Transcripts

A transcript is a text version of an episode, linked from the feed with <podcast:transcript> so any app can display, search, or read along with it.

Why it matters

Transcripts are the feature that makes podcast audio addressable. Audio cannot be searched, quoted, or skimmed; text can. They are also the accessibility floor — a deaf listener has no way into a show without one.

Because the transcript is a URL in the feed rather than a platform feature, the same file serves every app at once. This is Podcasting 2.0's argument in miniature: publish the artifact openly and let clients compete on what they do with it.

How it works

<podcast:transcript> is item-level and may appear multiple times, once per format. url and type are required, where type is a mime type — text/vtt, application/json, application/x-subrip, text/html or text/plain. language is optional and defaults to the feed's language. rel="captions" marks the file as closed captions regardless of its mime type, meaning time codes are present.

Timed formats are what allow read-along highlighting; a plain text file only supports search.

Sources

Who implements it

78 of 136 apps in the Podcast Index directory support Transcript — 57%.

AiPodNav
Alitu
AntennaPod
Anytime Podcast Player
Apple Podcasts
Audiomeans
Ausha
Beamly
Blubrry
Bòcan Music
boxcast
Bubbl
and 66 more

From the Podcast Index apps directory, as of 2026-08-17.

Heard on the show

35 moments across 30 episodes.

E165 · 26 Jan 2024 · hashtag This!
- Apple adds transcriptstimeline
E140 · 7 Jul 2023 · Shim Theory
- 1:23:30Transcriptionchapter
E139 · 30 Jun 2023 · Rustic Code Cave
- 1:12:45Bingit.io and the power of transcriptschapter
E135 · 2 Jun 2023 · Maximizing the Pull
- 1:24:28Fountain transcripts. 📝chapter
E134 · 26 May 2023 · ChapterGPT
- 1:15:00Magic transcripts?chapter
E128 · 7 Apr 2023 · Fully Fingered
- 1:09:15DAI breaking transcriptschapter
E124 · 4 Mar 2023 · Undeplatformable
- 1:17:56Transcript searchchapter
E122 · 17 Feb 2023 · We're Trending!
- 48:50Welcome Nathan G - Steno.fm & Transcriptschapter
E254 · 20 Mar 2026 · Pop a TTermy!
- 47:03All accepting jobs from a transcription jobs fromtranscript
E239 · 24 Oct 2025 · Fuzzing
- 25:54The stats, the transcripts, the, the NF itemstranscript
E163 · 12 Jan 2024 · Storage Power
- 1:17:07were I really wanted the transcripts to have the nametranscript
E133 · 19 May 2023 · It's a Lifestyle!
- 51:08challenging to keep the transcript and the chapters intranscript

and 18 more episodes, back to E8 (23 Oct 2020).

Show all 35 moments across 30 episodes

E254 · 20 Mar 2026 · Pop a TTermy!
- 47:03All accepting jobs from a transcription jobs fromtranscript
E239 · 24 Oct 2025 · Fuzzing
- 25:54The stats, the transcripts, the, the NF itemstranscript
E165 · 26 Jan 2024 · hashtag This!
- Apple adds transcriptstimeline
E163 · 12 Jan 2024 · Storage Power
- 1:17:07were I really wanted the transcripts to have the nametranscript
E140 · 7 Jul 2023 · Shim Theory
- 1:23:30Transcriptionchapter
E139 · 30 Jun 2023 · Rustic Code Cave
- 1:12:45Bingit.io and the power of transcriptschapter
E135 · 2 Jun 2023 · Maximizing the Pull
- 1:24:28Fountain transcripts. 📝chapter
E134 · 26 May 2023 · ChapterGPT
- 1:15:00Magic transcripts?chapter
E133 · 19 May 2023 · It's a Lifestyle!
- 51:08challenging to keep the transcript and the chapters intranscript
E128 · 7 Apr 2023 · Fully Fingered
- 1:09:15DAI breaking transcriptschapter
E124 · 4 Mar 2023 · Undeplatformable
- 1:17:56Transcript searchchapter
E122 · 17 Feb 2023 · We're Trending!
- 48:50Welcome Nathan G - Steno.fm & Transcriptschapter
E117 · 13 Jan 2023 · Inscrutable
- 1:16:00Images and Transcriptschapter
E110 · 11 Nov 2022 · Paws & Claws
- 1:15:15DAI and transcriptschapter
E104 · 30 Sep 2022 · A New Dump
- 34:32Transcripts and chapters and stats oh mychapter
E94 · 22 Jul 2022 · Bells Out
- 53:09Transcript download CSBchapter
- CSB Transcript downloadshow notes
E85 · 13 May 2022 · Loot The Room!
- Audacy Inc (AUD) CEO David Field on Q1 2022 Results - Earnings Call Transcript | Seeking Alphashow notes
E80 · 1 Apr 2022 · Wheels Up
- CODA - Transcriptsshow notes
E69 · 14 Jan 2022 · All Aboard!
- 29:18RSS: transcriptschapter
- Ryan Heise transcript service :podcasting2.0:show notes
E68 · 31 Dec 2021 · Mind the Gap!
- Ryan Heise transcript service :podcasting2.0:show notes
E67 · 24 Dec 2021 · Satoshi Stocking Stuffer
- 1:14:08what do you think is the most important to I think transcripttranscript
E66 · 17 Dec 2021 · Drop The Gate
- Ryan Transcript Serviceshow notes
- Search, Transcript, Funding, Chapters, Location, Person, Seasonshow notes
E65 · 10 Dec 2021 · Billions Served
- Ryan Heise transcript service :podcasting2.0:show notes
E61 · 5 Nov 2021 · Remember Remember the 5th of November
- Per word transcriptsshow notes
- Ryan transcripts service ideashow notes
E60 · 29 Oct 2021 · Crossing the Line
- Incompatible transcriptsshow notes
E59 · 22 Oct 2021 · Double or Nothing
- 26:41we allow clip creation through the transcript, just makes ittranscript
E27 · 5 Mar 2021 · Certifying the Universe
- Captivate Transcriptsshow notes
- Podland DAI transcript offsetshow notes
E12 · 20 Nov 2020 · Breaking Code
- Transcript/Captionsshow notes
E9 · 30 Oct 2020 · Here come the pioneers
- captions and transcriptsshow notes
E8 · 23 Oct 2020 · Chapter 8
- Transcript tagshow notes

From chapter titles, show notes, the PC 2.0 Timeline and the clip notes. Where those say nothing, from the episode transcript — which reaches further but only records that a word was said. 214 of 266 episodes have curated notes; 177 moments come from transcripts.