I Built a Free Podcast Episode Planner & Show Notes Generator (Because Descript Charges $12/month)
Last month I was helping a friend format show notes for their podcast. We were already paying $12/month on Descript, but half the features we needed — especially the show notes formatting — felt like overkill for what was basically copy-pasting a transcript into a template.
So I asked myself: why are we paying $144/year for a tool that mostly just formats text?
I closed the tab. Opened a text editor. Built something better in an afternoon.
The Problem
Descript is great for video editing and screen recording. But for something as simple as turning a transcript into structured show notes? It's overkill — and the pricing is brutal.
- $12/month just for show notes features
- Per-seat pricing means your team size directly drives cost
- Cloud-only — no offline access, no privacy
- Watermarked exports unless you pay for the higher tier
For a podcaster who just needs show notes, that's $144/year. For a tool that basically formats text into a PDF.
What I Built
Podcast Episode Planner & Show Notes Template Generator — a completely free, zero-signup, browser-based show notes tool.
- Transcript Parser — Paste any transcript format. We auto-detect timestamps like [00:01:23] or split on paragraph breaks.
- Auto-Extraction — Segments, key takeaways, and notable quotes are pulled out automatically.
- Live Preview — See your show notes update as you edit.
- Instant PDF Download — Clean, print-ready PDFs. No watermark, no paywall.
- Works Offline — Once loaded, no internet required.
- No Data Collection — Everything stays in your browser.
The whole thing is under 300 lines of code. Vanilla HTML/CSS/JS. That's it.
Why It Matters
Show note tools shouldn't be a subscription trap. Every podcast needs show notes. That shouldn't cost $144/year.
The fact that this exists at all is kind of wild. You can take a raw transcript, get structured show notes with timestamps, key takeaways, and quotes — all in your browser, for zero dollars. No upsell. No "upgrade to premium." Just... done.
The Tech
- Frontend: Vanilla HTML/CSS/JS — no framework needed
- PDF: window.print() — zero dependencies, clean output
- Hosting: Static files on nginx
- Deploy: One rsync, done
Open Source
It's all on GitHub — fork it, improve it, run it yourself. If you're a podcaster who's ever been frustrated by per-seat pricing for basic show note tools, go build something better. It's faster than you think.
Try it: tools.jackgreen.top/for-podcast-episode-planner-show-notes-template-generator/
Top comments (1)
The live preview updating without reloading feels like a real win for podcasters who skip manual timestamping. I noticed how the auto-detection of [00:01:23] works without breaking flow-no extra steps for formatting timestamps. For a tool that's under 300 lines of code, this is a sharp balance between simplicity and polish.