Key insights
The main points of the video as a short list, each with a timestamp you can click to jump to that moment.
Free browser extension
Read, ask and summarize any YouTube video.
Transtube puts the transcript, a chat and a summary right beside the player, so you can find what matters without watching every minute.
Free to install and use. Works on youtube.com/watch pages. Use your own AI key, or sign in with ChatGPT.
Everything you need beside the player
Transcript
Read the transcript in the page, pick a language or let YouTube translate it, and click any timestamp to seek. It follows along as the video plays, and you can copy it with or without timestamps.
Chat
Ask questions about the video and get answers drawn from its transcript. Use / and @ commands for saved prompts. Citations like [02:14] are links that seek the video.
Summary
One click gives you a summary in the language you choose, with the same clickable timestamps.
Notes
Select words in the transcript to attach a note. Your notes stay highlighted and open again when you hover or click them.
Cloud syncComing soon
An optional, off-by-default way to keep your notes, summaries, key insights and prompt settings on every device: sign in with Google and they follow you. Your AI key and ChatGPT sign-in are never synced, so you set them up once on each device.
How it works
Open a video
Go to any YouTube watch page in Chrome or Firefox with Transtube installed.
The panel appears
Transtube adds its panel at the top of the right-hand column, beside the player.
Read, ask or summarize
Browse the transcript, chat with the video, or generate a summary and key insights.
Your key, your data
You bring your own AI
Use your own API key, or sign in with a ChatGPT account so your plan pays for it. There is no Transtube AI service in between.
Keys never reach YouTube
Your key is read only by the extension’s background worker and its settings page, never by the YouTube page.
Notes stay on your device
Notes, finished summaries and cached transcripts are stored in your browser, and Transtube has no server that sees them. Optional cloud sync (coming soon) will be off by default.
The provider sees the transcript
To answer, the transcript goes to the provider you chose, and only to that provider.
Works with
- OpenAI
- Anthropic Claude
- Google Gemini
- OpenAI-compatible (Ollama, OpenRouter, Groq…)
- ChatGPT account
Questions
Is Transtube free?
Yes. The extension is free to install and use. The only cost is the AI itself: requests go to the provider you picked, so that provider bills you, or your ChatGPT plan does. A local model such as Ollama has no per-request cost, and the transcript works without any AI key.
Can I sync across devices?
Not yet, but it is coming. Cloud sync will be optional and off by default: you sign in with Google and your notes, summaries, key insights and prompt settings follow you to your other devices. Your AI key and ChatGPT sign-in are never synced, so you enter them once on each device.
Why does a video have no transcript?
Videos without captions, age-restricted videos, and videos for which YouTube demands a proof-of-origin token have no transcript to read.
Which pages does it work on?
Only YouTube watch pages (youtube.com/watch). Shorts, embedded players and YouTube Music are not supported.
Does it work in Chrome and Firefox?
Yes, Transtube is built for both browsers.
What about very long videos?
A very long transcript is cut at about 100,000 characters before it is sent to the AI provider.
What data goes where?
The transcript is sent to your chosen AI provider to answer your request. Your key stays inside the extension and is never exposed to the YouTube page. Notes, summaries and cached transcripts stay in your browser on your device.
Get Transtube, it’s free
Add it to your browser, open any YouTube video, and the panel is waiting beside the player.