TikTok · Guide

How to get a TikTok transcript

TL;DR

To get a TikTok transcript, sign up for a free Captapi key, then send one GET request to /v1/tiktok/transcript with your input. You get clean JSON back in seconds for 2 credits per call — no OAuth, scraping or platform SDKs. Extract timestamped transcripts from any public TikTok video in a single request.

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How to get a TikTok transcript (step by step)

1
Get a free API key
Create a free Captapi account (100 credits, no card) and generate an API key from the dashboard.
2
Call the TikTok Transcript API
Send an authenticated GET request to /v1/tiktok/transcript with your input. No OAuth, no scraping setup.
3
Read the JSON response
Parse the clean JSON response. Pass cache=true for a free 24h cache hit; default is always fresh.

Code example

curl "https://api.captapi.com/v1/tiktok/transcript?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tiktok.com%2F%40promakeuppro%2Fvideo%2F7652684315989462290" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer capt_live_..."
# or: -H "x-api-key: capt_live_..."

What the response looks like

{
  "success": true,
  "data": {
    "platform": "tiktok",
    "url": "https://www.tiktok.com/@promakeuppro/video/7652684315989462290",
    "transcript": "Well, spin on my mind, I wanna make a rock and a-na-na I wanna make a rock and a-na-na Wish we never go, go, rock and a-na We need to make a rock and a-na I wanna make a rock and a-na I wanna make a rock and a-na Wish we never go, go, rock and a-na We need to make a rock and a-na Wish we never go, go, rock and a-na We need to make a rock and a-na",
    "transcriptSegments": [
      {
        "text": "Well, spin on my mind, I wanna make a rock and a-na-na I wanna make a rock and a-na-na",
        "start": 0,
        "duration": 9.28,
        "end": 9.28,
        "timestamp": "00:00"
      },
      {
        "text": "Wish we never go, go, rock and a-na We need to make a rock and a-na",
        "start": 9.28,
        "duration": 7.2,
        "end": 16.48,
        "timestamp": "00:09"
      },
      {
        "text": "I wanna make a rock and a-na I wanna make a rock and a-na",
        "start": 16.48,
        "duration": 6.72,
        "end": 23.2,
        "timestamp": "00:16"
      },
      {
        "text": "Wish we never go, go, rock and a-na We need to make a rock and a-na",
        "start": 23.2,
        "duration": 7.28,
        "end": 30.48,
        "timestamp": "00:23"
      },
      {
        "text": "Wish we never go, go, rock and a-na We need to make a rock and a-na",
        "start": 30.48,
        "duration": 2,
        "end": 32.48,
        "timestamp": "00:30"
      }
    ],
    "wordCount": 81,
    "segments": 5,
    "language": "en"
  }
}

Billing metadata (credits charged, cache hit/miss) is returned in the X-Captapi-Credits and X-Captapi-Cache response headers.

Request parameters

Name	Type	Required	Description
url	string	Yes	Public TikTok video URL, e.g. https://tiktok.com/@user/video/ID. Not a YouTube/Instagram/Facebook URL. The URL platform must match this endpoint's platform. Do not pass cross-platform URLs, e.g. YouTube to TikTok, Instagram to Facebook, LinkedIn to X/Twitter, or Pinterest to Rumble.
language	string	No	Preferred caption language as an ISO code, e.g. "en". Defaults to auto-detect.
cache	boolean	No	Set true to serve from the 24h response cache. Default false — always fetch fresh data.

Frequently asked questions

What does the TikTok Transcript API do?

The TikTok Transcript API lets you extract the full, timestamped transcript from a public TikTok video using one GET request to /v1/tiktok/transcript. It returns clean JSON — no OAuth or infrastructure setup required.

How many credits does the TikTok Transcript API cost?

Each successful call costs 2 credits. Pass cache=true to serve from the 24h shared cache (0 credits on hit); default is always fresh. Failed or empty results are never charged.

Do I need a TikTok API key or OAuth?

No. A single Captapi key works across every platform Captapi supports — YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter/X, Reddit, Threads, Bluesky, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Rumble, Spotify, Kwai, and more. We handle proxies, rate limits, retries, and authentication for you.

What if the TikTok 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 TikTok Transcript API suitable for production use?

Yes. It is a stable REST endpoint with predictable JSON and automatic retries. Pass cache=true to serve from the 24h shared cache (0 credits on hit); default is always fresh. Use it for analytics, monitoring, and content automation.

Ready to get a TikTok transcript?

Start free with 100 credits — no credit card required.

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