# The best YouTube MCP servers > Eight MCP servers that let your agent read YouTube transcripts, comments, channels and search results, compared on what they cover, setup and price. By Jesse Sibley, Founder of Manifold. Published 6 Oct 2026, updated 6 Oct 2026. Filed under [YouTube](https://www.manifoldmcp.com/blog/topics/youtube.md). ## Key takeaways - YouTube MCP servers fall into three groups: transcript-only (free, no API keys), research servers (transcripts plus search, comments, channels), and own-channel analytics (Data, Analytics and Reporting APIs with your own credentials). - youtube-transcript.ai is a free hosted server with one tool for transcripts. anaisbetts/mcp-youtube is a small open-source transcript server that uses yt-dlp. - TubeAlfred is hosted, with free trial credits and then $5/mo. TranscriptAPI runs hosted or locally with an API key and has a free tier. vidIQ is hosted, on every vidIQ plan, and works with the channel you connected to vidIQ. - coyaSONG's server returns citation-ready transcript evidence with timestamps. Anarcyst's server is free local Python with yt-dlp and can search across a channel's transcripts. pauling-ai's server connects to the full Analytics and Reporting APIs for your own channel. - Manifold is hosted with no API keys of your own, covers transcripts, comments, channels, videos and search, and is pay per call with 500 free credits per workspace. ## The best YouTube MCP servers When your agent needs YouTube data, an MCP server connects it to video transcripts, comments, channel stats and search results. Some are hosted and handle API keys for you. Others run locally and pull transcripts with yt-dlp or connect to the YouTube API with your own credentials. Each charges in its own way and does a different job. Here are the main options, what they cover, what they cost, and which one fits your workflow. ## The three kinds of YouTube MCP servers YouTube MCP servers fall into three groups by what they offer and how they authenticate: **Transcript-only servers** pull transcripts and nothing else. They are free or low-cost, need no API key of yours, and work for research on any public video. Use one when you need transcripts but not channel stats, comments or search. **Research servers** add search, comments, channels and video metadata to transcripts. Some are hosted and need only an account with the vendor. Others run locally, with yt-dlp or your own YouTube API key. Use one when you need full YouTube research beyond transcripts alone. **Own-channel analytics servers** connect to the YouTube Data, Analytics and Reporting APIs with your own Google OAuth credentials. They let your agent read your own channel's performance, traffic sources, revenue and retention. vidIQ is the hosted exception: it reads the channel you connected to vidIQ. Use one when you manage a channel and want analytics alongside public research. ## The servers, compared | Server | Hosted or local | What it covers | How you sign in | Entry price | Best for | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | **youtube-transcript.ai** | Hosted | Transcripts only | No signup or key | Free | Free transcripts with no setup | | **anaisbetts/mcp-youtube** | Local (Node, needs yt-dlp) | Transcripts only, via yt-dlp | No keys | Free (open source, MIT) | Free local transcripts without a YouTube API key | | **TubeAlfred** | Hosted | Transcripts, comments, channels, playlists, Shorts, search, video details | TubeAlfred account | Free trial credits, then [$5/mo](https://tubealfred.com/) | Low-cost hosted research with no Google API key | | **TranscriptAPI** | Hosted, or local with npx | Transcripts, search, channel videos, search inside a channel, playlists | TranscriptAPI key | [Free tier, then $49/mo or top-ups from $10](https://transcriptapi.io/pricing) | Transcripts and search, hosted or local | | **vidIQ** | Hosted | Your vidIQ-connected channel's analytics, keyword research, outliers, competitors, transcripts, and title, thumbnail and clip generation | vidIQ API key or OAuth | [Every vidIQ plan, including Free](https://vidiq.com/mcp/) | Creators who already use vidIQ | | **coyaSONG/youtube-mcp-server** | Local (npx), or self-hosted over Streamable HTTP | Citation-ready transcripts with timestamps; a YouTube API key adds search, comments, stats and trends | Optional YouTube API key | Free (open source, MIT) | Transcript