Long YouTube videos are incredible for depth—but painful when you just need the key ideas. The right AI YouTube video summarizer lets you paste a link (or use a browser extension) and get a concise, structured summary in seconds, so creators, students, researchers, and knowledge workers can focus on thinking instead of scrubbing timelines.

Below are some of the strongest options available right now, including Liminary.io for deeper research and synthesis workflows.

Best AI tools to summarize YouTube videos

1. Eightify – Quick summaries inside YouTube

What it does & who it’s for
Eightify is a popular Chrome extension that generates timestamped summaries directly on YouTube pages. It’s great if you’re already watching in the browser and want concise bullet points without switching tabs. Reddit

Key features

• One-click summaries from the YouTube interface

• Timestamped outline of key sections

• Works especially well when a transcript is available

• Good fit for tutorials, talks, and explainers

Pros

• Very fast, minimal setup

• Lives directly in YouTube (no copy–paste required)

• Easy to scan via timestamped bullets

Limitations

• Works best when the video transcript is clean/available

• Primarily a summarizer—less suited for long-term research workflows

Pricing (subject to change)

• Free tier with limits; paid plans unlock more summaries and features (check latest on their site).

Ideal use cases & example

• Ideal for: Casual learners, busy professionals, creators checking competitor content.

• Example: You’re comparing several SaaS product demos. Eightify gives you quick timestamped takeaways for each demo so you can decide which ones deserve a full watch.

2. Notta – Versatile YouTube summarizer for meetings & lectures

What it does & who it’s for
Notta is an AI note-taker and transcription platform that includes a dedicated YouTube video summarizer and Chrome extension. It transcribes videos (including YouTube links) and generates concise summaries, chapters, and action items—useful for meetings, lectures, interviews, and webinars. Notta

Key features

• Paste a YouTube URL or use the Chrome extension to record/summarize videos

• AI-generated summaries with chapters and action items

• Multi-language transcription & summarization (50+ languages)

• Centralized workspace for transcripts and notes

Pros

• Strong at both transcription and summarization for mixed content (meetings, lectures, YouTube)

• Multi-language support and compliance (GDPR, SOC-2, etc.)

• Chrome extension can summarize YouTube videos with one click Chrome Web Store

Limitations

• Full power is in the paid tiers; free tools may be limited to a small number of videos

• Interface is more “business/meeting” oriented than creator-focused

Pricing (subject to change)

• Free tools (including a one-video YouTube summarizer) with limits; paid plans for unlimited usage and advanced features.

Ideal use cases & example

• Ideal for: Students, consultants, sales teams, and anyone who also needs meeting transcription.

• Example: A student pastes several lecture links into Notta, generates transcripts and summaries, and then annotates them into a study pack for exam prep.

3. NoteGPT / NoteLLM – Heavy-duty YouTube summarizer for long videos

What it does & who it’s for
NoteGPT (branded as NoteLLM in some newer materials) is an AI YouTube summarizer that handles long videos—even those without subtitles—and can batch summarize multiple links at once. It’s geared toward students, researchers, and professionals processing lots of educational content. Adilo NoteGPT

Key features

• Summarize YouTube videos up to ~150 minutes, including those with no subtitles

• Batch summarization for up to 20 videos at once

• Translation support for 60+ languages in subtitles and summaries

• Role-focused use cases for students, professionals, and researchers

Pros

• Handles long-form content well (lectures, interviews, long podcasts)

• Batch mode is a huge time-saver for playlist-based learning

• Good internationalization via translation features

Limitations

• Web-app centric; not as tightly integrated into YouTube’s own UI

• Interface may feel more “utility” than polished productivity app

Pricing (subject to change)

• Free tier for basic summarization; paid plans unlock longer videos, batch limits, and extra features (check their current pricing page).

Ideal use cases & example

• Ideal for: Researchers binge-watching conference talks, students processing full course playlists.

• Example: A researcher drops 10 AI conference talks into NoteGPT, batch-summarizes them, and uses the summaries to decide which three talks deserve deep note-taking.

4. YouTube Summary with ChatGPT & Claude – Simple browser-based helper

What it does & who it’s for
This Chrome extension adds a “YouTube Summary” panel alongside videos and can send transcripts to models like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and others for a concise overview. It’s one of the more widely recommended extensions for quick in-browser summarization. Chrome Web Store

Key features

• Free Chrome extension that works on YouTube, web articles, and PDFs

• One-click transcript extraction and summary popup on YouTube TECHCOMMUNITY.MICROSOFT.COM

• Integrations with multiple LLM backends (OpenAI, Anthropic, Mistral, Google)

Pros

• Very lightweight and easy to install

• Flexible: can be used on non-YouTube web pages and documents too

• Often works well as an “LLM front-end” for your existing API or account

Limitations

• Summary quality depends heavily on the connected model and your prompts

• Not a full research system; no built-in library or knowledge graph

Pricing (subject to change)

• Extension is free; you may pay separately for API usage or premium LLM accounts.

Ideal use cases & example

• Ideal for: Knowledge workers who already rely on ChatGPT/Claude and want fast “send to model” functionality.

• Example: A product manager uses the extension to send a 45-minute roadmap talk transcript to Claude and gets the key decisions and trade-offs in a few bullet points.

