Guide
Instagram caption generator: 6 free post captions for your Reel
Updated
Instagram shows about the first 125 characters of a caption, then hides the rest. Say what your post is about, pick a tone, and get 6 captions, each with a count of the characters Instagram hides.
In short
- This free Instagram caption generator writes 6 post captions for your post or Reel. You type what it is about, like 'the real cost of a wedding shoot'.
- Instagram shows about the first 125 characters of a caption, then hides the rest behind '... more'.
- The caption box holds 2,200 characters, hashtags included.
- Instagram has allowed 5 hashtags per post since December 2025.
- The generator runs in your browser with no account, and nothing you type is uploaded.
Instagram caption writer
Runs in your browser · no account needed
Six captions, six different shapes, from one line about your video
Say what the video is about, add your ask if you have one, and pick a tone. You get a hook, a question, a statement with the ask attached, a list tease, a contrarian line and a plain descriptive one, each counted against Instagram’s limit and against the point where the feed hides the rest.
Two things are called captions
This writes the post text — the words in the feed, under or beside the video, that people read before deciding to watch.
It does not write the words burned over the footage. Those are subtitles, they follow your voice, and you can try five styles of them at the caption style preview.
- Characters Instagram shows before '... more'
- 125
- Characters the caption box accepts
- 2,200
- Hashtags allowed per post since December 2025
- 5
The 125-character cut-off
Instagram cuts a caption at about 125 characters in the feed, even in the middle of a sentence.
- Many people never tap '... more', so finish your point before the cut-off.
- The exact spot moves a little with the phone and the font size.
- Under each caption, the generator shows how many characters sit behind '... more', and warns you when your first line runs past the cut-off.
Where '... more' falls in one real caption
The generator's List teaser for 'the real cost of a wedding shoot', with the ask 'Link in bio for the full checklist', Straight tone, first press. The generator counts the same 26 hidden characters.
| Part | Text | In the feed |
|---|---|---|
| First line | Four questions worth asking about the real cost of a wedding shoot. The last one changes the answer. | Shown in full, 100 characters |
| Second line, your ask | Link in bio for the full checklist if you want it. | Cut off after 'Link in bio for the full' |
| Behind '... more' | checklist if you want it. | Hidden, about 26 characters |
Part: First line
- Text
- Four questions worth asking about the real cost of a wedding shoot. The last one changes the answer.
- In the feed
- Shown in full, 100 characters
Part: Second line, your ask
- Text
- Link in bio for the full checklist if you want it.
- In the feed
- Cut off after 'Link in bio for the full'
Part: Behind '... more'
- Text
- checklist if you want it.
- In the feed
- Hidden, about 26 characters
Post text, on-screen captions or alt text?
Three different things go by similar names. This page writes the post text.
- If you want the words on the video instead, our free caption style previewer plays your line in 5 styles.
Three kinds of text on a Reel
| Type | Where it goes | Written for |
|---|---|---|
| Post text (this page) | The share screen, shown in the feed | People deciding whether to keep watching, and people searching Instagram |
| On-screen subtitles | On the video, timed to your voice | People watching with the sound off |
| Alt text | A separate field in advanced settings | Screen readers |
Type: Post text (this page)
- Where it goes
- The share screen, shown in the feed
- Written for
- People deciding whether to keep watching, and people searching Instagram
Type: On-screen subtitles
- Where it goes
- On the video, timed to your voice
- Written for
- People watching with the sound off
Type: Alt text
- Where it goes
- A separate field in advanced settings
- Written for
- Screen readers
This is the whole editor
Highlight a phrase and a clip lands on those exact words. No timeline, no keyframes, no layers.
What goes where in an Instagram caption
Put your point in the first line. Details and the story can go after '... more', for the people who tap.
- The generator puts your ask on a second line. If the ask matters most, move it into the first line before you post.
- Ask for one thing only, like a comment or a click, so people know what to do.
- Up to 5 hashtags go at the end, so they never push your first line out of view.
An Instagram caption, in order
Many people never tap '... more', so your point goes in the first line.
First line
About 125 characters, all most people read
'... more'
A tap many people skip
The rest
Details and story, for those who tap
Hashtags
Up to 5, inside the same 2,200 characters
The 6 caption types
Each caption type does a different job. Pick a question if you want comments, and a plain description if you want the post found in search.
