YouTube playlist summarizer with AI transcripts
Got a playlist or channel full of videos you'll never finish watching? YouTube Collector turns them into readable summaries you can search, skim, and repurpose. Paste one URL, import the videos in batches, and each one comes back with an overview, chapters, and a full transcript.
It's a web app you use in the browser, not a plugin for Obsidian, Notion, or NotebookLM. You read and search everything in the app, then copy what you need into your own notes.
How it works
- Paste one playlist or channel URL.
- The app imports the videos in batches on paid tiers. Pro brings in 5 videos per batch; Creator brings in 20 per batch. When a batch finishes, an "Add the next N" button pulls the next set, so you decide how much to import. Videos other people have already added come from a shared transcript cache, so they don't need transcribing again.
- Each imported video gets an AI summary with an overview, chapters, and clickable timecodes that seek the in-app player. One search runs across your saved library and the shared community library — titles, summaries, and every word of the transcripts — so you can find a phrase across every video you've saved.
The whole playlist does not land in one click. It's one paste, then batches you advance yourself.
On the free tier
The free tier cannot batch-import a playlist. Pasting a playlist URL on the free plan shows an upgrade prompt instead of importing. Free users add single videos instead, up to a 30-video library cap. That's enough to try a few videos from the playlist first and see whether the summaries fit how you work before you pay.
Videos with no captions
Some videos have no caption file at all. For those there's a "Generate AI transcript" button. The first two AI transcripts are included on any account; after that it runs on credits (1 credit per started 10 minutes). A long video takes a few minutes to transcribe, and videos over 180 minutes are refused. It isn't instant and it isn't unlimited, but it means a captionless video still becomes a searchable transcript.
How it compares
| Feature | YouTube Collector | NotebookLM | Eightify | summarize.tech |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Import a playlist | One paste, batched on paid tiers (5 or 20 per batch) | Adds sources one at a time | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| Summarize a video with no captions | Yes, via a credits-billed AI transcript | Requires an existing source/caption | Requires existing captions | Requires existing captions |
| Chapters with clickable timecodes | Yes, seeks the in-app player | Not confirmed | Yes | Not confirmed |
| Search across all saved transcripts | Yes, plus the community library | Per notebook | Not confirmed | No |
| Free tier | Single videos, 30-video cap | Yes | Limited | Yes |
Competitor details we could not verify are marked "Not confirmed" rather than guessed at.
Choose NotebookLM if you want to chat with your sources inside Google's own workspace and you're fine adding each video by hand.
FAQ
Can I import a whole playlist on the free plan? No. Batch playlist import is a paid feature (Pro and Creator). On the free tier you add videos one at a time, up to 30 in your library. You can still paste single videos from a playlist to test the summaries first.
Can it summarize a video that has no captions? Yes. Use the "Generate AI transcript" button. The first two transcripts are included, then it's 1 credit per started 10 minutes. Expect a few minutes for a long video, and note that videos over 180 minutes are refused.
Does the whole playlist import at once? No. You paste one URL, then import in batches (5 per batch on Pro, 20 on Creator), advancing with the "Add the next N" button.
Try it
Paste a single video to see how the summary and transcript look, then move up to batched playlist import when you're ready.
Spelling note: summariser and summarizer are the same word — US and UK spelling. Whichever way you searched, this page and YouTube Collector cover both.