5. Krisp YouTube Video Summarizer – Fast, free URL-based summaries

What it does & who it’s for
Known for its noise-cancelling and meeting tools, Krisp also offers a free YouTube video summarizer: paste a link, get a textual summary, and optionally download it as a .txt file. Krisp

Key features

• URL-based summarizer: paste YouTube link, click “Summarize”

• Quick text summaries designed to capture key ideas

• Download summaries as text files for offline use

Pros

• No account needed for basic use (no email or credit card required at the time of writing)

• Very straightforward; minimal friction for ad-hoc summaries

• Backed by a company already known for meeting tools

Limitations

• Mainly focused on one-off summarization; lacks deep organization or tagging

• Feature set is intentionally simple—no advanced research workflows

Pricing (subject to change)

• Currently advertised as free for the YouTube summarizer; broader Krisp features (like meeting notes) have their own pricing.

Ideal use cases & example

• Ideal for: Anyone who needs a fast “just give me the gist” summary without creating an account.

• Example: You’re about to head into a client meeting and need the essentials from a 20-minute explainer; you paste the URL into Krisp, skim the summary, and walk in prepared.

6. Liminary.io – Knowledge companion for deep YouTube-based research

What it does & who it’s for
Liminary is an AI-powered knowledge companion for people drowning in information—particularly researchers, consultants, and serious knowledge workers. It lets you save content from many sources (including YouTube videos) into a structured library and then helps you summarize, connect, and reuse those ideas across projects. SourceForge

Where most YouTube summarizers stop at “one video → one summary,” Liminary focuses on synthesis: building a personal knowledge graph from what you save and acting as a thought partner when you review or write. liminary.io

Key features

• Save YouTube videos, web pages, PDFs, and more into a unified knowledge library

• Automatically capture source context (title, metadata) and let the AI summarize the source you’re saving—useful for turning YouTube videos into structured notes. Reddit

• Builds a personal knowledge graph in the background, connecting related ideas and sources over time

• Acts as an “AI thought partner” when you write: surfaces relevant sources, suggests connections, and helps draft outlines or memos based on saved content (including video summaries).

Pros

• Designed specifically for deep, recurring knowledge work rather than one-off summaries

• Great for people who want their YouTube summaries to live alongside PDFs, articles, and notes in a single system

• Context-aware surfacing: saved sources can resurface when you’re writing, not only when you explicitly search for them

Limitations

• Early-stage product, currently positioned as an ambient “knowledge companion,” so there may be occasional rough edges Homebase

• Best suited to users who are willing to invest in building a long-term knowledge library (not just quick one-off summaries)

Pricing (subject to change)

• Open beta / early-stage status; external directories list it as “contact for pricing” or similar, suggesting evolving plans. Tool Hub

• Expect a mix of free trial or beta access with possible paid tiers as the product matures.

Ideal use cases & example

• Ideal for: Researchers, grad students, consultants, founders, and knowledge workers running long-form investigations.

• Example:

  • A researcher is doing a deep dive on “AI video summarizers.”

  • They save several YouTube reviews, product demos, and panel discussions into Liminary.

  • Liminary summarizes each video as it’s saved, links them to related PDFs and blog posts, and later surfaces the most relevant clips and sources when the researcher starts drafting their final report.

FAQ: YouTube video summarizers

1. What is the best AI tool to summarize YouTube videos quickly?

If you want instant, in-player summaries, tools like Eightify or YouTube Summary with ChatGPT & Claude are strong picks because they live directly in your browser and show summaries beside the video.

For more structured notes plus transcripts and multi-language support, Notta and NoteGPT/NoteLLM are great options.

2. Can AI summarize very long YouTube videos or full lectures?

Yes. Tools such as NoteGPT/NoteLLM can handle videos up to around 150 minutes and even work when there are no subtitles, while Notta and Upword are also designed for long-form content like lectures and webinars.

3. Are there free AI tools to summarize YouTube videos?

Several tools offer free options: Krisp’s YouTube summarizer works without login for basic use, Notta has a free one-video summarizer, and many Chrome extensions provide free tiers with limits.

You can start free, then upgrade only if you hit usage caps or need advanced features.

4. Is it safe to use AI YouTube summarizers with my content?

Most reputable tools emphasize encryption and compliance (e.g., GDPR, SOC-2) and do not have humans reviewing your transcripts. Still, you should avoid pasting sensitive, internal links into third-party tools without reviewing their security page and data-handling policies.

5. How do I choose the right AI YouTube video summarizer?

Ask yourself:

• Do I just need quick summaries inside YouTube (Eightify, YouTube Summary with ChatGPT & Claude)?

• Do I also need transcripts, meeting notes, or multi-language support (Notta, NoteGPT/NoteLLM)?

• Do I want a full research system where YouTube summaries live alongside articles and PDFs (Upword, Liminary)?

The best tool is the one that fits your workflow, not just the one with the flashiest summary UI.

Conclusion & next steps

If you just want a quick YouTube summary before you commit to a 40-minute video, tools like Eightify, YouTube Summary with ChatGPT & Claude, and Krisp are fast and frictionless.

If you’re a student, researcher, or consultant building long-term knowledge, platforms like Notta, NoteGPT/NoteLLM, Upword, and especially Liminary.io help you turn YouTube videos into reusable, connected knowledge—alongside your articles, PDFs, and notes.

Try pairing a “fast” in-player summarizer with Liminary as your knowledge backbone so that important YouTube insights don’t just get read once and forgotten.