I Built a Free Podcast Episode Planner (Because Descript Charges $12/month)

Description and use

A free, browser‑based podcast episode planner and show‑notes generator that auto‑parses transcripts, extracts key segments, and outputs clean PDFs—no subscription, no watermarks, and works offline.

Problem

Podcasters needed a simple, cost‑effective way to turn transcripts into structured show notes, but paid tools like Descript were overkill, expensive, and offered limited offline or privacy features.

Outcome

The tool provides a free, zero‑signup, offline‑capable solution for generating structured show notes with timestamps, key takeaways, and quotes, eliminating the $144/year cost of Descript for this use case.

Workflow

• 1. Open the tool in a browser. 2. Fill in episode details (title, number, guest, etc.) in the form. 3. Paste the transcript into the parser. 4. The tool auto‑detects timestamps and extracts segments, takeaways, and quotes. 5. Review the live preview of the show notes. 6. Download the PDF directly from the browser.
• 7. (Optional) Host the static site yourself via GitHub Pages or nginx for full control.

Evidence

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.

Source

The whole thing is under 300 lines of code. Vanilla HTML/CSS/JS. That's it.

Source