Video to Text

Turn a video into text you can actually use

Upload an MP4, MOV, or WebM — or paste a YouTube link — and Scholarly transcribes the spoken audio into a downloadable transcript file. Plain text for reading and search, or timestamped WebVTT when you need the timings.

MP4, MOV, WebM, MKV, AVIYouTube links.txt or .vtt downloadUp to 60 minutes
Used by 170,000+ students worldwide

Quick answer

How do I convert a video to text?

Open Transcribe on the Scholarly home screen, upload the video file or paste a YouTube URL, and choose whether you want plain text or timestamped captions. The transcription runs in the background — you can close the tab — and the finished transcript lands in your library as a file you can read, edit, search, and download.

  • One credit, one source. A transcription costs a single AI credit no matter how long the video is, and the credit is returned automatically if the job fails.
  • Two output formats. Plain text (.txt) reads like a document. Timestamped captions (.vtt) carry a cue and a start/end time for every line.
  • Sixty minutes per video. That is a real ceiling, not a soft one. Longer recordings are rejected before anything is charged — split them, or record them through AI Meeting Notes instead.

The output is a file, not a viewer. You keep the transcript on your own terms — download it, edit it, feed it to a chat, or attach it to a project.

Updated August 2026

Add the video

Drop in a video file from your computer, or paste a YouTube URL. Scholarly checks the length before anything is charged.

Pick the format

Plain text for reading and search, or timestamped WebVTT captions for a player or a caption editor.

Get the file

The transcription runs in the background and saves to your library as an editable, downloadable file.

What people do with a video transcript

Search a talk you can't scrub

Find the two minutes that matter in a 50-minute recording by searching the text instead of dragging a playhead.

Quote it exactly

Cite what was actually said, word for word, instead of paraphrasing from memory or a half-heard replay.

Feed it to AI

A .txt transcript is the cleanest possible source for chat, notes, flashcards, or a study guide built from the same material.

Keep a written record

Training sessions, client calls, and recorded lectures become documents you can file, share, and re-read.

Video to text

The verbatim spoken content of one video, as a .txt or .vtt file you download and own.

AI Meeting Notes

Records live, keeps the audio alongside the text, and produces structured notes — the right tool for a meeting or lecture as it happens.

Video summarizers

Condense a video into key points. Useful, but they rewrite the material rather than preserving what was said.

Which video files work

MP4, MOV, WebM, MKV, M4V, AVI, and OGV upload directly, and so do plain audio files — MP3, M4A, WAV, AAC, FLAC, OGG, Opus. Scholarly reads the audio track and ignores the picture, so screen recordings, lecture captures, webinar exports, and phone videos all work the same way. A YouTube link is handled differently: Scholarly pulls the video's own transcript rather than downloading the file, which is faster but depends on that video having one.

Plain text or timestamped captions

Choose .txt when the words are the point — reading, searching, quoting, or handing the material to an AI chat. Choose .vtt when the timings matter: WebVTT is the caption format browsers and video players read natively, so the file drops straight into a player, a caption editor, or a subtitle track. Both are ordinary text files. You can open either one in Scholarly's editor, fix a name or a mis-heard term, and download it again.

What this tool does not do

It does not label speakers. The transcript is a single continuous run of what was said, not a who-said-what script — if you need speaker turns, record through AI Meeting Notes instead. It does not translate: the transcript comes back in the language that was spoken. It does not burn captions into a video or export .srt — you get a WebVTT file to use elsewhere. And accuracy tracks the recording, not the model: distance from the microphone, crosstalk, and heavy background noise all degrade the text, so verify any number, name, or technical term you intend to quote.

Keep exploring

Related tools

Other ways to turn spoken material into something you can read and study.

Subtitle generator

The same transcription, framed around producing a .vtt caption track.

Audio to text

Voice memos, interviews, and recordings converted to a transcript.

YouTube transcript

Pull the full transcript of a YouTube video from its URL.

Lecture transcription

A full class captured as searchable, timestamped text.

YouTube to notes

Skip the transcript and get structured notes from the video.

Text-to-Speech

The trip in reverse — turn a document into one MP3.

Frequently Asked Questions

What video formats can I transcribe?

MP4, MOV, WebM, MKV, M4V, AVI, and OGV. Audio-only files work too — MP3, M4A, WAV, AAC, FLAC, OGG, and Opus. Scholarly transcribes the audio track, so a screen recording with no camera is exactly as good a source as a filmed talk.

How long can the video be?

Up to 60 minutes per transcription. The length is checked before you are charged, so an over-length file is rejected rather than half-processed. For something longer, split it into parts and transcribe each one.

What does it cost?

One AI credit for the whole video, whatever its length. The credit is committed only once the transcript file has been created, and returned automatically if the transcription fails.

Can I transcribe a YouTube video?

Yes — paste the URL instead of uploading a file. Scholarly uses the video's own transcript, so it is quick, but a video with no transcript available (some live streams and private uploads) cannot be processed this way.

Does the transcript separate speakers?

No. This tool produces a continuous transcript of what was said, without speaker labels. If who-said-what matters, use AI Meeting Notes, which records the session and keeps speaker turns.

Can I edit and download the transcript?

Yes. The finished transcript is a normal file in your library — open it in the editor to correct a term, then download the .txt or .vtt whenever you need it.

Do I get .srt subtitle files?

Not currently. The timestamped option is WebVTT (.vtt), which browsers and most modern players read natively. Plenty of free converters will turn a .vtt into .srt if a specific tool requires it.

