TikTok · Transcript Beta

TikTok Transcript API

Returns the timed transcript of a public TikTok video: creator-edited captions, TikTok's auto-captions, or TikTok's own translation when you ask for another language with lang. Videos without any caption track are transcribed from their audio with speech-to-text. Accepts tiktok.com video, mobile, embed and vm./vt./t/ share links, or a numeric video ID.

GET https://staging.socialtap.dev/v1/tiktok/transcript

Try it in the playgroundQuickstart

  • From 1 credit per request, up to 122 credits
  • Sources: Captions → Speech-to-text
  • p50 668 ms
  • 99.1% success (112 requests measured)

Use cases

  • Analyze what creators say at scale
  • Track brand and product mentions in videos
  • Feed short-form video into LLM pipelines
  • Caption and translate TikTok content

Example request

Send a GET request with your key in the x-api-key header.

cURL
curl -G 'https://staging.socialtap.dev/v1/tiktok/transcript' \
  --data-urlencode 'url=https://www.tiktok.com/@niinoclock/video/7673108027645414678' \
  -H "x-api-key: $SOCIALTAP_API_KEY"
JavaScript
const params = new URLSearchParams({
  url: "https://www.tiktok.com/@niinoclock/video/7673108027645414678",
});
const res = await fetch(`https://staging.socialtap.dev/v1/tiktok/transcript?${params}`, {
  headers: { "x-api-key": process.env.SOCIALTAP_API_KEY },
});
const { data, meta } = await res.json();
Python
import os
import requests

res = requests.get(
    "https://staging.socialtap.dev/v1/tiktok/transcript",
    params={"url": "https://www.tiktok.com/@niinoclock/video/7673108027645414678"},
    headers={"x-api-key": os.environ["SOCIALTAP_API_KEY"]},
)
body = res.json()
data, meta = body["data"], body["meta"]

Parameters

NameTypeDescriptionExample
url requiredstring
max 2,048 chars
TikTok video URL (tiktok.com/@user/video/<id>, m.tiktok.com/v/<id>.html, vm.tiktok.com/<code>, vt.tiktok.com/<code>, tiktok.com/t/<code>, embed URLs) or a numeric video ID.https://www.tiktok.com/@scout2015/video/6718335390845095173
lang optionalstringPreferred caption language (e.g. en, eng-US, fr). Falls back to the video's original language, then any track.en

Every endpoint also accepts max_age.

Example response

A 200 response is {data, meta}: data is a transcript object, meta describes the request (meta fields).

200 OK
{
  "data": {
    "available_languages": [
      "en"
    ],
    "duration_ms": 495000,
    "id": "7673108027645414678",
    "is_auto_generated": false,
    "language": "en",
    "platform": "tiktok",
    "segments": [
      {
        "end_ms": 4820,
        "start_ms": 100,
        "text": "Let me show you how to make a Japanese cream stew!"
      },
      {
        "end_ms": 8380,
        "start_ms": 4821,
        "text": "I think there is a way to definitely make it from scratch,"
      },
      {
        "end_ms": 13120,
        "start_ms": 8381,
        "text": "but most Japanese people buy the stock for the cream stew."
      }
    ],
    "source": "captions",
    "text": "Let me show you how to make a Japanese cream stew! I think there is a way to definitely make it from scratch, but most Japanese people buy the stock for the cream stew. If you go to a Japanese supermarket, you can find this next to or near where the curry stock cubes are. This is…",
    "url": "https://www.tiktok.com/@niinoclock/video/7673108027645414678"
  },
  "meta": {
    "request_id": "req_3f9c2a7d1e8b4c6a9f0e2d4b6a8c0e1f",
    "platform": "tiktok",
    "source": "captions",
    "is_cached": false,
    "credits_charged": 1,
    "latency_ms": 668,
    "fetched_at": "2026-10-25T12:00:00Z"
  }
}

Long arrays and strings are shortened for display; real responses are complete.

Response fields

data follows the shared Transcript schema, identical on every platform.

