The best tools for automatic chapter and timestamp generation
If you create video content on YouTube, you already know that well-made chapters with timestamps can greatly improve the viewing experience.
But writing timestamps manually takes a lot of time: you need to watch the entire video, pause at logical moments, write down time codes, and come up with meaningful titles.
Try to calculate how much time you spend on this. Simple math for an average YouTube channel:
3 videos/week * 30 minutes/video * 52 = 78 hours per yearThat’s why AI-based chapter generators will soon become the norm — they can save you almost three full days every year.
In this article, I’ll walk you through the most popular tools available today, compare their real capabilities, and try to understand which service helps video creators work more efficiently.
What these tools solve
Before we move on to the tools, let’s clarify what users actually want from an automatic chapter generator:
✔ Saving time and effort
✔ Accurate timestamps
✔ Clear and viewer-friendly chapter titles
✔ Better video structure and higher viewer engagement
✔ Less repetitive manual editing
Thanks to AI, we now have tools that read video transcripts, analyze speech and content boundaries, and automatically generate chapters — often with meaningful titles.
Service overview
Below are some of the most well-known options currently used by content creators.
1. TimeSkip AI
What it does:
TimeSkip AI instantly generates SEO-optimized chapters and timestamps for YouTube videos. It includes a Chrome extension that can generate chapters directly inside the player.
Pros:
✔ SEO-optimized chapter titles (with long-tail keywords)
✔ Claims fast generation (5–10 seconds for long videos)
✔ Works directly through the browser extension without visiting a separate website
Limitations:
– Requires registration — you can’t even try it without signing up
– The web version doesn’t work — you must install browser software
– Does not work with videos that have no subtitles
– Requires a paid subscription for heavy use (free tier is limited)
2. YTChap.com
What it does:
A simple AI-based chapter generator with a clean interface that allows users to create chapters and timestamps in just a few clicks.
Pros:
✔ Free and easy to use
✔ Suitable for basic timestamp generation
✔ No complex registration required
Cons:
– Less advanced AI — closer to simple segmentation
– Often fails — it couldn’t generate chapters even for videos that already had them
3. Browser extension: YouTube Chapter Generator
What it does:
A Chrome extension that pulls video transcripts from YouTube and uses Azure OpenAI to generate chapters with timestamps.
Pros:
– None, because it doesn’t work
Limitations:
– Claims that subtitles are required
– But throws an error on the very first attempt
4. Descript — a feature-rich video editor
What it does:
Descript is primarily an audio/video editing tool with built-in AI features for generating transcripts and chapter markers.
Pros:
✔ Advanced AI engine
✔ Flexible output settings
✔ Great for podcasts
Limitations:
– Chapter generation is just one of many features you may not need — but you still have to pay for them
– Hard to use — I couldn’t even find the chapter generation feature in the editor
– Limited free usage due to transcript length restrictions
– Best suited for creators who already work with Descript
Best for:
Creators who want a powerful online video editor with chapter generation built in and are ready for a steep learning curve.
5. AI Chapters Generator
What it does:
Unlike generic timestamp generators, this tool is built specifically for creating YouTube chapters — without a bunch of unnecessary features.
It understands content transitions, suggests logical breakpoints, and creates chapter titles that make sense to your audience.
The workflow is simple and fast:
- Paste your video URL
- Wait 10–15 seconds
- Copy and paste the result into the video description or the first comment
Pros:
✔ Designed specifically for structured YouTube chapters
✔ Uses an advanced AI agent to analyze the full video content
✔ Produces meaningful timestamps with clear titles
✔ Works even if the video doesn’t have subtitles yet
✔ Available as a web app and browser extensions
Limitations:
– For very long videos, chapter generation may take a few minutes
– No mobile app yet (but it works in a mobile browser)
Final verdict after testing competitors:
| Tool | Quality | Ease of use | SEO focus |
| AI Chapter Generator | 5+ | 5 | 5 |
| TimeSkip AI | 3 | 2 | 4 |
| YTChap.com | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Chrome Extension Generator | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Descript (AI features) | 5 | 1 | 4 |
➤ Two tools don’t work at all
➤ TimeSkip AI works only with videos that already have transcripts
➤ Descript works well, but is very hard to learn
➤ AI Chapters Generator creates chapters with timestamps in just a few clicks
Every tool has its place, and AI Chapters Generator focuses on creating chapters that are intuitive, viewer-friendly, and easy to use.
You still get the speed and efficiency of AI, but with results that feel natural and help your audience quickly find exactly what they’re looking for.