6 caption types and when to use them
| Type | What it does | Use it when |
|---|---|---|
| One-line hook | One short line that adds something to your Reel's first sentence instead of repeating it | Your Reel already opens strongly |
| Question | Asks something easy to answer | You want comments |
| Statement plus ask | Says what the post gives, then asks for one thing | You want a click, a DM or a booking |
| List teaser | Says how many tips the Reel has, without listing them | Your Reel is a list, like 3 mistakes or 5 tips |
| Contrarian | Takes the other side of common advice | You can back it up in the comments |
| Plain descriptive | Says what the post is about, in words people search for | You want it found months later |
Type: One-line hook
- What it does
- One short line that adds something to your Reel's first sentence instead of repeating it
- Use it when
- Your Reel already opens strongly
Type: Question
- What it does
- Asks something easy to answer
- Use it when
- You want comments
Type: Statement plus ask
- What it does
- Says what the post gives, then asks for one thing
- Use it when
- You want a click, a DM or a booking
Type: List teaser
- What it does
- Says how many tips the Reel has, without listing them
- Use it when
- Your Reel is a list, like 3 mistakes or 5 tips
Type: Contrarian
- What it does
- Takes the other side of common advice
- Use it when
- You can back it up in the comments
Type: Plain descriptive
- What it does
- Says what the post is about, in words people search for
- Use it when
- You want it found months later
Example captions for one topic
These are 6 captions the generator wrote for 'the real cost of a wedding shoot', in the Straight tone. No ask was typed in, so the Statement plus ask line ends with the generator's own ask.
- Press the button again and every caption changes.
- If you type an ask, like 'Link in bio for the full checklist', the generator puts it on a second line under 5 of the 6 captions.
What the generator wrote for 'the real cost of a wedding shoot'
| Type | Caption |
|---|---|
| One-line hook | The real cost of a wedding shoot, without the sales pitch. |
| Question | How do you handle the real cost of a wedding shoot? |
| Statement plus ask | This is what the real cost of a wedding shoot actually looks like in practice. Save this for the next time it comes up. |
| List teaser | Four questions worth asking about the real cost of a wedding shoot. The last one changes the answer. |
| Contrarian | Unpopular take: the real cost of a wedding shoot is not actually the problem. |
| Plain descriptive | What the real cost of a wedding shoot means, in plain words. |
Type: One-line hook
- Caption
- The real cost of a wedding shoot, without the sales pitch.
Type: Question
- Caption
- How do you handle the real cost of a wedding shoot?
Type: Statement plus ask
- Caption
- This is what the real cost of a wedding shoot actually looks like in practice. Save this for the next time it comes up.
Type: List teaser
- Caption
- Four questions worth asking about the real cost of a wedding shoot. The last one changes the answer.
Type: Contrarian
- Caption
- Unpopular take: the real cost of a wedding shoot is not actually the problem.
Type: Plain descriptive
- Caption
- What the real cost of a wedding shoot means, in plain words.
Where Cutroom fits
Cutroom does not write post captions. It makes the Reel the caption goes under.
- You upload one clip of yourself talking, filmed on your phone, up to 3 minutes long.
- You get a finished 9:16 video back, with b-roll and captions timed to your voice. On the Punch and Native styles, long pauses are shortened too.
- The on-screen captions come in 40 caption themes, and you can change their style, colour, size or position in the editor.
The on-screen kind, for comparison
These sit on the video and are timed to your voice. Eight of the 40 caption themes in the Cutroom editor.
Clean
Shout
Pour
Bubble
Tape
Halo
Plain
Comic
What Cutroom costs
The caption generator is free. The Cutroom editor uses credits.
Credits per video
| Step | Cost |
|---|---|
| The edit, with captions, b-roll and zooms | 100 credits |
| Export | 20 credits per minute of video |
| A 60-second video, all in | About 120 credits |
| Your first video | Free within 7 days of signing up, 600 credits, no card, with a Cutroom mark |
| Lite plan | $19.99 a month for 1,250 credits, about 10 one-minute videos |
Step: The edit, with captions, b-roll and zooms
- Cost
- 100 credits
Step: Export
- Cost
- 20 credits per minute of video
Step: A 60-second video, all in
- Cost
- About 120 credits
Step: Your first video
- Cost
- Free within 7 days of signing up, 600 credits, no card, with a Cutroom mark
Step: Lite plan
- Cost
- $19.99 a month for 1,250 credits, about 10 one-minute videos
Questions people ask
- How long should an Instagram caption be?
- Long enough to make your point, short enough to finish before the cut-off at about 125 characters. The box holds 2,200, but everything after the cut-off hides behind '... more'.
- Does this write the words that appear on the video?
- No. It writes the post text under the video. The words on the video are subtitles, and our free caption style previewer plays your line in 5 styles of them.
- How many hashtags can I use on Instagram?
- 5 per post and Reel, since December 2025. Before that it was 30. They count inside the same 2,200 characters, so put them after your words.
- Should the caption and the on-screen subtitles say the same thing?
- No. The subtitles are your spoken words. The caption adds what the video had no room for: the question, the detail, the ask or a searchable description.
- Is this Instagram caption generator free?
- Yes. It runs in your browser with no account, and nothing you type is sent or stored. The captions come from hand-written templates, not an AI model.
- What if none of the 6 captions fits?
- Generate again for new wording, or switch the tone. Then rewrite the best one with your real number, place or story.
Say what your post is about, pick the caption that fits, and check that your point shows before '... more'. Your first video is free.