evidence with exact timestamps and links | | **Anarcyst/youtube-mcp-server** | Local (Python, uvx or pip) | Transcripts, search across a channel's transcripts, video search, channels, comments | No keys | Free (open source, MIT) | Free local research with no API key | | **pauling-ai/youtube-mcp-server** | Local (Python) | Your own channel: Data, Analytics and Reporting APIs, uploads, playlists, comments, plus transcripts for public videos | Your own Google OAuth client (Desktop app) | Free code, your own Google Cloud project | Your own channel's analytics, revenue and retention | | **Manifold** | Hosted | Channels, videos, comments, transcripts, search | No API keys of your own | [500 free credits per workspace](https://www.manifoldmcp.com/pricing), top-ups from $10, Pro from $20/mo | Pay per call YouTube research alongside SEO, social, Reddit, ads and leads | ## youtube-transcript.ai [youtube-transcript.ai MCP](https://youtube-transcript.ai/mcp) is a free, hosted server at `https://youtube-transcript.ai/mcp`. It has one tool, `get_youtube_transcript`, which fetches the transcript of a public YouTube video as plain text with its title and metadata. You can pick a caption track by language code. There is no signup and no API key. Add the URL as a custom connector in Claude or as an MCP server in ChatGPT's developer mode, or in any client that supports Streamable HTTP. **Best for:** Free transcripts with no setup and no account. ## anaisbetts/mcp-youtube [anaisbetts/mcp-youtube](https://github.com/anaisbetts/mcp-youtube) is a free, open-source local server (MIT) that uses yt-dlp to download a video's subtitles. Install yt-dlp (Homebrew and WinGet both work), then install the server as `@anaisbetts/mcp-youtube`; the README suggests mcp-installer. It has one tool, `download_youtube_url`, and needs no YouTube API key. It is a small, long-standing project that does one job, and it works in Claude Desktop, Cursor and other clients that run local servers. **Best for:** Free local transcripts without a YouTube API key, when you are happy to install yt-dlp. ## TubeAlfred [TubeAlfred](https://tubealfred.com/mcp) is a hosted server at `https://mcp.tubealfred.com/`. Its tools cover transcripts, public comments, channels, playlists, Shorts, video search and video details. You add the URL in your assistant's connector settings and sign in with your TubeAlfred account, with no local server and no Google API key. It reads public data only, not YouTube Studio analytics. New accounts get free trial credits, then one monthly plan at [$5/mo](https://tubealfred.com/) that also covers TubeAlfred's REST API. Costs vary by operation, comments cost more than a single lookup, and failed or unavailable results are not charged. **Best for:** Low-cost hosted YouTube research with transcripts, comments, channels and search. ## TranscriptAPI [TranscriptAPI's YouTube MCP](https://transcriptapi.io/mcp) runs hosted at `https://api.transcriptapi.io/mcp`, or locally with `npx -y transcriptapi-mcp` (MIT). Its five tools get a transcript (with optional translation), search YouTube, list a channel's videos, search inside a channel and list a playlist. Sign in with Google or email to get an API key. In Claude on the web and ChatGPT you paste the key as part of the URL; in Cursor and Claude Code you send it as a Bearer header. There is a [free tier](https://transcriptapi.io/pricing) with a few credits a month, then Production at $49/mo or one-time top-ups from $10. Failed calls are refunded automatically. **Best for:** Transcripts and search, hosted or local, from one API key. ## vidIQ [vidIQ MCP](https://vidiq.com/mcp/) is a hosted server at `mcp.vidiq.com`, also listed in Claude's connector directory. It works with the YouTube channel you connected to vidIQ: analytics, keyword research, outlier videos, competitor comparisons and subscriber insights, plus transcripts of any video and tools that generate titles, thumbnails and clips. Authenticate with a vidIQ API key from app.vidiq.com/account/settings/mcp, or with OAuth in Claude and ChatGPT. The MCP server is available on every vidIQ plan, including Free, and calls draw from your plan's shared credit pool. See [vidIQ's pricing](https://vidiq.com/pricing). **Best for:** Creators who already use vidIQ and want their channel data and vidIQ's research in their agent. ## coyaSONG/youtube-mcp-server [coyaSONG/youtube-mcp-server](https://github.com/coyaSONG/youtube-mcp-server) is a free, open-source server (MIT) that returns citation-ready transcript evidence: every segment comes with a timestamp and a link that opens the video at the quoted moment. Run it with `npx -y @coyasong/youtube-mcp-server@latest`, install the one-click bundle for Claude Desktop, or run it yourself as a Streamable HTTP server. Transcripts work with no API key; add a YouTube Data API key for search, comments, video and channel statistics, trends and comparisons. It lists more than a dozen tools, including `research-video`, `research-videos` (the same query across 2 to 5 videos), `enhanced-transcript`, `get-key-moments` and `get-segmented-transcript`. **Best for:** Transcript evidence you can verify, with exact timestamps and links. ## Anarcyst/youtube-mcp-server [Anarcyst/youtube-mcp-server](https://github.com/Anarcyst/youtube-mcp-server) is a free, open-source Python server (MIT) that runs with `uvx yt-mcp-server` or pip. It searches videos, gets transcripts with timestamps, reads channels and their videos, gets comments, and can search across every transcript on a channel to find what a creator said about a topic. It needs no API keys, and it can also run as a Streamable HTTP server. It needs Python 3.10+; yt-dlp installs automatically. The README notes that transcript tools can be rate-limited after many requests in a short time. **Best for:** Free local research, including search across a creator's transcripts, with no API key. ## pauling-ai/youtube-mcp-server [pauling-ai/youtube-mcp-server](https://github.com/pauling-ai/youtube-mcp-server) is a free, open-source Python server (MIT), installed as `youtube-studio-mcp`. It connects to the YouTube Data API v3, Analytics API and Reporting API with your own Google OAuth credentials. Your agent gets your channel's analytics, traffic sources, demographics, retention and revenue, bulk reports, and video, playlist and comment management. It also pulls transcripts for public videos. You need Python 3.11+ and a Google Cloud project with the three YouTube APIs enabled. Create a Desktop OAuth client and save its JSON to `~/.youtube-mcp/client_secret.json`. On first use it opens a browser for consent: sign in with the Google account that owns the channel, because a manager account cannot read Analytics. **Best for:** Your own channel's analytics, revenue and retention, when you are happy to set up a Google Cloud project. ## Manifold [Manifold](https://www.manifoldmcp.com/mcp/youtube) is a hosted MCP server with no API keys of your own. Its YouTube tools read a channel, its newest or most viewed videos, any single video, a video's comments and transcript, and videos that match a search. The same server also covers SEO, AI answers, social, Reddit, ads and leads, and its Search Console and Bing tools cost 0 credits. Manifold is pay per call. Every workspace gets 500 free credits, top-ups start at $10 and Pro starts at $20/mo. See the [YouTube tools documentation](https://www.manifoldmcp.com/docs/tools/youtube) for what each tool returns. **Honest limits:** Manifold does not pull your own channel's analytics, revenue or retention data. vidIQ and pauling-ai's server handle your own channel. Manifold searches and reads public YouTube data. **Best for:** Pay per call YouTube research with no API keys of your own, in the same server as your SEO, social, Reddit, ads and leads research. ## Which YouTube MCP server should you use? Pick by what you already pay for, whether you need your own channel's analytics, and whether you want to run a server locally. **You want free transcripts with no setup.** [youtube-transcript.ai](https://youtube-transcript.ai/mcp) is hosted and needs no signup or API key. **You want free local transcripts and can install yt-dlp.** [anaisbetts/mcp-youtube](https://github.com/anaisbetts/mcp-youtube) does that one job, or [Anarcyst's server](https://github.com/Anarcyst/youtube-mcp-server) adds search, channels and comments. **You already use vidIQ.** Use [vidIQ MCP](https://vidiq.com/mcp/), so your agent works with the channel and analytics you already have. **You want a hosted research server with no YouTube API key of your own.** [TubeAlfred](https://tubealfred.com/mcp) is $5/mo after a free trial, and [TranscriptAPI](https://transcriptapi.io/mcp) has a free tier and runs hosted or locally. **You want citation-ready transcript research with exact timestamps.