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Eightify vs Signal Extractor: the free alternative with no daily cap
Eightify is a browser extension that turns a YouTube video into eight key ideas, with unlimited use behind a subscription.
The short answer
Eightify is a polished extension, and it does three things we don't: full transcripts side by side, translation into 40+ languages, and native iOS and Android apps. Everything else is a worse deal. You install an extension, you create an account, and the free plan caps both how many videos you can summarize and how long they can be — after that it's a monthly subscription. Signal Extractor is free with no account, no install and no daily cap: paste a link and read a one-line verdict plus timestamped takeaways in about ten seconds. It also handles videos with no captions at all, which caption-scraping extensions can't touch. And it doesn't stop at the summary — ask follow-up questions with the transcript in context, push it to Notion, or follow a channel and get every new video summarized in your inbox.
Feature by feature
17
Signal Extractor wins
7
Tied
5
Eightify wins
| Price & access | Signal Extractor | Eightify |
|---|---|---|
| Price to summarize | Free | Free tier, then paid |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
| No account needed | Yes | No |
| Videos per day | No limit | Capped |
| Video length limit | Any length | Capped |
| No extension to install | Yes | Limited |
| No subscription | Yes | No |
| The summary | Signal Extractor | Eightify |
| Timestamped key takeaways | Yes | Yes |
| Timestamps jump into the video | Yes | Yes |
| One-line verdict up top | Yes | No |
| Streams as it is written | Yes | Limited |
| Instant or deeper reasoning | Yes | Limited |
| AI model used | Gemini 2.5 Flash | Not disclosed |
| Videos with no captions | Yes | No |
| Full transcript shown | No | Yes |
| Pick output language (40+) | Limited | Yes |
| Top-comment sentiment | No | Yes |
| After the summary | Signal Extractor | Eightify |
| Follow-up chat on the video | Yes | Limited |
| Chat can search the web | Yes | No |
| Channel follow + email digest | Yes | No |
| X (Twitter) posts too | Yes | No |
| Save to Notion | Yes | No |
| Public share link | Yes | Yes |
| Copy as markdown | Yes | Yes |
| Saved history | Yes | Yes |
| Public summary library | Yes | No |
| Platform | Signal Extractor | Eightify |
| Chrome extension | Yes | Yes |
| Firefox & Safari extensions | No | Yes |
| iOS and Android apps | No | Yes |
Eightify details taken from their own site and public documentation, checked August 2026. Their features and limits change — check theirs for today's details. Logos and product names are trademarks of their respective owners, shown here to identify the products compared.
Which should you use?
Use Signal Extractor if
You want the summary now — free, no sign-up, no extension, no daily cap — and you want to ask follow-up questions, export it, or have new videos from a channel summarized for you automatically.
Use Eightify if
You need the summary translated into a language the video isn't in, want the full transcript on screen beside it, or want a native iPhone or Android app.
Eightify questions
Is Eightify free?
There is a free tier, but it caps how many videos you can summarize and how long they can be. Unlimited use and longer videos need a paid subscription. Signal Extractor has no paid plan and no daily cap — you paste a link and get a summary.
What is the best free alternative to Eightify?
Signal Extractor is free to use with no account and no daily limit. You get a one-line verdict, timestamped takeaways, and a chat box for follow-up questions about the video.
Do I need to install an extension to use Signal Extractor?
No. It runs in the browser — paste a YouTube link and the summary starts streaming. There is a Chrome extension if you want one-click summaries from the video you're watching, but nothing needs installing to use the site.
Can Signal Extractor summarize a video that has no captions?
Yes. When a video has no captions we fall back to processing the audio directly, so you still get a summary. Extension-based summarizers that read the caption track usually can't do anything with those videos.
Which one is better for long podcasts and lectures?
Signal Extractor handles long captioned videos without a length tier, so a three-hour podcast costs the same as a ten-minute explainer: nothing. Eightify limits video length on its free plan and raises the ceiling on paid plans.
Can I ask follow-up questions about the video?
Yes. Every summary has a chat underneath it with the full transcript in context, and it can check the web when the answer isn't in the video. That works without an account too.
Does Signal Extractor summarize in other languages?
The summary is written in the language the video is in, so a Spanish video gives you a Spanish summary, and the chat replies in whichever language you write in. There's no output-language picker yet — if you specifically need a summary translated into a language the video isn't in, Eightify's 40+ language support is the better fit.
How much does Eightify cost?
Their premium plan is billed monthly or annually, with annual working out cheaper. Published figures have ranged from roughly $5 to $13 a month depending on billing, so check their site for today's number. Signal Extractor has no paid plan at all, so there's nothing to compare it against.
Is Eightify worth paying for?
Only if you need what the free tools can't do — translated summaries, the transcript on screen, or a native mobile app. If you mainly want fast, accurate takeaways with timestamps and the ability to ask questions afterwards, you can have that for free here and keep the subscription.
What does Eightify do better?
Three things, honestly: it shows the full transcript next to the summary, it can translate summaries into 40+ languages, and it has native iOS and Android apps. It also summarizes the top comments so you can gauge what viewers thought.
Try it on the video you were about to watch
Paste a YouTube link and read the takeaways in about ten seconds. No account, no extension, no card.
Summarize a video