Articles & pages
Strips the navigation, ads and cookie banners, keeps the text, headings, links, code blocks and tables.
Save anything you read
as clean Markdown.
Pocketdown is a browser extension that turns web pages, articles, PDFs and YouTube or Bilibili captions into clean, portable Markdown in one click — ready for whatever notes app you already use.
Pages, articles and PDFs are free and unlimited, forever. No account needed to start.
What it clips
Four kinds of page, three keyboard shortcuts, one output format.
Video captions YouTube & Bilibili
Pulls the caption track into a timestamped transcript, with each timestamp linking back to that moment in the video.
PDFs
Reads PDFs open in the browser and converts the text to Markdown — no upload, no conversion service.
Just the part you want
Clip a selection, or point at any element on the page and take only that.
Names and properties, your way
A file-name template with variables like {{title}}, {{site}} and {{date}} — / builds subfolders — plus the YAML property block Obsidian reads.
Send it where you keep things
Download the file, copy it, or send it straight to your notes app or read-later service. Your tokens stay in your browser.
Pocketdown at a glance
The short, factual version — handy if you are comparing web clippers.
| What it is | A browser extension (Manifest V3) that saves what you read as Markdown |
|---|---|
| Browsers | Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge and other Chromium-based browsers |
| Clips | Web pages and articles, text selections, single page elements, PDFs, and YouTube and Bilibili captions |
| Output | Markdown with optional YAML front matter; also rich text, HTML, Word (.doc), plain text, or PDF via print |
| Sends to | A downloaded .md file, the clipboard, Obsidian, Logseq, Joplin, Notion or Readwise Reader |
| Shortcuts | Alt+Shift+S clip page · Alt+Shift+C clip selection · Alt+Shift+E pick an element (Option on a Mac) |
| Price | Free: pages, articles and PDFs unlimited, video captions 5 a month. Pro: $4.99 a month or $49 a year for unlimited video captions |
| Privacy | Pages, articles and PDFs are converted inside your browser and never sent to us. No analytics, no ads |
| Account | Not needed to start; required for more than 2 video clips a month and for Pro |
Obsidian, Logseq, Joplin, Notion and Readwise are trademarks of their owners. Pocketdown is independent and not affiliated with them.
Local by default — and we're specific about the exception
Most privacy pages say "we respect your privacy". Here is the actual split, feature by feature.
Pages, articles, PDFs 100% local
Runs entirely in your browser. No account, no network request to us, nothing to collect. We could not see what you clip even if we wanted to — there is no code path that sends it anywhere.
Video captions metered
YouTube and Bilibili
Free accounts get 5 caption clips a month, so this one talks to our server. It sends exactly one thing: “this identity used one clip.” Never the URL, never the page title, never the transcript.
The captions themselves never reach us. Your browser gets them from the video site directly — or reads them off the player as it plays — and builds the Markdown on your machine. Our server keeps a counter, not your content.
Guides
Step-by-step answers to the things people clip most, with real output.
Save a YouTube transcript as Markdown
Captions to a timestamped transcript, including videos with no caption file.
Save Bilibili subtitles as Markdown
Human-made and AI subtitles from 哔哩哔哩, with links back to each moment.
Convert a web page to Markdown
The article without the ads and menus — or just a selection, or one element.
Convert a PDF to Markdown in your browser
Headings and paragraphs rebuilt from the text layer, with no upload.
Clip web pages into Obsidian
Straight into your vault as notes with properties, in the folder you choose.
Questions people ask first
What is Pocketdown?
Pocketdown is a browser extension for Chrome and Microsoft Edge that saves web pages, articles, PDFs and YouTube or Bilibili video captions as clean Markdown files. Pages, articles and PDFs are converted entirely in your browser and are free and unlimited; video caption clips are free up to 5 a month, and Pocketdown Pro removes that limit.
Is Pocketdown free?
Yes. Clipping pages, articles and PDFs is free and unlimited, with no account. Video caption clips are free up to 5 a month, 2 of them without signing in. Pocketdown Pro costs $4.99 a month or $49 a year and makes video caption clips unlimited.
Which video sites does caption clipping work on?
YouTube and Bilibili. Captions come from the video site's own caption track, so it only works where we have support for that site. Everything else — pages, articles, selections and PDFs — works on any site, and is free and unlimited. See the guides for YouTube and Bilibili.
How do I save a YouTube transcript as Markdown?
Open the video, click the Pocketdown icon and press Clip captions. You get the full transcript as Markdown, grouped into paragraphs of about a minute that each start with a timestamp linking back to the video. See the step-by-step guide.
Does Pocketdown send the pages I clip to a server?
No. Pages, articles and PDFs are converted inside your browser and never sent to Pocketdown's servers. Video caption clips send only a count — one clip used — never the video's address, title or transcript. How page clipping works.
Does it work with Obsidian or Notion?
Yes. Pocketdown can send a clip straight into Obsidian or Logseq through their app links, and into Notion, Joplin or Readwise Reader once you add a token in Settings. You can also download a .md file or copy the Markdown into any app. How to clip into Obsidian.
Do I need an account?
Not to start. Pages, articles and PDFs never need one. Video captions give you two clips without signing in; after that an account unlocks the rest of the monthly free allowance.
What happens when I hit the free limit?
Only video captions stop. Pages, articles and PDFs keep working, unlimited, forever. The counter resets every month.
Does it work offline?
Yes. Clipping happens in your browser, so it works on a plane or behind a corporate firewall. If our server is unreachable we let the clip through rather than block you.
Which browsers?
Chrome and other Chromium-based browsers, including Edge. The extension uses Manifest V3.
Where do my clips go?
Wherever you point them: a downloaded .md file, your clipboard, a local notes app opened through an application link, or a note service you have configured. Clips are also kept in a local history you can search and clear at any time.
Can I cancel any time?
Yes. Subscriptions are managed through the billing portal — cancel, change card or download invoices there. You keep Pro until the end of the period you have already paid for.
Start with the free tier
Pages, articles and PDFs cost nothing and always will.