Supadata and FreeTranscriptAPI both return YouTube transcripts over REST. The call usually comes down to whether you can test without signup, what the free tier actually gives you, and whether you want flat credit packs or usage-based billing. See also our broader free API comparison.
TL;DR comparison
| Feature | FreeTranscriptAPI | Supadata |
|---|---|---|
| Try without signup | Yes, 20 req/hr per IP | Requires account |
| Free tier | 1,000 credits on signup | Limited free credits |
| Credit card required | Never | For paid plans |
| Paid pricing | $1.29 per 1,000 credits | Usage-based pricing |
| Timestamps in JSON | Yes | Yes |
| Language support | 100+ languages | 100+ languages |
When to choose FreeTranscriptAPI
- You want to hit the API before creating an account
- You want a free tier with no credit card
- You prefer buying credit packs over metered billing
- You are on a budget (side project, MVP, automation)
When Supadata might fit better
- You already use Supadata for scraping or metadata
- You want one bill across several data products
- Your volume is low enough that pay-per-use beats credit packs
If you are comparing marketplace options too, read our RapidAPI alternatives guide.
Getting started with FreeTranscriptAPI
No signup for the first request. Pass a YouTube URL, get JSON back. Full endpoint details are in the API documentation.
Example request
curl "https://api.freetranscriptapi.com/v1/transcript?video_url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ"