Extract vs AI for Facebook videos
Both methods can produce TXT, SRT, and VTT. They are not the same pipeline. Picking the wrong one wastes time and, for AI, server capacity.
Use Extract when
- The Watch page already shows captions.
- You want Facebook’s original timing, including creator-uploaded files.
- You need an answer in a few seconds.
Extract does not “listen” to the video. If Facebook never attached captions, it cannot invent them. Wrong-language captions are common because auto-generated tracks exist in several languages — pick the language dropdown and run Extract again.
Use AI when
- Extract says there are no captions.
- The caption track is gibberish or the wrong language and you cannot find a better one.
- You uploaded an audio/video file instead of a URL.
AI is slower (often 30–120 seconds) and limited to a 15-minute window. It also needs a configured speech-to-text key on the server. Clear speech, one speaker, little music: good. Crowd noise, songs, and overlapping talk: poor.
Use Auto when you don’t want to think
Auto is Extract, then AI if captions are missing. It is the default on the homepage. If you already know captions exist, skip straight to Extract so you don’t wait on an audio download.
Honesty about accuracy
Caption quality follows Facebook’s file or the speech model, the microphone, and the language you selected. Always skim the result before you publish it as a source.