DownSub alternative
DownSub alternative for YouTube subtitles, text and AI summaries
Subtitles bound for a video editor need an SRT file, and subtitles bound for reading need clean text: MediaScribe is a DownSub alternative that gives both, because it saves YouTube captions as SRT, VTT, TXT or Markdown for free and without sign-in, and also opens them as a searchable transcript with free AI summaries. Below are the table, where DownSub does more, uncaptioned videos and the steps.
Updated
On this page
Short answer
DownSub covers more streaming sites; MediaScribe does more with a caption track once you have it.
If your subtitles come from Viki, Viu, Kocowa or WeTV, stay with DownSub. If they come from YouTube and you also want to read, search, summarize, or transcribe a clip that has none, MediaScribe covers that in one place.
DownSub vs MediaScribe, side by side
Both take a video link and return its subtitles as a file; the difference is in what surrounds the download.
| MediaScribe | DownSub | |
|---|---|---|
| Sites | YouTube only; other sites need a downloaded file | YouTube, Viki, Viu, Kocowa and WeTV, and others |
| Subtitle files | SRT, VTT, TXT, Markdown | SRT, TXT, VTT |
| Price for captioned videos | Nothing, no sign-in, no daily cap | No charge on the website |
| Reading in the browser | Full transcript with timestamps, word search, read-along with the player | Download list of languages and formats |
| Translation | AI translation on the site for minutes; free in our Chrome extension, 19 languages | Automatic translation of subtitles on the website |
| AI summary and notes | Included at no cost on captioned videos | In the Pro version of the extension |
| Video with no subtitles | Speech recognition, from $0.033 per minute; first recording free | Not offered |
| Chrome extension | Transcript panel on YouTube | Subtitle downloader for YouTube and Netflix, 5,000 users |
Facts checked on 7 October 2026 on downsub.com and in the Chrome Web Store. Sources are at the end.
Where DownSub is the better choice
DownSub is the better choice for subtitles from Asian drama and streaming sites, which MediaScribe does not read at all.
- More sites. YouTube, Viki, Viu, Kocowa and WeTV on the website; the extension adds Netflix.
- Translation at no cost on the website. Here, translation on the site is an AI step paid in minutes; the free route is our Chrome extension on the YouTube page.
- A plain download page. Paste, pick a language, save: nothing else on screen if a file is all you need.
Where MediaScribe is the better choice
MediaScribe is the better choice when the captions are a source of text rather than just a file.
- Reading before saving. The whole transcript opens with timestamps, so you can check that the right language and track came through before you download anything.
- Search inside the text. Find one quote in a two-hour talk by a single word and see its timestamp.
- Markdown export. Notes apps such as Obsidian and Notion take it as it is.
- AI on the same text. A short summary, detailed notes or a chat, at no cost when captions exist. On a day of very high demand, free AI may pause until the next day.
The differences between the four subtitle formats, and which one each editor expects, are covered in the guide to saving YouTube subtitles as SRT. To keep only the words, see turning YouTube captions into plain text.
Who switches, and what they do with the file
People who outgrow a plain downloader usually need the words for a job beyond playback.
| Who | What they keep | Where it goes next |
|---|---|---|
| Language learners | TXT with every line | Anki decks, a vocabulary notebook |
| Video editors | SRT with timing | Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve, CapCut |
| Translators | VTT or SRT | Subtitle Edit, Aegisub |
| Researchers and journalists | Markdown with timestamps | Obsidian, Notion, a draft article |
Each of these jobs starts with checking the text, which is why the transcript opens on screen first.
Videos with no subtitles at all
A downloader returns nothing when a clip has no caption track, and MediaScribe transcribes that speech instead, from $0.033 per minute.
The first such video is free without an account: in full up to 10 minutes, the first 10 minutes of a longer one. After that the page shows the minutes before you start, and the finished text exports to SRT or VTT like any other track. Packs are one-time purchases, listed in the plans section.
Saving YouTube subtitles in three steps
Saving a caption file here takes three steps and works the same on a phone browser.
- Paste the link into the box at the top of the page.
- Choose the language track in the menu; tracks the author uploaded are free like the original.
- Press Export and pick SRT, VTT, TXT or Markdown.
The full walkthrough is on the page on how to download YouTube subtitles. Tools beyond subtitle downloaders, from TurboScribe to NoteGPT, are compared on the page of transcript tool alternatives.
Frequently asked questions
Is MediaScribe free like DownSub?
Yes, whenever captions exist: saving them as SRT, VTT, TXT or Markdown, reading and searching them, and AI summaries cost nothing and need no account.
Do I need an account?
No. Captioned videos never ask for sign-in. An account is needed only for whole recordings of videos without captions after the first one.
Is there a subscription?
No. The only paid item is speech recognition and AI translation on the site, sold as one-time packs of minutes that do not expire, with refunds within 14 days.
Can MediaScribe download subtitles from Viki or Netflix?
No. Links work for YouTube only. For another site, save the video file you are allowed to keep and upload it; speech recognition then uses minutes.
Why does my video show no subtitles?
Because the video has no caption track at all, neither from the author nor generated by YouTube. MediaScribe can then transcribe the speech, which uses minutes.
What can’t MediaScribe do?
It does not read sites other than YouTube, does not save the video or its audio, has no batch download for playlists, and its site translation is paid; free translation runs in the Chrome extension.
Sources
- DownSub, downsub.com, page description, 7 October 2026
- DownSub extension in the Chrome Web Store, 7 October 2026
- MediaScribe pricing in plain text, 7 October 2026
DownSub is a trademark of its owner. MediaScribe is not affiliated with or endorsed by DownSub. Facts as of 7 October 2026; if something has changed, write to help@mediascribe.app and we will correct the page within 48 hours.