt, .vtt, and .txt downloads. It doesn't do file upload or translation, and it's limited to videos up to 3 minutes and 30 jobs per hour per IP, so if you need a long-form transcript, look at the tools below instead.

TokScript

5 free transcripts a day, no signup. Covers TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts, and exports TXT, XML, JSON, or CSV — but not SRT. No stated summary feature; it offers a video download and an optional Chrome extension instead of an MP3.

GetTheScript

States a “generous” free tier without a number, no signup. Covers TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, and Facebook, and exports TXT, SRT, or VTT — ahead of ReelGrab if you need a subtitle file. No stated summary or MP3 option.

Eden

Free within a “fair-use limit” that isn't stated as a number. No signup. Handles Instagram and YouTube, and transcribes from audio, so it works even when the source has no captions. No timestamps, no SRT/VTT, no summary, no MP3.

FreeScribe

Free limits for pasted links aren't stated; direct uploads are capped at 500MB, which ReelGrab doesn't support at all. No signup. Covers YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram, exports subtitles, includes an AI summary, and translates into 30+ languages — ahead of ReelGrab on file upload and translation. MP3 output isn't stated.

SpeakApp

Public Instagram only, and videos are trimmed to 2 minutes on the free tier. No signup. A narrow tool, and its page doesn't state timestamps, SRT/VTT, summary, or MP3.

Choppity

A free plan with unstated limits, but it requires signup, unlike ReelGrab. Built around importing a YouTube link to make clips and captions — transcript output is secondary to that. It does state timestamps.

Tactiq

Free, no signup, but YouTube only — no TikTok or Instagram support. Exports a .txt transcript. Summaries are offered as a separate product, not in this tool, and there's no MP3.

Subclip

States “100% free,” no signup, and the widest platform list here — Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, and X. Exports TXT, SRT, or VTT with optional timestamps, the same file formats ReelGrab now offers. No summary or MP3, and public content only.

ScreenApp

2 free transcriptions per video, up to 45 minutes each — the only tool here built for long-form video, though you need to register to save results. Wide platform coverage, timestamps with speaker labels, export to PDF/DOCX/TXT/SRT/VTT, and translation across 100+ languages. No AI summary (it offers AI chat instead), and MP3 isn't stated. Clearly ahead of ReelGrab on video length, speaker labels, and translation.

How to choose

• Need an SRT or VTT file — ReelGrab, GetTheScript, FreeScribe, Subclip, and ScreenApp all offer one (ReelGrab for videos up to 3 minutes).
• Working with a video longer than 3 minutes — use ScreenApp (up to 45 minutes on the free tier).
• Want the transcript, a short summary, and the audio file without creating an account — use ReelGrab.
• Transcribing several TikToks a day and want a daily allowance — use TokScript (5/day free).

How to get a transcript with ReelGrab

1. Copy the public link to the Reel, TikTok, Short, Facebook video, or Reddit video.
2. Paste it into ReelGrab's video-to-transcript tool, or use a platform page directly: Instagram Reel transcript, TikTok video transcript, or YouTube Shorts transcript.
3. Get the plain-text transcript, AI summary, and MP3 on the results page — no signup.