TLDR YouTube
TLDR YouTube creates AI summaries of YouTube videos so users can read key ideas instead of watching the full video.
What TLDR YouTube is
TLDR YouTube creates AI summaries of YouTube videos so users can read key ideas instead of watching the full video. When a transcript is available, it uses that transcript to produce a summary with key points and takeaways. New summaries are added to a shared library, and reading existing summaries is free and unlimited. The free plan allows five new summaries in a rolling seven-day window; revisiting a summary already generated does not count again. It includes API access and custom summary styles. A free Chrome extension opens the matching summary page from a YouTube video and is described as compatible with Chrome, Brave, Edge, and other Chromium browsers. Users can also replace youtube.com with tldr.yt in a video URL to open its summary. The upcoming Premium plan lists 100 summaries per week, API and MCP Server access, custom styles, priority processing, and export to Notion and Obsidian, but no price is listed. The privacy policy says the service accesses public video metadata and available transcripts, not private YouTube account data, and does not permanently store or cache YouTube content.
Good
- Existing summaries are free and unlimited to read
- Free plan includes API access
- Browser extension supports Chromium browsers
- Revisiting a summary does not use another slot
Watch out
- Free plan allows five new summaries per rolling week
- Premium plan is upcoming and has no listed price
- Summaries depend on transcripts being available
Who it suits
TLDR YouTube may suit people who want to review video takeaways in text, especially those who use the service repeatedly or prefer opening summaries from a browser extension.
Verdict
TLDR YouTube offers a text-based way to review video takeaways, with a shared library and a browser extension. Consider the weekly limit if you expect to create summaries frequently.
Plans and prices
From TLDR YouTube's own pricing page, checked 8 Oct 2026.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | 5 summaries per week · 7-day rolling window · API access · custom summary styles · forever |
| Premium | — | 100 summaries per week · API access · MCP Server access · custom summary styles · priority processing · export to Notion, Obsidian · Coming Soon |
The facts
Each one read from TLDR YouTube's own pages, with the date it was checked.
Where it runs
- Browser extension
- The free Chrome extension opens the matching tldr.yt summary page from a YouTube video and is described as compatible with Chrome, Brave, Edge, and other Chromium browsers.checked 8 Oct 2026
What it does
- Data providers
- The privacy policy names Supabase, Vercel, OpenAI, and PostHog as third-party providers used for authentication and database services, hosting, summaries, and analytics.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Extension privacy
- The maker says the extension only runs on YouTube and does not track users or collect personal data.checked 8 Oct 2026
- How it works
- The service reads a video transcript when available and produces a clean summary with key points and takeaways.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Integrations
- The pricing page lists API access on the Free plan and MCP Server access plus export to Notion and Obsidian on the upcoming Premium plan.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Intended users
- The maker presents Premium as intended for power users who summarize videos daily.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- TLDR YouTube creates AI summaries of YouTube videos so users can read key ideas without watching the full video.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Security and privacy
- The privacy policy says the service uses encryption, access controls, and regular security assessments, and describes GDPR data rights and analytics opt-out options.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Shared library
- New summaries are added to a shared library, and reading existing summaries is free and unlimited.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Summary limit
- The free plan allows five summaries per week in a rolling seven-day window, and revisiting a summary already generated does not count again.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Support
- The maker lists [email protected] for questions about privacy practices and terms.checked 8 Oct 2026
- URL shortcut
- Users can replace youtube.com with tldr.yt in a video URL to open its summary.checked 8 Oct 2026
- YouTube data
- The privacy policy says the service accesses public video metadata and available transcripts, does not permanently store or cache YouTube content, and does not access users' private YouTube account data.checked 8 Oct 2026
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