MCP Youtube Transcript vs YouTube Trends API

In-depth architectural comparison of the MCP Youtube Transcript and YouTube Trends API MCP servers. Compare execution transports, security boundaries, tool capabilities, quality scores, and ready-to-paste client installation snippets for Claude, Cursor, Windsurf, and VS Code.

Which MCP Server Should You Choose?

Choose MCP Youtube Transcript when:

• You need dedicated capabilities in the Developer Tools domain.
• You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
• Your security boundary fits: No auth required (Free / Open Source).

Explore MCP Youtube Transcript Details

Choose YouTube Trends API when:

• You need dedicated capabilities in the Developer Tools domain.
• You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
• Your security boundary fits: No auth required (Free / Open Source).

Explore YouTube Trends API Details

Feature & Specification Comparison

Specification	MCP Youtube Transcript Developer Tools	YouTube Trends API Developer Tools
Summary	An MCP server retrieving transcripts of YouTube videos	YouTube search volume and trending videos over time. Free key at trendsapi.ai
Category & Scope	Developer Tools	Developer Tools

Tools & Capabilities Breakdown

Ready-to-Paste Client Configurations

Paste either (or both) of these JSON server blocks into your client config file (e.g. claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json).

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mcp-youtube-transcript": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "--from",
        "git+https://github.com/jkawamoto/mcp-youtube-transcript",
        "mcp-youtube-transcript"
      ]
    }
  }
}

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "youtube-trends-api-2": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "trendsapi-youtube"
      ]
    }
  }
}

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