First, the free places to look
- Apple Podcasts transcribes most episodes in 11 languages, in its app on iPhone, iPad and Mac. You can copy up to 200 words at a time. When Apple shows none.
- Spotify has transcripts for some shows only, best in its mobile app, and you cannot copy them. When Spotify shows none.
- YouTube, if the show posts video: under the video, open the description and tap Show transcript. These are automatic captions, shown in short timed lines.
- The show's own website. Some shows publish transcripts with their show notes. Search for the show name plus transcript.
If none of them has it
Then the text has to be made from the audio. There are three ways, and they differ mostly in effort:
| Way | What you do | One hour-long episode |
|---|---|---|
| A link-based service | Paste the episode link and wait a couple of minutes. | $1 here; other services compared here |
| An upload tool | Find and download the MP3, upload it, wait. | Free to about $15; many free tiers stop at 30 minutes a file |
| Do it yourself | Run an open speech model such as Whisper on your own computer. | Free, if you are comfortable with the command line and have a decent GPU |
Most people who just want to read one episode take the first. Upload tools make more sense for your own recordings, which are not published anywhere.
Why so many podcasts have no transcript
A transcript costs the show time or money, so most never made their own. The apps now generate them, but each with its own gaps: Apple skips languages it does not support and very long episodes, and shows can switch transcripts off; Spotify does not offer them to all creators and publishes no criteria. None of the apps let you take the whole text with you.
What cannot be transcribed
Episodes only paying subscribers can play, and shows exclusive to one app, are not in any public feed. Nobody outside that app can get at the audio, so we cannot either.