Simple, transparent pricing
Start free. Upgrade when you need more clips, better quality, or team features.
Free Forever
Start free, no credit card required. Always.
- 25 transcripts per month
- 3 Whisper AI transcriptions/month (up to 60 min)
- Transcripts saved permanently†
- 5 clips per month
- 720p clip quality
- 2 min max clip length
- 7-day clip retention*
- Transcript search
- AI summaries included
- Channel extraction (5 videos)
* Clip retention requires a free account. Sign up takes 30 seconds. † Transcripts are stored permanently — build your own searchable library over time.
Basic
For creators who need more transcripts and clips
- 100 transcripts per month
- 10 Whisper AI transcriptions/month (up to 250 min)
- Transcripts saved permanently
- 25 clips per month
- 1080p clip quality
- 10 min max clip length
- 30-day clip retention
- Full transcript search
- AI summaries included
- Channel extraction
Pro
Unlimited clips at up to 4K with extended retention
- 500 transcripts per month
- 25 Whisper AI transcriptions/month (up to 550 min)
- Transcripts saved permanently
- Unlimited clips
- Up to 4K clip quality
- 30 min max clip length
- 90-day clip retention
- Full transcript search
- AI summaries included
- Channel extraction
Studio
Maximum power for researchers and professionals
- Unlimited captioned transcripts
- 50 Whisper AI transcriptions/month (up to 1,000 min)
- Transcripts saved permanently
- Unlimited clips
- Up to 4K clip quality
- Unlimited clip length
- Permanent clip retention*
- Full transcript search
- AI summaries included
- Channel extraction
* Permanent retention while subscription is active, then 90 days after cancellation. All plans subject to fair use daily limits.
How We Compare
Most tools only do transcripts OR clips, and only for YouTube. ChannelScout does both — plus full-channel research, any URL, and file uploads.
| Feature | ChannelScoutFree / from $9/mo | BeyondTube$9.99/mo | WayinVideo$13.99/mo | Vomo AI$19.99/mo | Opus Clip$19/mo | Descript$24/mo | TactiqFree / $16/mo | Free utils†Pelican, YTTrans… |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free forever plan | ||||||||
| YouTube transcript extraction | ||||||||
| Permanent transcript library | ||||||||
| Timestamped transcripts | paid | |||||||
| Video clip builder (A/B) | ||||||||
| Fair-use clip downloads | ||||||||
| Full channel indexing | ||||||||
| Transcript search (regex) | ||||||||
| Boolean & proximity search | ||||||||
| Click-to-seek timestamps | ||||||||
| Bulk channel extraction | partial | |||||||
| 4K clip quality | paid | |||||||
| No watermarks | paid | paid | paid | |||||
| AI transcript summaries | ||||||||
| Whisper AI (captionless) | ||||||||
| Any URL (Vimeo, SoundCloud…) | ||||||||
| Upload audio/video file | paid | |||||||
| Clip uploaded files | paid | |||||||
| Research & citation focus |
Competitor pricing and features based on publicly available information as of June 2026. † Free utilities: Pelican Tools, YTTranscript.app, ytbulktranscript.app — caption-only, no saved library or research workflow.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is AI summarization?
After extracting a transcript, click "Summarize with AI" to get an instant structured summary: a TL;DR, key points, notable quotes, and topic tags — all generated by Claude AI. Available on all plans, including free.
How long are my transcripts saved?
Forever. Every transcript you extract is stored permanently in your personal library — no expiry, no cleanup. Over time you build a searchable database of every video you've ever researched. Clips have their own retention periods (7 days free, 30 days Basic, 90 days Pro/Studio), but transcripts are always kept.
What counts as a clip?
Each video segment you extract through the Clip Builder counts as one clip, regardless of length (within your plan's max duration).
Can I change plans later?
Yes. You can upgrade or downgrade at any time. Changes take effect at the start of your next billing cycle.
What happens when my retention period expires?
Clips are automatically deleted after your plan's retention period. Download them before they expire to keep them permanently.
Do you offer refunds?
We offer a full refund within the first 7 days of any paid plan. After that, you can cancel and your plan will remain active until the end of the billing period.
What is channel extraction?
Channel extraction lets you pull transcripts from multiple videos on a YouTube channel at once, instead of entering each video URL individually.
Need more than Studio?
Teams with higher volume, custom retention, or white-label needs — reach out and we'll put together a plan that fits.