How to get a transcript of any podcast episode
Four steps: (1) Check the app — Apple Podcasts or Spotify may already show a transcript. (2) Check the show’s website or RSS feed for a publisher file (podcast:transcript). (3) If none, paste a public episode link into Podskrift to transcribe from the feed. (4) Spotify exclusives, subscriber-only and private feeds cannot be transcribed this way.
Updated
Paste a Spotify, Apple Podcasts or RSS link when you need a downloadable .txt / .srt from public audio. New accounts get free trial minutes — no card needed to start.
Apple Podcasts
Many episodes show a time-synced transcript in the Podcasts app on iPhone, iPad and Mac. You can read and search it in-app; Apple documents sharing or copying up to 200 words with attribution, not a full-episode download. Step-by-step: How to get an Apple Podcasts transcript. For a full file from a public Apple link, use Apple Podcasts transcript.
Spotify
Some shows offer Spotify’s Read Along / episode transcript in Now Playing on mobile and sometimes on desktop. Listeners cannot export that text as .txt or .srt. Details: How to get a Spotify podcast transcript. When the show also has a public RSS feed, paste the Spotify link into Podskrift. True exclusives and subscriber-only episodes without a public feed cannot be transcribed — see Spotify episode without RSS.
RSS feeds and other apps
Every public podcast has an RSS feed. Publishers can attach a transcript with the Podcasting 2.0
podcast:transcript tag
(podcasting2.org docs).
Check the feed or the show’s website first.
If there is audio but no transcript file, paste the feed URL into
RSS to text
or use
podcast to text
with any public link.
Need the feed URL?
How to find an RSS feed.
Video podcasts
Podskrift transcribes the public audio feed for a show — not a pasted YouTube watch URL or a video-only page with no audio enclosure. If the video podcast also publishes audio in RSS (most do), that path works. See video podcast transcript.
Which method should I use?
| Situation | Try first | Then |
|---|---|---|
| Listening in Apple Podcasts | In-app Transcript button | Publisher RSS file, or paste the Apple link |
| Listening on Spotify | Read Along in Now Playing | Public feed via Spotify link, or check if there is no RSS |
| Any public show / other apps | Show site or podcast:transcript in RSS |
Podcast to text or RSS to text |
| Video podcast with an audio feed | Same as RSS / Apple / Spotify link | Video podcast transcript |
| Exclusive, subscriber-only or private feed | Publisher’s own download, if any | Not available via public-feed tools |
FAQ
What is the fastest way to get a podcast transcript?
Check the listening app first (Apple Podcasts or Spotify). Then check the show’s website or RSS feed for a publisher transcript. If neither exists, paste a public Spotify, Apple Podcasts or RSS link into Podskrift to transcribe the episode audio.
Do Apple and Spotify give me a downloadable file?
No for listeners. Both can show an in-app transcript for some episodes; neither offers a full-episode .txt / .srt export to listeners. Apple documents sharing or copying up to 200 words with attribution.
What is podcast:transcript in an RSS feed?
It is the Podcasting 2.0 tag that links an episode to a transcript or captions file (URL and MIME type required). When a publisher provides one, download that file before paying to re-transcribe the audio.
Which links work in Podskrift?
Public Spotify, Apple Podcasts and RSS links, plus direct public audio URLs. Video podcasts work when the show also publishes audio in a public feed. YouTube watch URLs are not accepted.
What cannot be transcribed?
Spotify exclusives and Originals without a public feed, subscriber-only or paid episodes, and private or login-gated feeds. There is no public audio URL those tools are allowed to fetch.
Is Podskrift free?
New accounts get free trial minutes when a trial is offered — no card needed to start. We do not list a fixed free-minute count here because the grant can vary. Longer episodes show the exact price before you pay.