FieldTypeDescription
data.platformstringPlatform the media is hosted on.
data.idstringPlatform-native ID of the post (equals post.id).
data.urlstring (uri)Canonical URL of the post.
data.languagestring or nullBCP-47 language of the returned transcript; null when unknown.
data.sourcestringcaptions = platform caption track; asr = speech-to-text on the audio.
One of captions, asr
data.is_auto_generatedbooleanTrue when the track was machine-generated (platform auto-captions or ASR).
data.available_languagesstring[]BCP-47 caption languages the platform offers for this post; [] if none or not listed.
data.duration_msinteger or nullMedia duration in milliseconds; null when unknown.
data.segmentsobject[]Timed cues in order; never empty on success.
data.segments[].start_msintegerStart time in milliseconds from the beginning of the media.
data.segments[].end_msintegerEnd time in milliseconds from the beginning of the media.
data.segments[].textstringCue text, whitespace-normalized.
data.textstringFull transcript: segment texts joined with single spaces.

Pricing

You pay only for successful requests. The price depends on which source produced the result, reported as meta.source; sources are tried cheapest first, in the order Captions → Speech-to-text.

SourcePrice per successful requestPer 1,000 requests
Captions captions1 credit$0.50–$0.80
Speech-to-text asr2 credits + 2 per started minute of media
up to 122 credits (60 started minutes of media)
$1.00–$1.60 + $1.00–$1.60 per started minute of media
meta.sourceSourceWhat it means
captionsCaptionsThe platform's own caption track (uploaded or auto-generated).
asrSpeech-to-textTranscribed by SocialTap from the media's audio when the platform has no captions.

Example: a result from Speech-to-text asr with 3 started minutes of media costs 2 + 2 × 3 = 8 credits.

Your balance must be at least 1 credit to start a request; with less, it is refused with insufficient_credits (HTTP 402) and costs nothing. Only that minimum is set aside when the request starts. One request costs at most 122 credits, but that amount is never locked up in advance: right before costlier work, SocialTap sets aside more of your balance, the exact price when the number of started minutes of media is known beforehand, otherwise as much as your balance allows (and the work is limited to what that pays for). It then charges the actual price and releases the rest. If the result would cost more than your balance covers, the request is refused with insufficient_credits as well, and costs nothing.

meta.credits_charged and the x-credits-charged header show what you paid. How credits work · Packs

Errors

Errors cost nothing. Codes marked “Yes, later” under Retry can succeed on a later attempt; the others return the same answer every time.

CodeHTTPRetryMeaningWhat to do
invalid_input400NoThe request parameters are missing or malformed, or the URL is not a supported link for this endpoint.Fix the parameter named in the message; see the endpoint's accepted URL forms.
unauthorized401NoThe x-api-key header is missing, unknown or revoked.Send a valid API key in the x-api-key header.
insufficient_credits402NoThe account does not have enough credits for this request.Buy a credit pack, then repeat the request.
rate_limited429Yes, laterThe account exceeded its runaway-protection ceiling: plans do not limit request rate, but a high per-account safety ceiling stops broken client loops. Support raises it on request.Wait for the number of seconds in the retry-after header, then retry; ask support to raise the ceiling if your sustained traffic needs more.
not_found404NoThe item does not exist or was deleted.Check the URL or ID; do not retry.
private_or_unavailable403NoThe item exists but is private, age- or region-gated, or requires a login to view.Only public items can be fetched; do not retry.
no_transcript404NoThe media exists but has no transcript: no caption track and no speech to transcribe.Do not retry; try another language with lang if the platform offers one.
upstream_blocked503Yes, laterThe platform refused every attempt.Retry later with backoff; failed requests are free.
upstream_error502Yes, laterThe platform failed or returned something unexpected.Retry with backoff; failed requests are free.
overloaded503Yes, laterEvery SocialTap engine instance that could serve the request was at capacity; no upstream work was done. Capacity grows with traffic, so this is brief.Retry after the number of seconds in the retry-after header; failed requests are free.
internal500Yes, laterUnexpected SocialTap error.Retry with backoff; contact support with the request_id if it persists.

not_found, private_or_unavailable and no_transcript are item-level: the request was fine, the item can't be returned.

Measured performance

p50 latency
668 ms
p95 latency
2,705 ms
Success rate
99.1%
Requests measured
112

Staging measurements, not production. Measured on our staging environment, over the 7 days before 2026-10-25. How it is measured.

FAQ

How much does the TikTok Transcript API cost?
1 credit for captions results (meta.source = captions) and 2 credits + 2 per started minute of media, up to 122 credits (60 started minutes of media) for speech-to-text results (meta.source = asr), charged only for successful requests. SocialTap credits cost $0.50–$0.80 per 1,000 depending on the pack.
Am I charged for failed requests?
No. Requests that return an error cost 0 credits. Responses served from the cache are free too.