# CaptionSnag
> Extract captions from TikTok & Instagram Reels

Free TikTok and Instagram Reel caption extractor — paste a link, get the full caption text with timestamps. Download as plain text, SRT, or VTT. Search within captions, copy with one click. Plus practical guides for getting YouTube transcripts. No signup, no API key, completely free.

## How It Works
1. Paste a TikTok video or Instagram Reel URL
2. CaptionSnag reads the video's caption track directly (no API key, no login)
3. The full caption text appears with line numbers and timestamps
4. Search, copy, or download in your preferred format

## Features
- Instant caption extraction from public TikTok videos with auto-captions
- Instagram Reel caption support where captions are available
- Multiple export formats: plain text, timestamped, SRT, VTT
- Search within captions with highlighted matches
- One-click copy to clipboard or file download
- Multi-language support (all available caption languages)
- AI-powered summary generation (key bullet points)
- No sign-up, no API key, no limits, completely free

## YouTube Transcripts
CaptionSnag does not extract YouTube transcripts. YouTube blocks third-party extraction tools, so no external extractor does this reliably. YouTube's own built-in transcript viewer is the dependable way to get the text — the guides below walk through the exact steps.

## API
- [Extract Captions](https://caption.thicket.sh/api/transcript?url=VIDEO_URL): Accepts a TikTok or Instagram Reel URL. Returns JSON with caption segments, timestamps, video metadata, and available languages

## Supported Platforms
- TikTok (tiktok.com, vm.tiktok.com) — caption extraction, primary platform
- Instagram Reels (instagram.com/reel/) — caption support where available
- YouTube — not extractable by third-party tools; use YouTube's native transcript viewer (see Guides)

## Use Cases
- Content creators repurposing TikTok/Reel content into posts, threads, or newsletters
- Marketers pulling quotes and key points from short-form video
- Researchers and journalists citing or fact-checking short-form video claims
- Accessibility professionals creating subtitle files (SRT/VTT)
- Anyone who needs the text of a TikTok or Reel: quotes, notes, translations, summaries

## Guides
- [How to Get a Transcript of a TikTok Video](https://caption.thicket.sh/blog/how-to-get-tiktok-transcript): Paste a TikTok link into CaptionSnag to pull the full caption text, download it as TXT/SRT/VTT, and what to do when a video has no caption track. This is what the tool does directly.
- [Why Is My YouTube Transcript Not Showing? How to Fix It](https://caption.thicket.sh/blog/youtube-transcript-not-showing): Why the "Show transcript" button goes missing or greyed out, how to find it on desktop and mobile, and what to do when auto-captions genuinely fail.
- [How to Get a YouTube Video Transcript: Every Method Compared](https://caption.thicket.sh/blog/how-to-get-youtube-transcript): The native transcript viewer, the YouTube API, and where third-party tools do (and don't) fit — when to use each, with format options and accuracy limits.
- [YouTube Transcript Tools: Extract, Copy & Use Video Text](https://caption.thicket.sh/blog/youtube-transcript-tools-2026): Every method compared, with a trade-off matrix and use cases.

## About
- Website: https://caption.thicket.sh
- Free, no sign-up required
- TikTok/Instagram caption extraction via edge functions
- Part of the Thicket network: https://thicket.sh