** [coyaSONG's YouTube MCP server](https://github.com/coyaSONG/youtube-mcp-server) returns transcript evidence you can verify with one click. **You want your own channel's analytics, revenue and retention.** [pauling-ai's YouTube MCP server](https://github.com/pauling-ai/youtube-mcp-server) connects to the full Analytics and Reporting APIs with your own Google OAuth credentials. **You want public YouTube research with pay per call pricing alongside SEO, social, Reddit, ads and leads.** [Manifold](https://www.manifoldmcp.com/mcp/youtube) covers YouTube in the same server, with no API keys of your own. ## Run this in your agent Connect Manifold to your agent, then paste this prompt: ```text Find what creators in our niche said about [topic] over the last month, pull the transcripts, and summarise the main advice and complaints. ``` It uses [`youtube_search_videos`](https://www.manifoldmcp.com/docs/tools/youtube#youtube_search_videos), [`youtube_get_transcript`](https://www.manifoldmcp.com/docs/tools/youtube#youtube_get_transcript), [`youtube_get_channel`](https://www.manifoldmcp.com/docs/tools/youtube#youtube_get_channel) and [`youtube_get_comments`](https://www.manifoldmcp.com/docs/tools/youtube#youtube_get_comments). ## Questions people ask ### What is a YouTube MCP server? A YouTube MCP server connects your AI agent to YouTube data: transcripts, comments, channels, video metadata and search results. Instead of copying transcripts by hand, your agent calls the server and returns the data in conversation. ### Do I need a YouTube API key? Not with hosted servers. youtube-transcript.ai needs no account at all, TubeAlfred, TranscriptAPI and vidIQ need an account with the vendor, and Manifold has no API keys of your own. Local servers such as anaisbetts/mcp-youtube and Anarcyst's server use yt-dlp and need no key. coyaSONG's server needs a YouTube API key only for search, comments and statistics, and pauling-ai's server needs your own Google Cloud project and OAuth client. ### Which YouTube MCP server is free? youtube-transcript.ai is free and hosted. anaisbetts/mcp-youtube, Anarcyst's server, coyaSONG's server and pauling-ai's server are free and open source but run locally. vidIQ works on its free plan, TranscriptAPI has a free tier, TubeAlfred gives new accounts free trial credits, and Manifold gives every workspace 500 free credits. ### Can my agent read my own channel's analytics? vidIQ works with the channel you connected to vidIQ, with analytics, keyword research and competitor comparisons. pauling-ai's server connects to the full YouTube Analytics and Reporting APIs with your own Google OAuth credentials. Transcript and research servers cover public data only. ### Which is best for transcripts only? youtube-transcript.ai if you want hosted with no setup. anaisbetts/mcp-youtube if you want a small local server that uses yt-dlp. Both need no API keys and work with public videos that have captions. ### How much do YouTube MCP servers cost? youtube-transcript.ai is free. anaisbetts/mcp-youtube, Anarcyst's server, coyaSONG's server and pauling-ai's server are free code. TubeAlfred is $5/mo after free trial credits. TranscriptAPI has a free tier, then $49/mo or top-ups from $10. vidIQ's MCP works on every vidIQ plan, including Free. Manifold is pay per call with 500 free credits per workspace, top-ups from $10 and Pro from $20/mo. ## Keep reading - [Instagram MCP: setup guide and options](https://www.manifoldmcp.com/blog/instagram-mcp.md): An Instagram MCP server connects your agent to Instagram data: profiles, posts, reels, comments and hashtag search. This guide covers your options, setup in Claude, ChatGPT and Cursor, and when a hosted alternative fits better. - [The best ad library MCP servers for competitor research](https://www.manifoldmcp.com/blog/best-ad-library-mcp-servers.md): Five MCP servers that let your agent search the public ad libraries of Meta, Google, TikTok, LinkedIn and Microsoft, compared on coverage, setup and price. - [Ahrefs MCP: setup guide and alternatives](https://www.manifoldmcp.com/blog/ahrefs-mcp.md): Ahrefs MCP connects your agent to Ahrefs' data: keywords, backlinks, competitors, rank tracking and site audits. This guide covers the plans that include it, setup in Claude, ChatGPT and Cursor, how units are spent, and when a hosted alternative fits better.