Comparison
Best subtitle generators: Kapwing for SRT files, Submagic for styled captions
Kapwing is the best subtitle generator if you need a subtitle file, called an SRT file. Submagic is best if you want styled captions burned into a short video.
In short
- The best subtitle generators are Kapwing or Descript for SRT files, and Submagic for styled captions burned into video.
- An SRT file is a text file of subtitle lines and times. YouTube, course platforms and clients often ask for one.
- Burned-in captions are part of the picture. Reels, TikTok and Shorts need them, because videos there often play muted.
- Kapwing's free plan subtitles videos up to 10 minutes, and YouTube, TikTok and Instagram caption uploads for free.
- Cutroom burns captions into a finished vertical video. It does not export SRT files.
- kinds of subtitles: a separate file, or words burned into the video
- 2
- subtitle generators compared, prices checked 21 September 2026
- 7
- subtitle minutes a month on Kapwing Pro
- 1,000
The best subtitle generators at a glance
Here is what each tool is best at, what it costs and whether it gives you a subtitle file.
Seven subtitle generators, plus Cutroom
Prices from each company's site or the US App Store on the date shown. Plans change, so check before you pay.
| Tool | Best for | Editing approach | Platform | Pricing from |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Kapwing | SRT and VTT subtitle files, in your browser | Upload a video, check the transcript, download the file or the captioned video | Browser | Free plan (watermark); Pro $16/member/month billed yearly ($24 monthly) |
| Subtitles for podcasts and long videos you edit anyway | You edit the transcript and the video follows | Web, Mac, Windows | Free plan (watermark); Hobbyist $16/month billed yearly ($24 monthly) | |
| Subtitles and translation in your browser | A browser editor with automatic subtitles | Browser, mobile app | Free plan; Creator $10/user/month billed yearly | |
 Zubtitle | Captioning a few finished videos a month | Upload a finished video; it adds captions and a headline, and resizes it | Web, works on phones | Free plan (2 videos a month, watermark); Guru $19/month |
 Submagic | Styled captions on short videos | You upload a clip and it adds captions, b-roll and effects | Web | Free to try, no card; Starter $12/month billed yearly ($19 monthly) |
 Captions | Captions on videos you film with your phone | You film in the app and it adds animated captions | iOS, Android, web | Free version; Basic $9.99/month (iPhone app); Max $24.99/month |
 CapCut | Subtitles inside a free video editor | A free editor where you make every edit, with auto captions on Pro | iOS, Android, Windows, Mac, web | Free; Pro $19.99/month or $179.99/year (varies by region) |
| Cutroom | Captions on a finished vertical video of you talking | It edits your clip for you: cuts, captions, b-roll and a hook | Web | First video free, no card; Lite $19.99/month |
- Kapwing
- Best for
- SRT and VTT subtitle files, in your browser
- Approach
- Upload a video, check the transcript, download the file or the captioned video
- Platform
- Browser
- Pricing from
- Free plan (watermark); Pro $16/member/month billed yearly ($24 monthly)
Descript
- Best for
- Subtitles for podcasts and long videos you edit anyway
- Approach
- You edit the transcript and the video follows
- Platform
- Web, Mac, Windows
- Pricing from
- Free plan (watermark); Hobbyist $16/month billed yearly ($24 monthly)
VEED
- Best for
- Subtitles and translation in your browser
- Approach
- A browser editor with automatic subtitles
- Platform
- Browser, mobile app
- Pricing from
- Free plan; Creator $10/user/month billed yearly
- Zubtitle
- Best for
- Captioning a few finished videos a month
- Approach
- Upload a finished video; it adds captions and a headline, and resizes it
- Platform
- Web, works on phones
- Pricing from
- Free plan (2 videos a month, watermark); Guru $19/month
- Submagic
- Best for
- Styled captions on short videos
- Approach
- You upload a clip and it adds captions, b-roll and effects
- Platform
- Web
- Pricing from
- Free to try, no card; Starter $12/month billed yearly ($19 monthly)
- Captions
- Best for
- Captions on videos you film with your phone
- Approach
- You film in the app and it adds animated captions
- Platform
- iOS, Android, web
- Pricing from
- Free version; Basic $9.99/month (iPhone app); Max $24.99/month
- CapCut
- Best for
- Subtitles inside a free video editor
- Approach
- A free editor where you make every edit, with auto captions on Pro
- Platform
- iOS, Android, Windows, Mac, web
- Pricing from
- Free; Pro $19.99/month or $179.99/year (varies by region)
Cutroom
- Best for
- Captions on a finished vertical video of you talking
- Approach
- It edits your clip for you: cuts, captions, b-roll and a hook
- Platform
- Web
- Pricing from
- First video free, no card; Lite $19.99/month
Prices and plans read from each vendor's own pricing page on 21 September 2026.