Turn your next video into text

One credit per video, .txt or .vtt, saved to your library as a file you can edit and download.

Free

See what it does with one of your own sources.

$0

/month

Free forever

No card required.

  • 3 lifetime AI Chat messages

  • 1 free AI creation total

  • 2-minute podcasts and video lectures

  • 1 free file upload total (8MB)

  • 5 lifetime quiz questions

  • 1 completed practice exam total

  • 15 lifetime voice minutes

  • 32-page PDF to flashcards

  • 500 lifetime autocomplete words

Use it to generate flashcards, improve a deck, or create a podcast, video lecture, slides, infographic, mind map, study guide, worksheet, spreadsheet, story book, timeline, SOP, flowchart, lesson plan, or outline — or run Deep Research or turn a recording into AI Meeting Notes.

Premium

Most Popular

Steady weekly output from the material you already have.

$12

/month

Billed yearly at $144 · save $216

  • Everything in Free, plus:

  • 10 AI creations per week

  • Unlimited AI chat & autocomplete

  • Podcasts up to 60 minutes, videos up to 45 minutes

  • Unlimited file uploads (up to 300MB)

  • Unlimited study sessions

  • Unlimited exams & quizzes

  • 1000-page PDF to flashcards

  • Export to Anki

  • Priority support

Laureate

For work where being right matters more than the price.

$99

/month

billed monthly · cancel anytime

For frontier models & 8x more AI Creations

Our most advanced and most expensive tier.

  • Everything in Premium, plus:

  • 80 flexible AI creation credits every week

  • 80 AI creations per week

  • Podcasts up to 60 minutes, videos up to 45 minutes

  • Unlimited uploads up to 1 GB, plus 3,000-page PDFs

  • 12 hours of voice mode per day

  • Priority support and early access to new Frontier models

Pricing shown in USD. Local currency may be available for Premium in app.

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AI chat

Premium and Laureate include unlimited AI chat. GPT 5.6 Sol and Claude Opus 5 are reserved for credit-metered AI creations.

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3 total
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Unlimited

AI creations

AI creations share one credit balance across every creation tool. Standard models use 1 credit; Frontier models Sol and Opus use 3.

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1 total
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10/week
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80/week

Podcast length

Free episodes are fixed at 2 minutes. Paid plans can set a target length up to 60 minutes.

Free
2 minutes
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Up to 60 minutes
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Up to 60 minutes

Video lecture length

Free lectures with a length control are fixed at 2 minutes. Paid plans can set a target up to 45 minutes. Short uses its own short video format.

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2 minutes
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Up to 45 minutes
Laureate
Up to 45 minutes

File uploads

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1 total (8MB)
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Unlimited (300MB)
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Unlimited (1 GB each)

PDF to flashcards

Free
32 pages
Premium
1000 pages
Laureate
3000 pages

Practice questions

Free
5 total
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Unlimited
Laureate
Unlimited

Practice exams

Free
1 total
Premium
Unlimited
Laureate
Unlimited

Voice mode

Free
15 min total
Premium
2 hr/day
Laureate
12 hr/day

Autocomplete

Free
500 words total
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Unlimited
Laureate
Unlimited

Export to Anki

Free
—
Premium
Included
Laureate
Included

Support

Free
Standard
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Priority
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Priority

What customers say

Scholarly has enhanced the quality of notes and questions I administer to my tutees. Insightful, to the point.

TD Georgas

TD Georgas

Tutor

I have very good experience with Scholarly it summarize me scientific text in hovel academic level with citation. I use this for any therapeutic area . It is great and useful tool.

Diana

Diana

Scholarly user

Scholarly has been a valuable tool for my studies. The AI-generated flashcards and intuitive features make organizing and retaining information much easier.

Briana

Briana

Scholarly user

This app is great for studying for big test. Drop your PDF's in the system and it'll do the trick. You can organize it specifically for your needs.

Kelvin

Kelvin

Scholarly user

Your questions, answered

Is Scholarly free to use?

Yes! The free plan includes core study tools with lifetime allowances: 3 AI Chat messages, 500 autocomplete words, 5 quiz questions, 15 voice minutes, 1 practice exam, one free AI creation total, and 1 file upload. These allowances do not reset. Upgrade to Premium for 10 AI creations per week and unlimited uploads.

What uses my free AI creations?

Generating flashcards, improving a flashcard deck, making a podcast, creating a video lecture or infographic, building slides, a spreadsheet, or a story book, making a mind map, study guide, or worksheet, having an AI Agent create a timeline, SOP, flowchart, lesson plan, or outline, running Deep Research, or processing a recording uses your free AI creation. It is a lifetime free credit and does not reset. AI Chat, autocomplete, quiz practice, voice, exams, and file uploads have separate lifetime allowances.

Can I cancel anytime?

Absolutely. There are no contracts or commitments. You can cancel your subscription at any time from your account settings, and you'll keep access until the end of your billing period.

What payment methods do you accept?

We accept all major credit and debit cards through Stripe. Pricing is displayed in USD by default, but local currency is available in the app.

Can I use Scholarly with a class or school?

Yes. For a school or organization-wide rollout, contact us at hello@scholarly.so and we'll help you find the right setup.

What happens when I hit a free plan limit?

You'll see a prompt to upgrade. Your existing work is never lost — limits only apply to new actions. Free-plan allowances are lifetime credits and do not reset. Premium includes 10 AI creations per week, podcasts up to 60 minutes, video lectures up to 45 minutes, unlimited uploads, chat, autocomplete, quizzes, and exams, plus more daily voice time.