Is Instagram Reel Transcription Free? Daily Allowance, Credits & Export Rules
Check the free Instagram Reel allowance and paid credit rules. Compare duration examples, daily attempt limits, failed tasks and included exports.
After signing in, accounts without an active membership can transcribe up to two public Instagram videos free per UTC day, up to three minutes each. TXT, SRT and VTT exports are included, and no card is required for this allowance.
Active members use membership credits. Longer videos and extra tasks use credits too. This guide explains the free limits, how credits are counted and what happens when a task fails.
How the daily free allowance works
The daily allowance covers two successful public video transcriptions for accounts without an active membership. Each video must be no longer than three minutes. Submit a direct link to one public Reel or single video post.
The allowance resets at 00:00 UTC. Unused slots do not carry over to another day. Free processing also has a limit of 12 attempts per UTC day, including failed attempts.
Sign in to use the allowance. You can submit a supported link and download a completed result without entering payment information.
Free processing also depends on shared daily capacity. If the site reports that free capacity has been reached, an unused personal slot does not guarantee another free task can start. Check the message before retrying.
What the free allowance includes
When a task is ready, select Download all formats in Transcripts. The ZIP contains transcript.txt, transcript.srt and transcript.vtt. These files are included for both free and paid tasks.
Use TXT for reading or editing the words, SRT for subtitle editors and VTT for web captions. SRT and VTT include timing for transcript segments. All three formats use the same saved wording.
Downloading a completed result again, including another export format, uses no additional processing credits.
| Feature | Daily free allowance | Credit packs |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free | One-time purchase |
| Video usage | 2 successful videos per UTC day | Uses available credits; task limits apply |
| Video duration | Up to 3 minutes per video | Longer videos need enough credits; processing limits apply |
| Payment information | No card required | Payment at checkout |
| TXT, SRT and VTT exports | Included | Included |
| Saved task history | Available in your account | Available in your account |
| Recurring subscription | No membership required | Credit packs are one-time purchases |
When a task uses credits
Videos longer than three minutes and tasks beyond the free allowance use credits. If you reach the free attempt limit, you can wait until 00:00 UTC or use credits. Other task limits still apply: an account can have only one active task at a time, and a rate-limit message means you need to wait before submitting another.
A paid task uses one credit per started minute. A 45-second video uses one credit; a video lasting 2 minutes and 15 seconds uses three. Each video is rounded separately.
A credit pack is a one-time purchase. Its credits are valid for 12 months from purchase; buying another pack does not extend an earlier pack’s expiry. A membership renews and provides its own credit allowance. Check the pricing page for the current options.
Check the charge with these examples
These examples apply to supported public videos. For a free task, the account must have no active membership, an unused successful slot, remaining free attempts and available free capacity. Active-task, submission-rate and processing limits apply to paid tasks too.
For a paid task, divide the video duration in seconds by 60 and round up to the next whole credit. If the duration is an exact number of minutes, keep that number. The credit reservation is released if the task fails.
| Situation | Successful-task charge or next step |
|---|---|
| 45-second video using an available free slot | 0 credits; one successful free slot is used. |
| 45-second paid video | 1 credit: round 45 ÷ 60 up to 1. |
| 2 minutes 15 seconds, paid | 3 credits: round 135 ÷ 60 up to 3. |
| Exactly 3 minutes, paid | 3 credits. With a valid free slot, this duration is within the free limit. |
| 3 minutes 1 second | 4 credits; the complete video is over the free duration limit. |
| A failed free task | No successful free slot is consumed, but the free attempt still counts toward the 12-attempt daily cap. |
| 12 failed free attempts in the same UTC day | Successful slots may remain, but free attempts are exhausted. Wait for the reset or use credits; other limits still apply. |
| Downloading a Ready result again | 0 additional processing credits; this is an export of an existing result. |
What happens when a task fails
Credits are reserved while a paid task is processing and charged after successful delivery. If the task fails, the system releases the reserved credits.
A failed free task releases its reserved successful slot, but the attempt still counts toward the 12-attempt daily cap. Check the existing task status before submitting the same link again.
If the source is private, removed or otherwise unavailable, fix that source issue before retrying. The troubleshooting guide below explains the messages and the next steps.
Start a transcript with the free allowance
Copy the direct link to a public Instagram Reel or single video post. Sign in to Video Script Extractor, paste the link and select Get transcript.
Check the task in Transcripts while it processes. When it is ready, select Download all formats to save the text and subtitles.