What is the difference between an SRT file and burned-in captions?
Subtitles can mean two different things, and most tools are better at one of them.
- An SRT file is a plain text file of subtitle lines and times. The video stays unchanged, and viewers can turn the subtitles on or off.
- YouTube, course platforms, accessibility checks and clients usually ask for an SRT or VTT file.
- Burned-in captions are drawn into the video, so they look the same everywhere and cannot be turned off.
- Reels, TikTok and Shorts suit burned-in captions, because videos there often play with the sound off.
- VTT is the web version of SRT. If nobody says which one they need, send the SRT.
A subtitle file and burned-in captions, side by side
Decide which one you need first, then pick the tool.
What it is
- A subtitle file (SRT, VTT)
- A text file of lines and times
- Burned-in captions
- Words drawn into the picture
Who asks for it
- A subtitle file (SRT, VTT)
- YouTube, course platforms, clients
- Burned-in captions
- Reels, TikTok, Shorts, social ads
Viewer can turn it off
- A subtitle file (SRT, VTT)
- Yes
- Burned-in captions
- No
After you upload the video again
- A subtitle file (SRT, VTT)
- You upload the file again too
- Burned-in captions
- Still there, it is part of the video
Can be translated later
- A subtitle file (SRT, VTT)
- Yes, it is text
- Burned-in captions
- No, it is part of the picture
| A subtitle file (SRT, VTT) | Burned-in captions | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A text file of lines and times | Words drawn into the picture |
| Who asks for it | YouTube, course platforms, clients | Reels, TikTok, Shorts, social ads |
| Viewer can turn it off | Yes | No |
| After you upload the video again | You upload the file again too | Still there, it is part of the video |
| Can be translated later | Yes, it is text | No, it is part of the picture |
This is the whole editor
Highlight a phrase and a clip lands on those exact words. No timeline, no keyframes, no layers.
The best subtitle generators for SRT files
Kapwing, Descript, VEED and Zubtitle all give you a subtitle file you can download.
- Kapwing lets you check the transcript in your browser, then download SRT, VTT or TXT. Pro includes 1,000 subtitle minutes a month.
- Descript is best if you edit the video there anyway. It exports SRT and VTT, and Hobbyist is $16 a month billed yearly.
- VEED gives unlimited auto subtitles on every paid plan and exports SRT, VTT or TXT. Translation into 50+ languages is on Pro.
- Zubtitle includes SRT export on every plan, even the free one. Guru is $19 a month for 10 videos.
The best subtitle generators for styled captions
Submagic, Captions and CapCut are best when you want captions that look good inside a short video.
- Submagic adds styled captions in 123 languages to a short video, plus b-roll and sound effects. Starter covers 15 videos a month, up to 2 minutes each.
- Captions records you on your phone and adds animated captions word by word. Basic is $9.99 a month in the iPhone app.
- CapCut adds auto captions in its editor, and its desktop app exports .srt or .txt files. Auto captions are a Pro feature.
Prices and free plans
Every tool here has a free way to start. The first paid plans cost from $9.99 to $24 a month.
Free plan and first paid plan
From each company's site or the US App Store, checked 21 September 2026. Prices change, so check before you pay. All names are trademarks of their owners.
