How to Transcribe a Podcast Episode to Text (Apple Podcasts, SoundCloud & More)

Podcasts are a goldmine of information locked inside audio. Whether you want show notes, a searchable archive, a quote for an article, or just to skim an episode instead of listening to 90 minutes of it, a text transcript turns any episode into something you can read, search, and reuse. Here's how to transcribe a podcast episode in 2026 — from Apple Podcasts, SoundCloud, and beyond.

From a podcast link

SubGrab transcribes podcast episodes straight from a link, no downloading required.

1. Find the episode's public URL:

• Apple Podcasts: open the episode itself (not just the show) and copy its link — it includes an episode ID that points at the exact episode.
• SoundCloud: copy the track URL from the episode page.
• Many podcasts are also on YouTube or hosted as a direct file — those work too.

2. Paste it on the Apple Podcasts or SoundCloud transcript page.

3. Sign in — new accounts get 2 free credits.

4. Generate the transcript. AI transcription is 1 credit per hour of audio, so a typical 45-minute episode is a single credit.

5. Download as TXT, SRT, or VTT, or copy it.

Why AI transcription is the right tool for podcasts

Podcasts are audio-first — there's no caption file to grab and no on-screen text. AI speech-to-text listens to the actual audio, so it captures the full conversation, auto-detects the language, and handles multiple speakers and cross-talk far better than transcribing by hand. On clear audio it's 98%+ accurate, and it does a 60-minute episode in a fraction of real time.

Turn one episode into a week of content

A single transcript is the raw material for a lot of downstream work:

• Show notes and timestamps for your episode page.
• A blog post that ranks in search for the topics you covered — episodes are invisible to Google, but the text isn't.
• Quote graphics and audiograms pulled from the exact lines that landed.
• Newsletter summaries written from the transcript in minutes.

Our guide on repurposing video transcripts walks through the full workflow, and it applies just as well to audio.

Long episodes and interview shows

Interview and deep-dive podcasts often run two or three hours. Those transcribe fine — recordings up to 4 hours are handled in one pass, with timestamps that stay accurate to the end, billed by the hour. See how long-form transcription works for the details.

FAQ

Do I need to download the episode first?

No. Paste the public episode link and SubGrab handles the audio.

Apple Podcasts gives me the show, not the episode — what do I use?

Open the specific episode and copy that link; it contains an episode ID. A show-level link without an episode won't work, because there's no single audio to transcribe.

Can it tell speakers apart?

The transcript captures everything said. It doesn't label speakers by name, but the natural back-and-forth is usually easy to follow.

How accurate is it?

98%+ on clear audio. Music beds, phone-quality guests, or heavy cross-talk can lower that.

What does it cost?

1 credit per hour of audio; new accounts get 2 free credits. See pricing.

Transcribe a podcast episode now — 2 free credits on signup →.