Instagram Transcript API
Extract timestamped transcripts from any public Instagram video in a single request.
What is the Instagram Transcript API?
The Instagram Transcript API lets you extract the full, timestamped transcript from Instagram with a single REST call. No OAuth, no scraping infrastructure, and no platform SDKs — send the URL, get clean structured JSON back. Results are cached for 24 hours, so repeat lookups are instant and free.
What you get
- Full transcript text with start/end timestamps
- Auto-detected language and segment count
- AI audio transcription fallback when no captions exist
- Clean JSON ready for RAG, search, or subtitles
Example request
curl "https://api.captapi.com/v1/instagram/transcript?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.instagram.com%2Freel%2FCzKZqfdN5j8%2F" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer capt_live_..."Example response
{
"success": true,
"cached": false,
"creditsUsed": 2,
"data": {
"transcript": "Hey everyone, welcome back to the channel. Today we're breaking down structured data APIs.",
"wordCount": 1240,
"segments": 86,
"transcriptSegments": [
{
"text": "Hey everyone, welcome back to the channel.",
"start": 0,
"duration": 4.12,
"timestamp": "00:00"
},
{
"text": "Today we're breaking down structured data APIs.",
"start": 4.12,
"duration": 4.28,
"timestamp": "00:04"
}
]
}
}Response structure
A successful call returns success, cached, creditsUsed, and a data object with the following fields:
Full transcript
transcriptComplete text transcript of the video.wordCountTotal number of words in the transcript.segmentsTotal number of transcript segments.
Timestamped segments
Each item in transcriptSegments contains:
textThe spoken text for this segment.startStart time in seconds.durationDuration of the segment in seconds.timestampHuman-readable timestamp (MM:SS format).
Parameters
| Name | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| url | string | Yes | Public Instagram video URL. |
| language | string | No | Preferred caption language (ISO code, e.g. "en"). |
Authentication: send your key as Authorization: Bearer capt_live_.... Each successful call costs 2 credits; cached responses (24h) are free.
How it works
- 1. Sign up — get 100 free credits, no card required.
- 2. Create a key from your dashboard.
- 3. Send one request to
/v1/instagram/transcriptand parse the JSON response.
Use cases
Accessibility
Provide captions and transcripts for hearing-impaired users.
Content Analysis
Analyze spoken content for keywords, topics, and sentiment.
Search & Discovery
Make video content searchable by text.
Content Creation
Extract quotes and key phrases from videos.
Language Learning
Provide text alongside audio for language learners.
Research
Analyze large volumes of video content efficiently.
SEO
Extract text content for search engine optimization.
Frequently asked questions
What does the Instagram Transcript API do?+
The Instagram Transcript API lets you extract the full, timestamped transcript from a public Instagram video using one GET request to /v1/instagram/transcript. It returns clean JSON — no OAuth or scraping setup required.
How many credits does the Instagram Transcript API cost?+
Each successful call costs 2 credits. Responses are cached for 24 hours, and cached results cost 0 credits. Failed or empty results are never charged.
Do I need a Instagram API key or OAuth?+
No. A single Captapi key works across YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook. We handle proxies, rate limits, retries, and authentication for you.
What if the Instagram video has no captions?+
When no captions are available, Captapi transcribes the audio with AI (Whisper) automatically, so you still get a usable transcript.
Is the Instagram Transcript API suitable for production use?+
Yes. It is a stable REST endpoint with predictable JSON, automatic retries, and a shared 24-hour cache. Use it for RAG pipelines, analytics, monitoring, and content automation.
More Instagram APIs
Ready to use the Instagram Transcript API?
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