Distill review
An inexpensive iPhone app for structured summaries of captioned YouTube videos.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
Distill is an iPhone app and web service that turns captioned YouTube videos into structured, article-style summaries. It is designed for people who want to learn from interviews, podcasts, and educational long-form videos without watching an entire recording. Users can paste YouTube links or share them from YouTube, then read sectioned summaries, follow timestamped chapters, view a full transcript, and watch the video alongside the summary. Post-summary quizzes add a review step for learning-focused use.
Its plan structure suits occasional and regular viewing. Guest access costs $0 per day, requires no account, and includes one summary per day for videos up to 30 minutes, with YouTube captions required. A free account provides three summaries per day after email verification, plus a saved library, history synchronization, Continue Watching, and offline reading for saved summaries. Pro costs $3.99 per month or $29.99 per year and adds unlimited summaries, videos up to 2 hours, summaries in 40+ languages, chapters, transcripts, outlines, and sharing from YouTube or a pasted link.
Distill’s strongest fit is its focused YouTube workflow: link-based input, an inline player, structured reading, transcript access, and offline support work together around long-form video. The trade-off is equally clear. It is limited to iOS, requires available YouTube captions, and does not accept uploaded videos. Choose Distill if your viewing is centered on captioned YouTube content and you want an inexpensive way to scan, study, or revisit it. Choose another tool if you need broader platform coverage, uploaded media support, or summaries for videos without subtitles.
Distill pros and cons
- Where it wins
- Structured summaries with chapters, transcripts, and outlines
- Offline reading, synchronized history, and a saved library
- Pro supports videos up to 2 hours and 40+ languages
- Where it doesn't
- Available on iOS rather than across multiple platforms
- YouTube captions are required for summaries
- Does not support uploaded video files
Distill fact sheet, pricing and score →
Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.
Last updated · How we research and update