I Built a Free Podcast 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 Show Notes 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/podcast-episode-show-notes-generator/