| Tool | Free plan | First paid plan |
|---|---|---|
| Kapwing | Yes: 720p, watermark, auto subtitles up to 10 minutes | Pro: $16 per member a month billed yearly ($24 monthly), 1,000 subtitle minutes |
| Descript | Yes: 60 minutes a month, 720p, watermark | Hobbyist: $16 a month billed yearly ($24 monthly) |
| VEED | Yes, with a watermark | Creator: $10 per user a month billed yearly ($116 a year) |
| Zubtitle | Yes: 2 videos a month, 720p, watermark | Guru: $19 a month or $190 a year, 10 videos a month |
| Submagic | Free to try, no card | Starter: $12 a month billed yearly ($19 monthly), 15 videos |
| Captions | Yes: trimming, transitions, some media | Basic: $9.99 a month in the iPhone app. Max: $24.99 a month |
| CapCut | Yes; auto captions are on Pro | Pro: $19.99 a month or $179.99 a year |
| Cutroom | Your first video, no card, within 7 days, with a Cutroom mark | Lite: $19.99 a month for 1,250 credits (no SRT file) |
Tool: Kapwing
- Free plan
- Yes: 720p, watermark, auto subtitles up to 10 minutes
- First paid plan
- Pro: $16 per member a month billed yearly ($24 monthly), 1,000 subtitle minutes
Tool: Descript
- Free plan
- Yes: 60 minutes a month, 720p, watermark
- First paid plan
- Hobbyist: $16 a month billed yearly ($24 monthly)
Tool: VEED
- Free plan
- Yes, with a watermark
- First paid plan
- Creator: $10 per user a month billed yearly ($116 a year)
Tool: Zubtitle
- Free plan
- Yes: 2 videos a month, 720p, watermark
- First paid plan
- Guru: $19 a month or $190 a year, 10 videos a month
Tool: Submagic
- Free plan
- Free to try, no card
- First paid plan
- Starter: $12 a month billed yearly ($19 monthly), 15 videos
Tool: Captions
- Free plan
- Yes: trimming, transitions, some media
- First paid plan
- Basic: $9.99 a month in the iPhone app. Max: $24.99 a month
Tool: CapCut
- Free plan
- Yes; auto captions are on Pro
- First paid plan
- Pro: $19.99 a month or $179.99 a year
Tool: Cutroom
- Free plan
- Your first video, no card, within 7 days, with a Cutroom mark
- First paid plan
- Lite: $19.99 a month for 1,250 credits (no SRT file)
Which subtitle generator should you choose?
First decide if you need a file or captions in the video. Then pick the tool.
Which subtitle generator should you choose
Choose Kapwing if you need SRT or VTT files often, in your browser.
Choose Descript if you edit podcasts or long videos and need subtitles with them.
Choose VEED if you need subtitles translated into other languages.
Choose Zubtitle if you caption a few finished videos a month and need SRT files.
Choose Submagic if you post short videos and want styled captions.
Choose Captions if you film and caption videos on your phone.
Choose CapCut if you already edit in CapCut and pay for Pro.
Choose Cutroom if you want a finished vertical video of you talking, with captions in it. Your first video is free.
Where Cutroom fits
Cutroom is not a subtitle generator. It edits a video of you talking into a finished vertical video, with the captions burned in.
- You upload one clip of you talking, up to 3 minutes long.
- Cutroom times the captions to your voice in one of 40 styles. It also adds b-roll and a hook, and on the Punch and Native styles it shortens the pauses.
- To fix a misheard word, you correct it in the transcript and the caption changes with it.
- It exports no SRT or VTT file and does not translate. Use Kapwing, Descript or VEED for those.
- A 30-second video costs 110 credits. Lite is $19.99 a month for 1,250 credits, which is about 11 videos.
- Your first video is free, with no card, and you have 7 days to make it. It carries a Cutroom mark; Lite removes it.
Questions people ask
- What is the best subtitle generator?
- Kapwing or Descript for SRT files, and Submagic for styled captions burned into a short video. For a free start, use the auto captions built into YouTube, TikTok and Instagram.
- What is the best free subtitle generator?
- Kapwing's free plan subtitles videos up to 10 minutes, with a watermark on the video. Zubtitle's free plan allows 2 videos a month and includes SRT export. YouTube, TikTok and Instagram also caption your uploads for free.
- Does Cutroom export an SRT file?
- No, on no plan. Cutroom times the captions to your voice and burns them into the exported MP4. For an SRT or VTT file, use Kapwing, Descript or VEED. Zubtitle includes SRT on every plan, and CapCut's desktop app exports .srt.
- What is the difference between SRT and VTT?
- Both are plain text files of subtitle lines with times. SRT is older and more widely accepted, and most platforms and clients ask for it by name. VTT is the web version and allows some styling and positioning. If nobody says which, send the SRT.
- Do I need a subtitle file for Reels, TikTok and Shorts?
- Usually not. Those apps often play videos with the sound off, so the words should be burned into the video. Their own auto captions can be switched off by viewers and often get names wrong. You need a file when a client, a course platform or an accessibility rule asks for one.
- How accurate are automatic subtitles?
- Very accurate on clean sound, and much worse on noisy sound. A quiet room with the phone close gets few mistakes. Wind, a busy cafe or a distant microphone cause mistakes in every tool. Names and jargon go wrong most, so read the subtitles before they go out.
Need a finished vertical video with the captions already in it? Upload one clip. Your first video is free.
Try for freeYour first video is free, no card, and you have 7 days to make it. It carries a Cutroom mark; Lite at $19.99/month removes it